Council on Foundations: FN&C Now

	FN&C Now
	Volume 6, Number 20 – June 3, 2005 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Senate to hold hearing on land conservation; House holds hearing on tax-exempt hospitals; Johnson Center receives $1 million to disseminate best practices; Carnegie-Knight initiative aims to revitalize journalism education JUST PUBLISHED: Free framework helps evaluate leadership development programs NOW ONLINE: Transcript of discussion on foundations and advocacy AT THE COUNCIL: Time's running out to register for the Corporate Grantmakers Summit; propose a session for the 2006 Annual Conference by July 8; sign up for Breaking News ACT NOW: Register for teleconference on family governance basics; register for Building Strong and Ethical Foundations discussions in Austin ON THE MOVE: Rip Rapson and Peggy J. Birk (McKnight); James Keddy and Maurice Lim Miller (California Endowment); Arthur Schwartz (Templeton); Catherine Baginski (Washington Square); Michael M. Howe, Sara A. Sneed and J.T. Mullen, et al. (Community Foundations for Youth); Dianna Smiley (National Center for Family Philanthropy) NEWS COVERAGE FINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING: On Wednesday, June 8, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing, "The Tax Code and Land Conservation: Report on Investigations and Proposals for Reform." Proposed limitations on charitable gifts of property and conservation easements will likely be discussed. For more information and a witness list, visit http://www.cof.org/government . HOSPITAL HEARING: On May 26, the House Committee on Ways and Means held "A Review of the Tax-Exempt Hospital Sector." During the hearing—which did not include foundations—Committee Chairperson Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA) said that Congress should review the work of nonprofit hospitals to determine whether they provide enough community benefit to justify tax subsidies. Thomas said he picked hospitals for a detailed examination because they are the largest single type of charitable organization. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark Everson testified that "it is increasingly difficult to differentiate for-profit from nonprofit healthcare providers." The Senate is currently auditing ten of the nation's largest nonprofit hospitals. Read a Washington Post article on the hearing: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601195.html . SHARING BEST PRACTICES: The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University received a $1 million grant to help identify and disseminate best practices among nonprofits. The grant, from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, is the initial grant for the center's new $3 million Growing the Greater Good Endowment Campaign. Grand Valley State University was among the first universities in the United States to establish a formal academic center on philanthropy, volunteerism and nonprofit management. Also, its Grantmaking School is the first university-based program in the nation to teach advanced grantmaking skills to foundation program officers. Read more: http://www.gvsu.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.read_news&news_id=3368C4AE-912F-B462-E76831848C9689BE . IMPROVING NEWS: Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced the three-year Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, which will provide more than $6 million to help revitalize journalism schools at five universities. Funding recipients are Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism; the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley; the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California; and Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics & Policy. The schools' faculty and students will collaborate on the initiative's three main efforts: integrating schools of journalism with campus-wide activities; instituting annual national investigative reporting projects; and launching a task force focusing on research and creating a platform for educators to speak on journalism issues. Read more: http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2005/2005_05_26_carnegie-knight.html . JUST PUBLISHED FREE GUIDE: EvaluLEAD: A Guide for Shaping and Evaluating Leadership Development Programs offers a framework for evaluating leadership development based on values, norms and performance. Topics include: a step-by-step process and tools to plan and prioritize a comprehensive program evaluation (based on the experience of 17 organizations); strategies based on types of results; and benefits of an open-systems perspective. The guide was developed by the Population Leadership Program and the Sustainable Leadership Initiative at the Public Health Institute, in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Read more or download the guide (PDF): http://www.evalulead.net/gbook.html . NOW ONLINE URGING ADVOCACY: Foundations at both ends of the political spectrum need to increase activity in the public policy arena to be more effective, said nonprofit sector leaders at a discussion convened by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute's (GPPI) Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership. During "The Cost of Caution: Advocacy, Public Policy and America's Foundations," held April 21, 2005, panelist Emmett