FN&C Now

Volume 6, Number 22 – June 17, 2005 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Senate Finance Committee holds hearing on land conservation; giving sets new record in 2004; James Irvine Foundation begins second community foundation initiative AT THE COUNCIL: Blog on emerging issues launched; International Dateline highlights new joint working group on accountability; sign up for Breaking News JUST PUBLISHED: Study finds foundations increase use of alternative investment strategies; GrantCraft offers guides to advocacy funding and grantmaking challenges; Family Giving News profiles Blumenthal foundation; DVD seeks to inspire giving circles to think globally ACT NOW: Panel on the Nonprofit Sector to host June 24 conference call; nominate a health philanthropy leader for the Keenan award AWARDS ROUNDUP: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation honors 2005 Community Health Leaders ON THE MOVE: Norman Pearlstine (Carnegie); Mary Louise Mussoline, Carol Robinson and Patti Van Kampen (Greater Milwaukee Foundation) NEWS COVERAGE CONGRESSIONAL HEARING: On June 8, conservation easements and a committee staff report on The Nature Conservancy were the focus of a Senate Finance Committee hearing, "The Tax Code and Land Conservation: Report on Investigations and Proposals for Reform." In his opening statement, Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) voiced concern that "complex transactions can shift a charity's focus far away from its areas of competency while potentially wasting contributors' dollars." Although a few of the witnesses and committee members mentioned proposed limitations on charitable gifts of appreciated property, most of the discussion and testimony centered on donations of conservation easements. Read more: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?contentID=2732 . RECORD GIVING: According to Giving USA 2005, estimated charitable giving increased 5 percent in 2004 to $248.5 billion, setting a new record for giving in the United States. The top three recipients of donations were religious organizations (more than $88 billion), followed by educational groups (approximately $34 billion) and nonprofit health groups (approximately $22 billion). The growth in giving is attributed primarily to larger donations from corporations and foundations, as well as increased bequests. This is the 50th anniversary edition of Giving USA, which is sponsored by the Giving USA Foundation, the educational and research arm of the American Association of Fundraising Counsel. The report is researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and will be available for purchase in late June. Read more: http://www.aafrc.org/press_releases/index.cfm?pg=trustreleases/tsunamigifts.html . INCREASING RESOURCES: The James Irvine Foundation launched its second Community Foundation Initiative by making grants to nine community foundations, as well as a grant for pooled technical assistance. The grants, which total $3.8 million, are to support asset-building and increase organizational capacity in areas of California that have been underserved by organized philanthropy, particularly inland regions. The grants were the first phase in what is expected to become a $10 million, five-year initiative. The foundation's previous community foundation initiative helped build leadership at mid-sized community foundations. Read more: http://www.irvine.org/irvine_news/press_releases/current/06-09_CFI_2.shtml . AT THE COUNCIL NEW BLOG: The Council launched an Emerging Issues blog and news feed to inform grantmakers about the critical issues discussed by Washington, DC, policymakers, academics and think tanks that may not be on their radar. The blog highlights emerging trends in philanthropy, arts and culture, education, the environment, international affairs, and science and technology. Access the blog: http://blogs.cof.org/emergingissues . INTERNATIONAL DATELINE: The third quarter International Dateline highlights the new Joint Working Group on Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy; the Principles of International Charity in response to the U.S. Treasury Department's anti-terrorist financing guidelines; and the move of the Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) at the end of 2006. Also in this issue, Council Deputy General Counsel Andrew Schulz looks at the debate over grantee certification that funding will not be used to support terrorist activity; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Catherine A. Taylor discusses how business has been a powerful force in tsunami relief, recovery and reconstruction. Read the issue: http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Newsletters/InternationalDateline/2005/dateline05.pdf . 