Council on Foundations: FN&C Now – Volume 7, Number 33

	FN&C Now
	Volume 7, Number 33 – August 9, 2006 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Ford Foundation launches global program to help women fight AIDS; first investment fund for public radio created AT THE COUNCIL: 2006 salary tables available for members; sign up for Breaking News JUST PUBLISHED: Report finds U.S. foundations committed more than $577 million for Gulf Coast hurricane relief and recovery; Family Giving News examines the benefits of including nonfamily members in family philanthropy; study finds nonprofit healthcare organizations received lower returns, larger donations in 2005; Guide to Minnesota Grantmakers released NOW ONLINE: GuideStar launches service for government decisionmakers ACT NOW: Register for the 2006 Fall Conference for Community Foundations ON THE MOVE: Kathryn Wolford (McKnight); Derek Gillman (Barnes); Paula Lynn Ellis (Knight); Robert Phillips (California Endowment); Eric Brown (Communications Network); Jill M. Paulsen (Cleveland); Judy M. Ford, Gabriela Quintana and Cristina Balli (Marguerite Casey) NEWS COVERAGE AIDS EFFORT: The Ford Foundation launched an initiative, Advancing Women's Leadership and Advocacy for AIDS Action, to assist women and girls in the fight against AIDS. Global agencies, including the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), the International Center for Research on Women, the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, and the National Minority AIDS Council, will join together to build the leadership, advocacy and technical expertise of women working on the frontlines against AIDS in the developing world. With the foundation's initial investment of $650,000 for 2006 activities, CEDPA and its partners will prepare master trainers to lead regional and national technical and advocacy trainings in subsequent grant years. These women will promote better workplace policies on HIV, forge partnerships with religious institutions, advocate for greater availability of treatment and work with governments to ensure that AIDS policies reflect the realities of women and their families. The effort will be complemented by a small grants program led by the UNAIDS-led Global Coalition on Women and AIDS to support networks of women living with HIV and AIDS in the developing world. Read more: http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/941 . PUBLIC RADIO FUND: The Calvert Foundation, Public Radio Capital and the Ford Foundation created the Public Radio Fund to enable people and institutions to invest in public radio in the United States. The fund, the largest multi-station investment fund for public radio, was launched in response to concerns about over-concentration in commercial radio ownership, and will work to expand and preserve diverse local radio voices in U. S. communities. Read more or listen to today's news conference announcing the fund: http://www.calvertfoundation.org . AT THE COUNCIL SALARY INFORMATION: The 2006 salary tables for now available on the web for Council members to access. The tables are based on responses from 802 foundations and giving programs, which reported salaries for 6,451 full-time staff in 35 positions. These tables present gross base salary, exclusive of benefits, bonuses or other special compensation. Respondents were asked to provide salaries as of February 1, 2006. Salary information is presented by grantmaker type, categorized by community foundations, corporate grantmakers, private foundations (family and independent) and public foundations. Each table also contains an extensive breakdown by assets or, in the case of corporate grantmakers, by annual grant amounts. Preceding each section is a summary page showing position by position for that type of grantmaker, median and mean salary levels, the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile. Additional tables show regional variations in compensation, including for the first time, the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile for each of the four Census regions (Northeast, South, Midwest and West). Download the tables (PDF): http://www.cof.org/Learn/content.cfm?ItemNumber=567&navItemNumber=2430 . 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 HURRICANE FUNDING: A Foundation Center study reveals that U.S. foundations committed more than $577 million to relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts following the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005. Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Report on the Foundation and Corporate Response shows that the vast majority of foundation and corporate support targeted the immediate human services needs of disaster victims (59.4 percent). Other designated commitments generally targeted long-term priorities, led by housing development (7.3 percent), education and educational reform (6.6 percent), health and mental health services (3.2 percent), and economic and community development (2.2 percent). The report also documents the extent of foundation giving after the disasters, challenges concerns about donor fatigue, and explores funders' perspectives on their role in responding to major disasters. The report was produced by the center's Gulf Coast Hurricanes Philanthropic Response project, which is funded in part by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Robert Wood Johnson and Starbucks foundations, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and the Northrop Grumman Corporation. A