D. Carson, president of The Minneapolis Foundation and board chair of the Council on Foundations, said grantmakers misunderstand the law regulating public policy activities by foundations. Other panelists said foundations don't support public policy efforts because they are too focused on measuring projects' immediate results. Panelists included Cecilia Muñoz, vice president for advocacy, National Council of La Raza; and William A. Schambra, director, Bradley Center on Philanthropy and Civic Renewal, Hudson Institute. Respondents were Pablo Eisenberg, senior fellow, Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership, GPPI; and Gara LaMarche, vice president and director, U.S. programs, Open Society Institute. The moderator was Teresa J. Odendahl, GPPI's Waldemar A. Nielsen Chair in Philanthropy. Read the transcript (PDF): http://cpnl.georgetown.edu/doc_pool/IF03CostofCaution.pdf . AT THE COUNCIL CORPORATE SUMMIT: Join your corporate grantmaking colleagues in San Francisco, June 8–10, 2005, for the Council on Foundations' Corporate Grantmakers Summit, Leverage and Leadership: Accountability in Action. Attendees will share their successes and struggles and hear lessons learned from colleagues who have strengthened their programs in this era of regulatory and legislative challenges. Featured speakers include Andy Goodman, author of Storytelling as a Best Practice, and Graham Phaup, executive director of the Institute for Global Ethics. Register or find out more: http://int2.cof.org/conferences/Corp2005/index.htm . CALL FOR SESSIONS: The 2006 Annual Conference Committee invites you to participate in the 57th Annual Conference by submitting a session proposal by July 8, 2005. The theme is Insight, Inspiration and Innovation, and the conference will be held in Pittsburgh May 7–9, 2006. Pittsburgh is the birthplace of some of the more notable fortunes that founded American philanthropy. Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Mellon built their wealth in Western Pennsylvania, and each left a strong legacy that lives on locally. We seek informative, peer-led sessions that will encourage grantmakers to excel in the legal, regulatory and governance aspects of establishing and managing foundations and corporate giving programs and the management and leadership challenges of making a positive difference in the world through grantmaking. Find out more or submit a proposal: http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/ Conferences/AC2006/2006_Call_form_-_FINAL-Post.doc . 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. ACT NOW FAMILY BASICS: The National Center for Family Philanthropy will hold a teleconference, Family Governance: A Primer for Families, June 8 from noon to 1:30 p.m., Eastern Time. Patricia Angus, a family wealth advisor with Asset Management Advisors, will be the facilitator. The teleconference will provide guidance on developing principles, practices and policies for effective family governance. Registration is required. Find out more: http://www.ncfp.org/program-teleconferences.htm . ETHICAL FOUNDATIONS: The Council on Foundations, Conference of Southwest Foundations and the Austin Community Foundation invite you to attend discussions of legal basics and ethical practices for the foundation community on June 14 in Austin. Part of the Council's Building Strong and Ethical Foundations initiative, the morning program is geared toward professional advisors, focusing on fiduciary duties of trustees, executive and trustee compensation, self-dealing, conflicts of interest, principles and standards for foundation governance and the latest Washington developments affecting philanthropy. At the afternoon program, which is designed for foundation and corporation trustees, executives and senior staff, Council President and CEO Dot Ridings will address the need to develop new guiding principles and governance standards for foundations. Ridings will also discuss the Council's responses to the need for intensified professional development for foundation staff and advisors and for increased outreach about strong legal and ethical governance practices to federal and state charity officials. Register or find out more: http://www.cof.org/index.cfm?containerID=356 . ON THE MOVE RIP RAPSON will step down as president of The McKnight Foundation later this summer to serve as senior fellow, focusing on the changing nature of metropolitan and rural communities. Board Member PEGGY J. BIRK will become interim president. Read more: http://www.mcknight.org/about/news_detail.aspx?itemID=2848&catID=53&typeID=2 . JAMES KEDDY and MAURICE LIM MILLER joined The California Endowment's board. Read more: http://www.calendow.org/news/press_releases/2005/index.stm . The John Templeton Foundation promoted ARTHUR SCHWARTZ to executive vice president. Read more: http://www.templeton.org/press_room/schwartz_pressrelease.asp . CATHERINE BAGINSKI is program assistant at the Washington Square Health Foundation. The Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth appointed MICHAEL M. HOWE and SARA A. SNEED co-chairs and J.T. MULLEN treasurer. GENEVA BOLTON JOHNSON, COLIN LACON and JANICE GOW PETTEY are new board members. DIANNA SMILEY was named program director for education and outreach at the National Center for Family Philanthropy. 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: 6.08.05