FN&C Now

Volume 7, Number 1 – January 7, 2006 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Kellogg Foundation's 75th Anniversary concludes with increased assets, spending; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides $16 million to reverse childhood obesity; Pew supports young voter registration competition JUST PUBLISHED: Two-part study says that foundation giving to minority groups lags and explains why; Johns Hopkins survey details philanthropic behavior worldwide; guide helps nonprofit boards generate buzz AT THE COUNCIL: Come to the 57th Annual Conference; Board Briefing on board size available; sign up for Breaking News NOW ONLINE: Facing the Future series looks ahead ACT NOW: Register for the Winter Institute for New Grantmakers; learn how to make your documentary matter NEWS COVERAGE KELLOGG GROWTH: At the end of its 75th Anniversary year, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation reported a $500 million increase in assets from 2004 to $7.3 billion. The asset growth coincided with an increase in grant funding, from $219 million for FY 2003–04 to $244 million in FY 2004–05. Of that increase, $20 million was spent for special grants in honor of the foundation's anniversary. "This is obviously good news for the Kellogg foundation, but it means the most to the people and communities we serve," said William C. Richardson, foundation president and CEO. Read more (PDF): http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/05ARnr_00439_03821.pdf . HEALTHY KIDS: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched the five-year, $16-million Healthy Eating Research program, a new effort to determine changes in policies and environments that will promote healthy eating among children. "If we don't act to reverse the alarming trend of childhood obesity, we are in danger of raising the first generation of American children who will live sicker and die younger than the generation before them," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, foundation president and CEO. The topic of its first call for proposals—due March 7, 2006—is the influence of school food environments and policies on children's diets. Read more: http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/newsreleasesdetail.jsp?id=10383 . YOUNG VOTERS: The Pew Charitable Trusts gave $3 million to The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) for its national, nonpartisan competition to identify and support innovative and replicable strategies for registering voters ages 18 to 29. The record increase in young voter turnout during the 2004 and 2005 elections spurred GSPM to launch the Innovations in Youth Voting competition, which will award grants to projects providing new and creative approaches to getting young people to register to vote and keeping the youth vote in the spotlight in 2006. Eight to 10 organizations will receive grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, in addition to strategic support and polling data from GSPM. Applications for the competition must be received by 5 p.m. on January 13, 2006; winners will be announced by March 1, 2006. Read more: https://youngvoterstrategies.electionmall.name/e-contentstrategy/news3.asp . JUST PUBLISHED MINORITY FUNDING, I AND II: Minorities are a fast-growing segment of the U.S. population, now comprising almost one in three Americans, but foundation funding for organizations that both lead and serve communities of color is weak, says a new, two-part study by the Greenlining Institute. Fairness in Philanthropy Part I: Foundation Giving to Minority-led Nonprofits analyzes the giving of the nation's largest foundations to determine how equitably foundation dollars are allocated across the sector. The institute's findings show that the top 50 independent foundations and the top 25 community foundations awarded only 3 percent of total grant dollars to minority-led nonprofits in 2002. Corporate foundations are shown to be better supporters of minority groups, with the Verizon Foundation directing almost three in four of its contributions to minority groups. Download Part I (PDF): http://www.greenlining.org/uploads/pdfs/1202122910-Foundation1.pdf . The Greenlining Institute's Fairness in Philanthropy Part II: Perspectives from the Field looks at why foundation funding for minority-led nonprofits is so low and how the diversity practices and policies of foundations affect giving priorities. Respondents identified several barriers to funding for minority-led nonprofits, including the inability to access foundations; the lack of trust between minority-led nonprofits and foundations; and inadequate resources on the part of many minority-led nonprofits to devote to relationship-building with foundation staff. To improve funding, the institute suggests establishing a task force to discuss diversity, and encourages foundations to conduct self-assessments of grants to nonprofits and to track grants and set goals for grantmaking to minority groups. Download Part II (PDF): http://www.greenlining.org/uploads/pdfs/1202124352-Foundation2.pdf . WORLDWIDE GIVING: Who in the world is the most generous? Is it Americans, who lead the world in cash donations to charities, measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)? Or is it the people of the Netherlands, who give more of their time and money combined and, thus, lead the world in overall philanthropic behavior? The latest report on both giving and the time value of philanthropic behavior as a