FN&C Now

Volume 7, Number 22 – May 19, 2006 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Tax reconciliation bill passes with one charitable provision; Tulsa Community Foundation now largest in the nation; Foundation Center creates institute for civil society and philanthropy; recipient of 2006 Gates Award for Global Health announced AT THE COUNCIL: CFSource requests participation in National Agenda for Community Foundations survey, announces new leadership team members; sign up for Breaking News NOW ONLINE: Foundation Center marks Funding for Health Month with new regional reports ACT NOW: Sign up for Community Foundation Fundamentals; submit nominations for international ePhilanthropy awards ON THE MOVE: John R. Healy (Atlantic Philanthropies); Jeffrey Schaffer (Hilton); Renee Richie (McKnight); Eugene A. Hillsman, Ridgway H. White and Frederick L. Kump (Mott) NEWS COVERAGE CHARITABLE REFORM: Congress passed the tax reconciliation conference report (H.R. 4297) with only one charitable reform provision—a non-controversial, revenue-raising provision that subjects tax-exempt entities to penalties for participating in prohibited tax-shelter transactions. The remainder of the Senate's charitable reform and incentive provisions, including those affecting foundations, were removed before the passage of H.R. 4297. The president is expected to sign the tax reconciliation conference report soon. Though the charitable provisions and a number of business tax cut extensions were removed from H.R. 4297, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) have agreed in principle to include some of the provisions in an "extenders" package. The timeline, vehicle and specific contents of that package remain unclear, but the Council will continue to push for charitable reform proposals that balance efforts to curb abusive practices in the sector with those that encourage charitable giving and philanthropy. Read more: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?contentID=2983#Done . LEGISLATIVE NETWORK: For the latest on charitable reform, sign up to receive the Council on Foundations' Legislative Network e-update: http://www.cof.org/legnet . LARGEST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: With approximately $2.3 billion in assets, the Tulsa Community Foundation is now the largest community foundation in the nation, according to a report from Tulsa World. A significant growth in new contributions of approximately $770 million and the creation of 53 new donor-advised funds are among the reasons for its ascent. Created in 1998, the foundation has steadily increased its assets and now surpasses the New York Community Trust ($2 billion) and the Cleveland Foundation ($1.7 billion). The foundation also awarded a record number of grants, totaling about $40 million, last year. Read the article: http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=060510_To_A1_Group16874 . NEW INSTITUTE: The Foundation Center launched the Alexis Institute for Civil Society and Philanthropy to focus on the rapidly evolving world of philanthropy and civil society in the United States and abroad. Lester M. Salamon, professor and director of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University, is founding director. Foundation Center President Sara L. Engelhardt said the institute, named after Alexis de Tocqueville, is key to transforming the Foundation Center from "the preeminent information resource on U.S. foundations and their grantmaking into a knowledge center on the broader field of philanthropy and civil society worldwide." Read more: http://foundationcenter.org/media/news/pr_0605.html . GLOBAL HEALTH AWARD: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that the Carter Center will receive the 2006 Gates Award for Global Health. The center is being recognized for its pioneering work in the battle against neglected diseases, such as Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis. The $1 million prize—the world's largest international health prize-honors extraordinary efforts to improve health in developing countries. The Gates foundation will present the award at the Global Health Council's 33rd Annual International Conference on Global Health on June 1, 2006, in Washington, DC. Read more: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/Announcements/Announe-060515.htm . AT THE COUNCIL CFSOURCE: The May CFSource requests participation in the Community Foundations Leadership Team and Community Foundations of America survey to evaluate the National Agenda for Community Foundations. The survey asks for feedback on what's working, what isn't and which future priorities should be established. The issue also announces new Community Foundations Leadership Team members, outlines the search for the Council's next managing director for community foundation services and describes the Standards Action Team's release of a national seal and accompanying user guidelines to the first 177 community foundations in compliance with the National Standards. Read more: http://www.cof.org/Content/Newsletter/Display.cfm?newsletterID=3679 . 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 HEALTH FUNDING: May is Funding for Health Month at the Foundation Center, which released three new reports on regional funding trends and a resource list for trends in healthcare philanthropy. The reports offer snapshots of health grantmaking in California, Georgia and Ohio and provide statistical charts, directories of significant health funders in each region and more. Visitors to the center's website will also find links to health-related resources and information about events and courses on health funding at its libraries around the country. Shipping is free during May for Grants for Mental Health, Addictions and Crisis Services and Grants for the Physically and Mentally Disabled when ordered online. Find out more: http://fdncenter.org/focus/health/ ;jsessionid=HZJZ3VMNUWT3LTQRSI4CGW15AAAACI2F . ACT NOW FOUNDATION FUNDAMENTALS: Sign up for the Center for Community Foundation Excellence's Community Foundation Fundamentals, July 24–26, 2006, in Washington, DC, or September 14–16, 2006, in Boston. The course is designed for people early in their careers, as well as more seasoned staff who haven't had formal community foundation training. Created and taught by experienced leaders in the community foundation field, the course covers the history of the community foundation movement, basic information on governance, resource development and donor relations, key legal and legislative issues, community leadership and fiduciary responsibilities. Register early and save. Find out more: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?CONTENTID=1796 . SEEKING ePHILANTHROPY ENTRIES: The ePhilanthropy Foundation announced a worldwide call for entries for its 2006 International ePhilanthropy Awards. Award categories are Best Integrated Online and Offline ePhilanthropy Campaign; Best Online Donations/Fundraising Campaign; Best Special Event Registration and/or Membership Campaign; and Best Community Building, Volunteerism and/or Activism Campaign. Nominees should show extraordinary talent, creativity and insight in drawing the public's attention to the importance of the Internet for philanthropic purposes and have created services or strategies to support this effort. Each award provides for public recognition of excellence, a cash award of $500 to the charity of each recipient's choice and a glass sculpture. Submit nominations online by July 15, 2006. Read more: http://www.geekmedia.org/nominations/info.php?JServSessionIdr012=36jjr3gcw1.app2a . ON THE MOVE JOHN R. HEALY will step down as chief executive officer of the Atlantic Philanthropies in September 2007. Read more: http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/news/news/healy_announcement . The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation promoted Senior Program Officer JEFFREY SCHAFFER to assistant vice president of grant programs. Read more: http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=45 . RENEE RICHIE is now program assistant for region and communities grantmaking at The McKnight Foundation. Read more: http://www.mcknight.org/newsandviews/news_detail.aspx?itemID=3790&catID=2440&typeID=2 . The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation promoted Program Assistants EUGENE A. HILLSMAN and RIDGWAY H. WHITE to associate program officers. FREDERICK L. KUMP is now a full-time program officer and financial analyst at the foundation. SPECIAL OFFER The Council on Foundations has a special offer made possible through the Building Strong and Ethical Foundations program. New foundations can receive a half-priced non-member registration rate at any Council conference. In addition, they can also join the Council and receive half-priced membership dues. Your foundation may qualify—even if you've been grantmaking for several years. For specific eligibility information and more details, please contact the COF Membership Department at 202/467-0291. 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: 6.28.06