Council on Foundations: FN&C Now – Volume 7, Number 18

	FN&C Now
	Volume 7, Number 18 – April 20, 2006 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Congress takes no action on tax-reconciliation bill before recess; Irvine Foundation launches innovative education center NOW ONLINE: Information on program-related investing (PRI) available AT THE COUNCIL: J. Paul Getty Trust regains full membership; CEO Links annual conference issue available; sign up for Breaking News JUST PUBLISHED: Donor's Guide to Gulf Coast Relief and Recovery available; report finds most nonprofits lack executive succession plans; study shows increase in number of Florida foundations, but slowing growth; Family Giving News addresses philanthropic family dynamics ACT NOW: Register for funders' briefing on closing PK-3 educational gap; delegates wanted for Nonprofit Congress National Meeting ON THE MOVE: Allan Golston, Sylvia Mathews and Tachi Yamada (Gates); Catherine McFarland (Victoria); Anne Szostak (Rhode Island); Timothy Thomas (Staying Alive); David Tauriello (Council on Foundations) NEWS COVERAGE TAX RECONCILIATION: A frantic push by congressional leaders failed to secure an agreement on the tax-reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297) before the beginning of the Spring District Work Period. Conferees are expected to continue work on the tax-reconciliation bill when they return to Washington April 24. Despite reports to the contrary, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) remains committed to including charitable reform and incentive provisions in the final tax bill. The Council on Foundations is continuing to urge tax-reconciliation conferees to modify the bill's donor-advised fund and supporting organization provisions. Read more, including an updated analysis of H.R. 4297 (formerly S. 2020) and the Council's top four priorities for the tax-reconciliation conference: http://www.cof.org/government . INNOVATIVE CENTER: The James Irvine Foundation announced a $6 million grant to establish ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career. The statewide center will support the development of high school curricula that are academically rigorous, yet encompass the aspirations and learning styles of California's diverse students and will connect academics with specific industries and career sectors. The center also will collaborate with six model programs to evaluate their success, so that policymakers, educators and parents understand why they are effective and how to offer similar opportunities to students statewide. Find out more: http://www.irvine.org/irvine_news/press_releases/2006/04-05_ConnectEd.shtml . NOW ONLINE PROGRAM-RELATED INVESTING: The PRI Makers Network, a project of the Neighborhood Funders Group, is an association of grantmakers who use program-related and other investments to accomplish their philanthropic goals. Its mission is to provide a forum for networking, professional development, collaboration and outreach to funders, including those not currently making PRIs or other social investments. Included in the public area of its website are materials from its January PRI Conference, publications on program-related investing and a glossary of PRI terms. Network members have access to e-networking, templates of documents and a deals clearinghouse. Coming this summer is a PRI Activity Database, which is being developed through a partnership between the network and the Foundation Center. Find out more: http://primakers.net/home . AT THE COUNCIL GETTY MEMBERSHIP: Citing "positive and significant" reforms implemented by the J. Paul Getty Trust to address governance and management concerns, the Council on Foundations restored the Trust to full membership. "We appreciate the cooperation and constructive dialogue between our organizations over the past few months and respect the hard work they've done to provide the information we requested," said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. He added that the Council will offer continued assistance as the Trust moves forward in ways that enhance its work and the public's confidence. Getty spokesman Ron Hartwig said in the Los Angeles Times that the reforms included new training and evaluation tools for board members; strengthened conflict-of-interest provisions; increased board oversight of real estate deals; and increased transparency of staff compensation and performance reviews. Read the Council's press release: http://www.cof.org/Content/PressRelease/Display.cfm?pressReleaseID=3592 . Read the Los Angeles Times article: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-quick18.4apr18,1,6155903.story?ctrack=1&cset=true . CEO ACTIVITIES: The April CEO Links focuses on activities for foundation CEOs and executive staff at the Council on Foundations' 57th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, May 7—9, 2006 (preconference activities begin May 6). The conference, which has the theme of "Philanthropy: Investing in the Vision of Progress," offers many opportunities for foundation leaders to share perspectives with peers. Events include a preconference CEO Summit and conference sessions on executive compensation, ethics and standards, intuition in grantmaking and leading philanthropic change. Find out more: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?contentID=3556 . 