FN&C Now

Volume 7, Number 6 – February 10, 2006 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Bill Gates pledges to triple TB funding; Chicago Community Trust awards its billionth dollar; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awards its largest-ever grant JUST PUBLISHED: A look at diversity in the news media; updated family foundation facts; primers on key topics for small foundations; Family Giving News on creative giving options AT THE COUNCIL: View webcasts from the 2006 Family Foundation Conference; sign up for Breaking News ON THE MOVE: Elsie Meeks and William Thorndike, Jr. (Northwest Area); Walter V. Reid (Packard); Susan Aheron Magill (Pew); Ted Alexander, H. Scott Davis, Jr., and Byron Harrell, et al. (Southeastern Council); Betty Peterson, Theresa Wukusick and Lori Beiler, et al. (Greater Cincinnati); Bruce Melgary, Eden Kratchman and Victoria K. Flaville (Delaware Valley Grantmakers); Jillaine Smith (Grantmakers for Effective Organizations) NEWS COVERAGE STOPPING TB: Bill Gates announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is joining a global effort to raise $31 billion to cut tuberculosis cases and deaths in half by 2015 and is tripling to $900 million its funding for preventing the disease. Gates made the announcement January 27 at a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The plan to cut tuberculosis cases and deaths by 2015 was outlined at the press conference by Marcos Espinal, executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership, an international network of public and private groups working to eradicate tuberculosis entirely by 2050. The plan, which will require the $31 billion investment, calls for developing new tools to fight tuberculosis, as well as expanding access to existing treatment. Read more: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/ Pri_Diseases/Tuberculosis/RelatedInfo/StopTBPartnership.htm . BILLION DOLLAR MARK: The Chicago Community Trust, which marks its 90th anniversary this year, awarded its billionth dollar in grants. The billionth dollar grant was made at its January board meeting when more than $34 million in total funding was awarded to Chicago-area nonprofits. Read more (PDF): http://www.cct.org/publications_research/Jan06_release.pdf . LARGEST GRANT: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded a $2.5 million challenge grant—the largest grant in its 35-year history—to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The committee, a nonprofit that provides legal defense and advocacy services to journalists working in the United States, will receive the grant over five years and divide it between its endowment and its operating fund. Read more: http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2006/2006_01_25_rcfp.html . JUST PUBLISHED FRESH LOOK AT DIVERSITY: Has newsroom diversity improved over the years? Read a fresh analysis of American news coverage and newsrooms in News in a New America, published by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Author Sally Lehrman writes that "Diverse sourcing or clever recruitment and retention strategies are not enough. We must go deeper." The book addresses issues such as how to identify unconscious stereotypes and reframe diversity issues. It also provides ideas and advice for news editors and directors and features an extensive diversity resource guide. Read more or download the book (PDF): http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2006/2006_01_26_diversity.html . FAMILY FOUNDATIONS: Establishment of larger family foundations peaked in the late 1990s, according to the updated Key Facts on Family Foundations, released by the Foundation Center. The report also found that in 2004 more than half of the nation's approximately 31,300 family foundations gave less than $50,000 and more than three-fourths had less than $1 million in assets. Download the report (PDF): http://www.fdncenter.org/research/trends_analysis/pdf/key_facts_fam.pdf . PRIMER SERIES: The Association of Small Foundations released a primer series with clear, comprehensive and concise information on key topics for foundations with few or no staff. Primer topics include basic proposal review, legal essentials, keeping good records, effective governance, making plans for succession; recruiting board members, staying organized, technology and more. Each primer, published in an easily scanned format, will help funders plan, brainstorm, set up efficient operations, and bring up good questions for their boards, staff and advisors. Additional titles will be released soon. Find out more: http://www.smallfoundations.org/programs/primer_series . FAMILY GIVING NEWS: The February Family Giving News discusses creative giving options, such as challenge grants, prizes, program-related investing and general operating support. As part of its continuing "Profiles in Family Philanthropy" series, the issue looks at the Sobrato Foundation, which has a mission to "create and sustain a vibrant and healthy community where all Silicon Valley residents have equal opportunity to live, work and be enriched." For a new research project, the issue includes a call for examples of ongoing legacy grants-grants to organizations, program areas or geographic regions that were of special importance to a foundation's founder or to the family. Read the issue or subscribe: http://www.ncfp.org/Email_Alert.html . AT THE COUNCIL WEBCASTS: View webcasts of two presentations made January 30, 2006, during the Council on Foundations' Family Foundations Conference. The conference was held in Honolulu and had the theme Charting a New Direction for Philanthropy. Steve Case, chairman of the Case Foundation and chairman and CEO of Revolution, spoke on "Blending Business and Philanthropy." Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, spoke on "The Battle for Philanthropy: The Courage to Change." View the webcasts: http://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=lobby.jsp&defaultstream=wmmulti&eventid=19516&sessionid=1&key= B8100031710739C69C71B706E4F77793&eventuserid=5463172 . 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. ON THE MOVE The Northwest Area Foundation elected ELSIE MEEKS and WILLIAM THORNDIKE, JR. as board members. Read more: http://www.nwaf.org/NewsAndEvents.aspx?pg=News/News.ascx&id=30 . WALTER V. REID is now director of conservation and science at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Read more: http://www.packard.org/newsDetails.aspx?RootCatID=2&CategoryID=48&ItemID=2109 . The Pew Charitable Trusts hired SUSAN AHERON MAGILL as officer for government affairs. Read more: http://www.pewtrusts.com/news/news_subpage.cfm?content_item_id=3194&content_type_id=16&page=nr1 . New board members at the Southeastern Council of Foundations are TED ALEXANDER, H. SCOTT DAVIS, JR., BYRON HARRELL, HANDY L. LINDSEY, JR., SUZANNE WARD and JAN YOUNG. Read more: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/1/prweb334872.htm . The Greater Cincinnati Foundation named BETTY PETERSON as giving strategies assistant and THERESA WUKUSICK as program director of the Anthem Foundation of Ohio. The foundation also promoted LORI BEILER to giving strategies associate, MARGARET GAITHER to senior giving strategies officer, KRISTINA MOSTER to senior community investment program officer and MARY PITCAIRN to giving strategies manager. Delaware Valley Grantmakers elected BRUCE MELGARY president, EDEN KRATCHMAN, vice president and VICTORIA K. FLAVILLE treasurer. JILLAINE SMITH is now manager of programs at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. 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