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. JUST PUBLISHED INVESTMENT CHANGES: According to a new Commonfund Institute report, foundations' average annual return on investments was 11.4 percent in 2004, compared to 17 percent in 2003. The average reported five-year return on investments was 3.9 percent. Commonfund Benchmarks Study—Foundations and Operating Charities 2005 reviewed investment policies of 317 leading independent, private and community foundations and operating charities in the United States. Allocations increased to alternative investment strategies, particularly hedge funds, and small foundations' investment performance was generally better than that of larger foundations. Commonfund Institute Executive Director John S. Griswold, Jr., said, "The performance of foundations in 2004 shows strength and stability as the markets recovered from three very difficult years." Read more: http://www.commonfund.org/Commonfund/Archive/CF+Institute/ CBS_foundations_press_0605.htm . ADVOCACY AND CHALLENGES: Wondering how to fit advocacy work into your foundation? Funding Advocacy: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds, a new guide from GrantCraft, explains what's legally permissible and how to work with grantees who lobby, build a constituency, prepare for opposition and measure success. GrantCraft has also created a Map of the Craft, which identifies seven grantmaking challenges based on feedback from hundreds of grantmakers, as well as practices that can help grantmakers meet those challenges. Find out more or download the guides (PDFs): http://www.grantcraft.org . FAMILY GIVING NEWS: The June issue of Family Giving News looks back at the past year's most popular topics, including ethical wills, perpetuity and spending out and understanding the 990-PF. As part of the Profiles in Family Philanthropy series, the issue profiles the Blumenthal Foundation for Charity, Religion, Education and Better Interfaith Relations, which makes its Wildacres Retreat available to nonprofits and individual artists. Read the issue or subscribe: http://www.ncfp.org/Email_Alert.html . GLOBAL GIVING: The Skoll Foundation is beginning a campaign to inspire grassroots giving circles to give internationally. The foundation provided major funding for The New Heroes, a PBS documentary on international social entrepreneurs premiering June 28, 2005, and created a DVD excerpting four stories from that program. Additional funding was provided by Calvert and by the Flora Family Foundation. The DVD and a house party tool kit are available free online. The Skoll Foundation will match donations (up to $5,000 per house party or $60,000 per organization) through August 31, 2005. Find out more: http://www.thenewheroes.org . Viewers can make online donations to the projects at http://www.globalgiving.com/cb/newheroes/featured.html . ACT NOW CONFERENCE CALL: The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector will host its fourth national conference call Friday, June 24, 2005, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time. During the call, panel representatives will discuss the June report to the Senate Finance Committee, which offers recommendations to improve the oversight and governance of charitable organizations and the next phase of the panel's work. The call is open to all staff and board members of public charities, corporate philanthropy program members and private foundations. Register: http://www.nonprofitpanel.org/ncc/register . KEENAN AWARD: Grantmakers In Health requests nominations for its 2006 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy. The annual award recognizes a grantmaker whose leadership and thoughtful application of philanthropic dollars has forged permanent improvements in health through creativity, risk-taking and boldness. The award recipient's achievements exemplify responsiveness to community needs, with a particular emphasis on reaching those most in need. Nomination deadline is September 16, 2005. Find out more: http://www.gih.org/calendar_url2665/calendar_url_show.htm?doc_id=261034 . AWARDS ROUNDUP HEALTH LEADERS: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation honored ten 2005 Community Health Leaders at a June 15 ceremony in Washington, DC: Bonny Beach, executive and clinical director, NDNS4Wellness, American Indian Prevention Coalition, Inc., Phoenix; Ron Crowder, executive director, Street Works, Nashville, TN; Jennifer Flynn, director, NYC AIDS Housing Network, New York City; JoAnn Lum, executive director, National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, Brooklyn, NY; May Ying Ly, executive director, Hmong Women's Heritage Association, Sacramento; Thomas Mock, executive director, ACORN: A Community Resource Network, Lebanon, NH; David Moore, CEO, Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc., Washington, NC; Ruth Ann Norton, executive director, Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, Baltimore; Alma Olivas, patient advocate and coalition coordinator, The Coalition for Community Healthcare Access, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque; and Kathy Spoor, director, Pacific County Public Health and Human Services, South Bend, WA. The program awards $120,000 each—$105,000 to enhance their program and $15,000 as a personal award—to individuals who have expanded access to healthcare and social services for the underserved. Read more: http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/newsreleasesdetail.jsp?id=10350 . ON THE MOVE NORMAN PEARLSTINE will join the board of trustees of Carnegie Corporation of New York September 29, 2005. Read more: http://www.carnegie.org/sub/news/pearlstine.html . The Women's Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation named MARY LOUISE MUSSOLINE, CAROL ROBINSON and PATTI VAN KAMPEN to its board. 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: 7.11.05