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. JUST PUBLISHED GULF COAST RECOVERY: Gulf Coast residents are helping each other rebuild their homes and lives and are making their voices heard through community organizations. The New York Regional Association of Grantmakers' (NYRAG) Donor's Guide to Gulf Coast Relief and Recovery: The First 120 Days provides information on nonprofit relief and recovery efforts at the grassroots and national levels to connect individuals, businesses and foundations to those critical initiatives. The guide is based largely on the experiences of NYRAG members, who have contributed more than $88 million to hurricane-related initiatives (the largest contribution made by corporations and foundations by any metropolitan area). Read more or download the guide (PDF): http://www.nyrag.org/info-url2323/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=355745 . NONPROFIT PLANNING: Two out of five nonprofit CEOs say they plan to leave their positions by 2008, but 58 percent say neither their board or management team have ever discussed succession planning, according to the 2006 Nonprofit CEO Survey from DRG, an executive search and recruitment firm. The survey, which had 173 respondents, also found that although 84 percent of CEOs consider themselves highly involved in developing their senior staff to be future executives, only 34 percent say their organization has formal training systems. In addition, 55 percent of surveyed CEOs recommend a master's degree in nonprofit management for senior managers seeking advancement. A master's degree in social work, long considered the degree of choice for nonprofit leaders, was rated least important by 22 percent of respondents. Read more: http://www.drgnyc.com/2006_Survey/Index.htm . FLORIDA FOUNDATIONS: Nearly 1,000 new foundations were created in Florida between 2000 and 2004 (an increase of 38 percent) but the number created annually declined during that same time period, according to Florida's 21st Century Foundations. Published by the Information Resource Center and From the Source, the report says that although 929 new foundations were formed between 2000 and 2004, 75 percent of those foundations were formed before 2003. South Florida led the way, representing four in 10 new foundations formed across the state, and accounted for almost two-thirds of assets and giving by new foundations. New philanthropic capital amassed since 2000 totals more than $1.39 billion. Read more or download the report (PDF): http://www.fromthesource.info . FAMILY GIVING: The April Family Giving News looks at how family dynamics affect philanthropy and offers tips to lessen conflicts and decrease the likelihood of future ones. As part of its continuing Profiles in Family Philanthropy series, the issue looks at the Nickle Family Foundation in Canada, a product of two earlier foundations, one founded by a father and the other by his son. The foundation is currently governed exclusively by members of the third and fourth generations. Read the issue or subscribe: http://www.ncfp.org/Email_Alert.html . ACT NOW CLOSING THE GAP: Join pre-kindergarten and K-12 funders in Chicago for Grantmakers for Education's briefing, "Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start," May 18–19, 2006. With high-stakes tests driving children's educational futures, funders must find new ways to help them reach third-grade performance benchmarks and establish a strong foundation for future learning. The briefing will provide foundations with funding and program models that can advance PK-3 alignment. It will also feature discussions with school leaders, researchers and funder colleagues, as well as a site visit to Pershing Elementary School in south Chicago. The briefing is free, but attendees must register by May 4. Register or find out more: http://www.edfunders.org/programs/listevent.asp?id=117 . NATIONAL CONGRESS: The application process for delegates to the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting is now open. An initiative of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA), the meeting will gather approximately 500 state nonprofit delegates in Washington, DC, October 16–17, 2006, where delegates will craft a unified vision and message for the nonprofit sector. This "platform" will be informed by town hall meetings being held across the country that bring together grassroots nonprofit leaders and their allies. To ensure that the voices of all nonprofits are heard, NCNA is encouraging leaders—including staff and volunteers—from a wide range of nonprofits to apply. Application deadline is April 30, 2006. Find out more: http://www.nonprofitcongress.org/event.htm . ON THE MOVE The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is reorganizing into three program groups, each of which will be led by a president, and expanding its core operations group, which will be led by a chief operating officer. On May 1, 2006, the foundation will organize into four groups: U.S. Program, ALLAN GOLSTON, president; Global Development Program, SYLVIA MATHEWS, president; Global Health Program, TACHI YAMADA, president (he will join the foundation on June 1); and Operations (COO search is under way). Read more: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/Announcements/Announce_060412.htm . The Victoria Foundation announced that CATHERINE MCFARLAND will retire as its executive officer on June 1, 2006, after more than 35 years with the foundation. ANNE SZOSTAK was elected to the board of the Rhode Island Foundation. The Staying Alive Foundation hired TIMOTHY THOMAS as executive director. DAVID TAURIELLO joined the Council on Foundations as web director. 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: 4.20.06