FN&C Now

Volume 6, Number 4 – February 11, 2005 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Remembering Kathryn Engebretson; Tides Center to expand nonprofit-sector services; free e-filing for nonprofits launched JUST PUBLISHED: New Ventures in Philanthropy finds giving circles growing NOW ONLINE: Foundation News & Commentary on new directions, family foundation issues AT THE COUNCIL: Submit a session for the 2006 Family Foundation Conference; read the recap of the 2005 Family Foundation Conference; sign up for Breaking News ON THE MOVE: Ann Myers and Kyleigh Helfrich (Baltimore Community); Heather Findlay and Dorceta Taylor (Noyes); Victoria Shire Dinges (McCormick Tribune); Douglas X. Patiño, Stewart Kwoh and David S. Barlow, et al. (California Wellness); Perdita Jay Fisher (Missouri Foundation for Health); James M. Jones (APCO Worldwide); Phil Giudice and Mark R. Kramer (Center for Effective Philanthropy) NEWS COVERAGE IN MEMORIAM: Kathryn J. Engebretson, president of the William Penn Foundation, died of cancer yesterday at age 48. She is survived by her 8-year-old daughter, Emma. Board Chair David Haas said, “Kathy’s spirit, determination, and warmth will be missed by everyone associated with the Foundation . . . Losing her is a terrible blow personally and professionally, but we will carry on with the vision of regional advancement to which Kathy was so deeply committed.” A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 14th. Read more: http://www.williampennfoundation.org/news_keywords3559/ news_keywords_show.htm?doc_id=260829 . TIDES EXPANSION: Tides Center received $4.5 million to significantly expand its services to social innovators and nonprofits. The center will deploy a scalable technology platform to greatly increase the availability of affordable administrative infrastructure, enabling thousands of nonprofits and fiscal sponsors to operate more efficiently and effectively. The center will also collaborate to improve standards of practice and accountability in the sector. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation led the funding with a three-year grant of $4.07 million. Additional funders include the Skoll and Packard foundations and the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Read more: http://www.tidescenter.org/press_rel_10.cfm . FREE E-FILING: Tax-exempt organizations can file their 2004 Form 990s electronically through a free Web service launched by the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Earlier this month, the IRS released regulations requiring certain tax-exempt organizations to e-file their information returns. Although the rule does not go into effect until 2006, nonprofits can begin e-filing through the site this year. Find out more: http://efile.form990.org . JUST PUBLISHED GIVING CIRCLES: According to a new report, giving circles have become an important and growing force in philanthropy, often spearheaded by women. Giving Together: A National Scan of Giving Circles and Shared Giving also says circles have invested more than $44 million in communities nationwide since 2000. “The influence of giving circles has been spreading for years, but until now there has been little research to document it,” says Jessica Bearman, researcher and deputy director for New Ventures in Philanthropy, an initiative of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers. To encourage development of giving circles, New Ventures created the online Giving Circle Knowledge Center. Find out more or download the report (PDF): http://www.givingforum.org/givingcircles/index.html . NOW ONLINE FOUNDATION NEWS: In the January/February 2005 Foundation News & Commentary, Council on Foundations Board Member Robin S. Tryloff reports on the Council’s new strategic plan and framework for leadership in the sector and Kathleen Odne and Christine Park discuss new stewardship principles for family and corporate grantmakers. Also, Emmett D. Carson writes that community foundations must choose between being a field or a movement. The issue includes articles on family foundation investment policies and donor intent and the fourth installment in a series on conflicts of interest. Read more: http://www.foundationnews.org . AT THE COUNCIL CALL FOR SESSIONS: The Planning Committee requests your ideas for sessions at the 2006 Family Foundations Conference to be held January 29–31, 2006, in Honolulu. The conference’s focus will be two-fold. The program will follow on the 2005 conference’s efforts to help foundations implement the Stewardship Principles and Practices for Family Foundations and it will feature funding opportunities in a broader range of programs and regions, including the countries of the Pacific Rim. Deadline for proposals is April 1, 2005. Find out more: http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Conferences/2006Family/2006Call.doc . FAMILY MATTERS: The Winter 2004 special edition Family Matters recaps the 2005 Family Foundation Conference (held January 23–25, in Miami), where the Stewardship Principles for Family Foundations were launched. Council members may read the issue at: http://www.cof.org/Content/Newsletter/Display.cfm?newsletterID=2369 . FREE NEWS SERVICE: Breaking News is a free, daily e-mail newsletter summarizing the top articles—mostly from national and regional newspapers—about philanthropy. Breaking News is available to Council members only. Subscribe by e-mailing your name, title and foundation name to media@cof.org. ON THE MOVE The Baltimore Community Foundation appointed ANN MYERS senior development officer and KYLEIGH HELFRICH development associate. The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation elected HEATHER FINDLAY board chair and DORCETA TAYLOR vice chair. The McCormick Tribune Foundation hired VICTORIA SHIRE DINGES as vice president of external affairs, a newly created position to direct the foundation’s public outreach. The California Wellness Foundation appointed DOUGLAS X. PATIÑO board chair, STEWART KWOH vice chair, and DAVID S. BARLOW and ELIZABETH M. GOMEZ board members. Read more: http://www.tcwf.org/news_room/news_releases/feb_01_05.htm . PERDITA JAY FISHER was elected to the board of the Missouri Foundation for Health. Read more: http://www.mffh.org/press_release010405.php . JAMES M. JONES was named senior vice president of APCO Worldwide’s global corporate social responsibility team. Read more: http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/newsroom/press_releases/01_27_05.cfm . PHIL GIUDICE is now board chair of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Giudice replaced Founder MARK R. KRAMER, who is now managing director and founder of Foundation Strategy Group and senior fellow for Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. Read more: http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/news/pressreleases/news_pr_010405.html . SUBSCRIBE FN&C Now is published by the Council on Foundations to keep you in the loop by sharing news between bimonthly editions of Foundation News & Commentary magazine (FN&C Now Web archive: http://www.foundationnews.org/now/index.htm ). Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and colleagues who might enjoy it. To subscribe (it's free) to FN&C Now, send an e-mail to fncnow@cof.org . Questions or comments about FN&C Now? Contact Paula J. Kelly at 202/467-0261. To contribute a news item for consideration, please e-mail fncnow@cof.org . To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to leave-fncnow-4832R@int1.cof.org . To subscribe to Foundation News & Commentary, an award-winning magazine, please send an e-mail to fncsubs@cof.org , or visit our website at http://www.icnfull.com/cgi-bin/cobolscript.exe?cof/cofmain.cbl . Council on Foundations 1828 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202/466-6512 webmaster@cof.org last update: 2.21.05