FN&C Now

Volume 6, Number 19 – May 27, 2005 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Fifteen states have proposed legislation to increase charitable regulation; Kellogg foundation marks 75th anniversary with grants for accessible playgrounds JUST PUBLISHED: New stats on grantmaking in issue areas and locations ACT NOW: Submit a session proposal for Grantmakers In Health's 2006 annual meeting AWARDS ROUNDUP: Kathy Bushkin receives Lifetime of Idealism Award; Templeton foundation gives awards for enterprise-based poverty solutions; Transatlantic Community Foundation Fellowships announced ON THE MOVE: George Penick (Foundation for the Mid South); Urvashi Vaid and Linda May (Arcus); Alonzo Louis Plough (California Endowment); Anne L. Leavitt and Edward "Bart" Howard (Ford Family); Maureen H. Smyth, Lois R. DeBacker and Kevin F. Walker, et al. (Mott); John E. Marshall, III (Kresge); George A. Davidson, Jr., Peter F. Mathieson and Robert B. Webb (Pittsburgh); Dolores Kreiger (Council on Foundations) NEWS COVERAGE PROPOSED REGULATION: Fifteen states introduced 24 bills during the past year that would increase charitable regulation, but that activity has gone largely unnoticed with the focus on proposed federal changes, according to a new study from the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA). However, when state activity is "combined with uncoordinated efforts at the federal level, small and mid-sized charities, in particular, may be so over-regulated that their only option is to close," says Audrey Alvarado, NCNA's executive director. Many proposed state efforts aim to capture new revenue from nonprofits or increase financial disclosure requirements. NCNA will update its state proposal list as legislatures move forward. Read more: http://www.ncna.org/_uploads/documents/live//State_Charity_Proposals-News_Release.doc . PLAYGROUND PROJECT: In recognition of its 75th anniversary, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched the Able to Play project, a statewide effort to build barrier-free playgrounds in 20 Michigan communities. Vice President for Programs Gail McClure says Able to Play continues founder W.K Kellogg's "belief that all children, regardless of status or ability, are afforded equal opportunity for success." The project is coordinated by Boundless Playgrounds, a nonprofit that helps create universally accessible play environments. The project's lessons learned will be presented during a seminar series. Throughout 2005, the foundation will spotlight the work of its grantees, promote innovative practices and share the story of W.K. Kellogg to inspire others to invest in the common good. Read more about the playground initiative: http://www.wkkf.org/Programming/Overview.aspx?CID=318 . Read more about the foundation's anniversary: http://75.wkkf.org . JUST PUBLISHED NEW STATS: Interested in finding new statistics on grantmaking patterns? The Foundation Center's 2003 FC Stats offers free statistical tables documenting foundation giving by subject area, recipient organization, type of support, population served, domestic geographic focus and domestic versus international focus. Also included are ranked lists of top funders and recipient organizations. Find out more: http://fdncenter.org/fc_stats/listing02.html . ACT NOW CALL FOR SESSIONS: Grantmakers In Health (GIH) will hold its 2006 Annual Meeting on Health Philanthropy February 22–24 in Phoenix. From the Ground Up: Improving Community Health, Inspiring Community Action will focus on the critical role that grantmakers play in creating and sustaining the conditions for health improvement. GIH invites grantmakers to submit proposals for conference sessions designed around GIH's eight key health issue areas: access, aging, children/youth, disparities, health promotion, mental health, public health and quality. The conference will be held at a hotel owned and staffed by members of the Gila River Indian Community, so it also presents an opportunity for sessions on Native American health concerns. June 30, 2005, marks the deadline for proposals. Find out more: http://www.gih.org/calendar_url2665/calendar_url_show.htm?doc_id=261032 . AWARDS ROUNDUP IDEALISM AWARD: City Year presented Kathy Bushkin, executive vice president and COO of the United Nations (UN) Foundation, with its 2005 Lifetime of Idealism Award May 25. The award honors an individual demonstrating commitment to improving the community over the course of his or her lifetime. Bushkin helped City Year Washington, DC, launch in 2000 and serves as a board member. Before joining the UN Foundation, Bushkin was founding president of the AOL Time Warner Foundation and chief architect of its corporate responsibility initiatives. Read more: http://www.cityyear.org/sites/events.cfm?Site_ID=14&Event_ID=192 . ALLEVIATING POVERTY: The John Templeton Foundation awarded "What Works in Enterprise-Based Solutions to Poverty" prizes of $500,000 each to three think tanks under its new initiative promoting public understanding of how entrepreneurship and free-market reforms can alleviate poverty. Recipients