final report will be released in August 2007. Read more or download the report (PDF): http://foundationcenter.org/media/news/pr_0608.html . FAMILY GIVING NEWS: The August issue of Family Giving News highlights the benefits of including non-family members in family philanthropy, in positions such as board members, advisors or staff. The latest installment in the Profiles in Family Philanthropy series spotlights the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation in Grinnell, Iowa, which focuses on parks and recreation and presents "Leave it Better" awards to local people and community organizations who are making efforts to improve the world. Read more or subscribe: http://www.ncfp.org/Email_Alert.html . HEALTHCARE REPORT: According to the Commonfund Benchmarks Study Healthcare Report 2006, U.S. nonprofit healthcare organizations reported an average total return of 6.3 percent on operating funds in 2005,down from an average of 8.2 percent in 2004 and 14.1 percent in 2003. The study noted that while there was a continued drop in domestic equities and fixed income allocations, there were increases in alternative strategies, as organizations continue to diversify into alternative strategies not correlated with the equity markets. The study also found that gifts and donations grew an average of 111 percent in 2005. Read more: http://www.commonfund.org/ Commonfund/Archive/CF+Institute/CBS_Healthcare06_pressrelease.htm . MINNESOTA GRANTMAKERS: The Minnesota Council on Foundations released the Guide to Minnesota Grantmakers, 2006–2007 Edition, the largest, most comprehensive resource available on the state's foundations and corporate giving programs. The report provides previously hard-to-find information on more than 1,300 Minnesota foundations and corporate giving programs of all sizes, including detailed profiles of 400 Minnesota grantmakers. The publication's seven indexes identify funders by areas of interest, geographic focus, types of support, intended beneficiaries, staff and directors/trustees. Purchase the guide or find out more: http://www.mcf.org/MCF/resource/guide.htm . NOW ONLINE GOVERNMENT SERVICE: GuideStar launched Gov@GuideStar to help federal, state and local government grantmakers, regulators and policy analysts work more effectively and quickly. Federal, state and local governments play three critical roles in the nonprofit sector: providing 71 percent of program funding through grants and contracts; regulating nonprofits that report $1.1 trillion in revenues and $1.9 trillion in total assets; and setting public policy that establishes the ground rules by which the sector operates. GuideStar's new suite of tools can assist government decisionmakers with pre-grant due diligence, policy review and analysis, and regulatory compliance and oversight. Find out more: http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/intro_gov.jsp . ACT NOW FALL CONFERENCE: Registration is open for the 2006 Fall Conference for Community Foundations, to be held September 18–20, in Boston (preconference activities begin September 14 with the Community Foundation Fundamentals course). With this year's conference theme of "Revolutionary Ideas," we acknowledge that today's world is in constant, and often rapid, flux. We also recognize that foundations must be prepared to deal with the impact of change on our communities and foundations, and to employ creative solutions to complex problems. Speakers include Mathew Gross, former director of Internet communications for the Howard Dean presidential campaign and launcher of the first presidential campaign blog; Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA); Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell; David Hackett Fischer, professor of history at Brandeis University and author of Paul Revere's Ride and Washington's Crossing; and Thomas M. Menino, mayor of Boston. Register or find out more: http://www.cof.org/Network/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4050&navItemNumber=4051 . ON THE MOVE On December 1, 2006, KATHRYN ("KATE") WOLFORD will become president of The McKnight Foundation. Read more: http://www.mcknight.org/newsandviews/news_detail.aspx?itemID=3480&catID=2440&typeID=2 . DEREK GILLMAN will become executive director of the Barnes Foundation in October. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/arts/design/08barn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin . In September, PAULA LYNN ELLIS will join the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in the new position of vice president of national and new initiatives. Read more: http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2006/2006_08_03_paulaellis.html . The California Endowment appointed ROBERT PHILLIPS senior program officer for its Covering California Kids program. Read more: http://www.calendow.org/news/press_releases/2006/08/080406.stm . The Communications Network elected ERIC BROWN to its board. Read more: http://www.comnetwork.org/brownannounce.htm . JILL M. PAULSEN is now a program officer at the Cleveland Foundation. Read more: http://www.clevelandfoundation.org . The Marguerite Casey Foundation hired GABRIELA QUINTANA as program officer for the Southwest region, including the United States/Mexico Border, and CRISTINA BALLI as network weaver in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. In September, JUDY M. FORD will join the foundation as director of programs and evaluation. 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: 10.16.06