percentage of GDP, from 1995 to 2002, will spur such questions. Private Philanthropy Across the World was compiled by the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, as part of the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project. "There's a lot of mythology out there about charitable giving around the world," said Lester Salamon, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies. "What's increasingly clear is that Americans are not the only ones who give." Download a chart with data on private philanthropy in more than 30 countries (PDF): http://www.jhu.edu/cnp/pdf/comptable5_dec05.pdf . BOARD BUZZ: BoardSource released Generating Buzz: Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Boards, which highlights a board's role and responsibilities in nonprofit communications. Written by Sally J. Patterson, the book discusses breaking down the concept of strategic communications; undertaking a strategic communications planning process; engaging board members in communications and outreach, especially when speaking on behalf of the organization; and considering partnerships and collaborations. The book also covers framing and branding, communicating during a crisis and monitoring the effectiveness of strategic communications. Find our more or order the book: http://www.boardsource.org/ViewBookStoreItem.asp?ID=189 . AT THE COUNCIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE: The Council on Foundations will hold it 57th Annual Conference—themed Philanthropy: Investing in the Vision of Progress—in Pittsburgh May 7–9, 2006. Pittsburgh is the birthplace of some of the most 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. Sessions 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. Speakers will include Teresa Heinz, chairman, The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies; George Soros, founder and chairman, Open Society Institute and the Soros foundations network; Newt Gingrich, former speaker, U.S. House of Representatives; Richard Florida, economist, professor and author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class; and 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Muta Maathai, a University of Pittsburgh graduate and founder of the Green Belt Movement. Register or read more: http://int2.cof.org/conferences/ac2006 . Take a philanthropic video tour of Pittsburgh: http://real2.rd.net/rdnet/cof/pittsburgh.wmv . BOARD BRIEFING: Board size is the topic of the Council's newest Board Briefing. Ask a foundation member what the best size is for a board of directors and you'll likely get a different answer every time. This briefing looks at the both the advantages and disadvantages of large and small boards, and will assist boards in determining the size that will help them best accomplish their missions. Read the briefing: http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Governing_Boards/Board%20Briefs/Board_Size_FINAL.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, as well as members and staff of our colleague organizations. Subscribe by e-mailing your name, title and foundation name to media@cof.org. NOW ONLINE LOOK FORWARD: The Council on Foundations' new Facing the Future Now series features timely interviews with futurists, foundation executives and experienced leaders knowledgeable about key trends and emerging issues driving the future of philanthropy and key grantmaking areas. The first interview is with Marsha Rhea, an expert in learning and healthcare issues at the Institute for Alternative Futures, who talks about "moving toward a wisdom-based economy." Read the interview: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?contentID=3262 . ACT NOW WINTER INSTITUTE: Washington Grantmakers will present the Council on Foundations Winter Institute for New Grantmakers January 19–26 at the Council's Conference Center, 1828 L Street NW, Suite 505. The two days of comprehensive, two-hour sessions will focus on best practices developed for new foundation staff in the areas of ethics in practice, foundations and the law, managing grants, analyzing financial statements, building community relationships and evaluation as the best management tool. The member registration rate is $675 and the nonmember rate is $1,350. Questions concerning registration, sessions, speakers, lodging and general inquiries should be directed to Dana Grisby at Washington Grantmakers (202/939-3440, ext. 3443 and grisby@washingtongrantmakers.org). For updates, visit http://www.washingtongrantmakers.org/wg/Programs/Planning/Planning_Institute.asp . DOCUMENTARY WORKSHOP: Grantmakers concerned with media are invited to attend Making Your Documentary Matter: Public Engagement Strategies that Work, January 30, 2006, in Washington, DC. Presented by the Center for Social Media at American University and co sponsored by Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media, the daylong workshop will explore new and compelling ways to make outreach and audience engagement part of the production planning of a documentary. Learn from seasoned filmmakers, funders and civic engagement specialists about ways to extend the reach and effectiveness of documentary film. The keynote speaker is Cynthia Lopez, director of communications for the PBS series POV. Making Your Documentary Matter is a project of the Ford Foundation. Register ($50) or find out more: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/workshop.htm . 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: 3.27.06