are: Fraser Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada, for an initiative measuring economic freedom and how free enterprise throughout the Arab world is lifting individuals and families out of poverty, in partnership with the Oman-based International Research Foundation; George Mason University Mercatus Center, Arlington, VA, for "Enterprise Africa!" to document and communicate the successes (and challenges) of African entrepreneurs and small businesses in conjunction with Free Market Foundation, South Africa and the London-based Institute for Economic Affairs; and The Independent Institute, Oakland CA, to create a Center for Global Prosperity and, under the leadership of Alvaro Vargas Llosa, to examine how market-based institutions are reducing poverty in Latin America. Read more: http://www.templeton.org/whatworks . TRAVELING FELLOWS: The King Baudouin Foundation, The German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation selected ten fellows and their host foundations for the sixth annual Transatlantic Community Foundation Fellowships. Participants are experienced community philanthropy leaders with a demonstrated commitment to improving their own community foundations. In June 2005, the fellows cross the Atlantic to spend three weeks with a host community foundation where they will be exposed to new ideas and concepts in philanthropy. The U.S. fellows and European host foundations are: Susan Barry, York County Community Foundation, York, Pennsylvania (host: The Greater Bristol Foundation, Bristol, United Kingdom); Heather Eason, Arkansas Community Foundation, Little Rock (host: Community Foundation for Ireland, Dublin); Margaret (Peggy) Ogden, Central New York Community Foundation, Syracuse (host: Presov Community Foundation, Presov, Slovakia); Dennis Riggs, The Community Foundation of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky (host: Community Foundation for the Region Ahrensburg, Ahrensburg, Germany); Jeffrey Sunshine, Community Foundation Silicon Valley, San Jose, California (host: Northhamptonshire Community Foundation, Northhampton, United Kingdom). European fellows and U.S. host foundations are: Maria Bellati, Community Foundation of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy (host: Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, Green Bay, Wisconsin); Derry Nugent, Community Foundation Serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom (host: Toledo Community Foundation, Toledo, Ohio); Giles Ruck, The Scottish Community Foundation, Edinburgh, Scotland (host: The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia, Richmond); Petr Vesely, The Community Foundation of Euroregion, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic (host: The Community Foundation of Holland/Zeeland, Holland, Michigan); Laura Warren, Essex Community Foundation, Essex, United Kingdom (host: Dade Community Foundation, Miami, Florida). Read more: http://www.gmfus.org/doc/kingbaudouinPress%20Release.pdf . ON THE MOVE GEORGE PENICK, founding president of the Foundation for the Mid South, will step down in the next six to twelve months. Read more: http://www.fndmidsouth.org/news_latest_GP_announcement.htm . In September, URVASHI VAID becomes executive director of the Arcus Foundation. Current Executive Director LINDA MAY will then become associate director. Read more: http://www.arcusfoundation.org/pages/news_cur_execdir.shtml . On July 18, 2005, ALONZO LOUIS PLOUGH will become vice president of program, planning and evaluation at The California Endowment. Read more: http://www.calendow.org/news/press_releases/2005/05/052405VP.stm . ANNE L. LEAVITT will become director of scholarship programs at The Ford Family Foundation June 15, 2005. She succeeds EDWARD "BART" HOWARD. Read more (PDF): http://www.tfff.org/cms/Portals/0/Anne_Leavitt_Press_Release.pdf . The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation promoted MAUREEN H. SMYTH, vice president for programs, to senior vice president for programs and communications. LOIS R. DEBACKER is associate vice president, programs for Civil Society and Environment and KEVIN F. WALKER is associate vice president, programs for the Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. JACK A. LITZENBERG, who previously served as interim program director for the Flint Area program, will return to the position of senior program officer for the poverty program. RAYMOND P. MURPHY, former program director for the civil society program, will focus on the foundation's philanthropic efforts in Europe from his home base in Cork, Ireland. Read more: http://www.mott.org/news/pr-detail.asp?newsid=36 . JOHN E. MARSHALL, III, announced that he will retire as president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation in June 2006. GEORGE A. DAVIDSON, JR., was elected chair of The Pittsburgh Foundation. New board members are PETER F. MATHIESON and ROBERT B. WEBB. DOLORES (DORI) KREIGER joined the Council on Foundations as program manager for the Community Foundation Services department. 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: 5.27.05