Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Submit Questions: The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area

Tomorrow's program featuring the top five corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area is going to focus specifically on how the current state of the economy is impacting corporate philanthropy and what lies ahead for 2010. This philanthropy forum, co-sponsored with the San Francisco Business Times and the Development Executives Roundtable, featuring regional corporate philanthropy trends has become something of an annual tradition. Since we last held this forum a year ago we have continued to see corporations shrink, merge or disappear from the landscape altogether, and of course nonprofits are facing similar challenges.  This timely session will explore the questions that are on many of our minds about the state of the economy and the fallout for philanthropy.

The program, The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area, will happen tomorrow from 12-2pm.  The session will feature representatives from the top five ranked corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area taken from the San Francisco Business Times' annual list.  Panelists will discuss current philanthropic strategies, giving forecasts for 2010 and beyond, and how corporate philanthropy responds during tough economic times.  Panelists include representatives from AT&T, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Bank of America, and Safeway.

I invite you to submit suggestions for questions that you would like asked of our panel of corporate philanthropy colleagues.  I know we have inquiring minds out there--please submit your questions now for consideration now by posting to our blog.

Tomorrow's program featuring the top five corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area is going to focus specifically on how the current state of the economy is impacting corporate philanthropy and what lies ahead for 2010. This philanthropy forum, co-sponsored with the San Francisco Business Times and the Development Executives Roundtable, featuring regional corporate philanthropy trends has become something of an annual tradition. Since we last held this forum a year ago we have continued to see corporations shrink, merge or disappear from the landscape altogether, and of course nonprofits are facing similar challenges.  This timely session will explore the questions that are on many of our minds about the state of the economy and the fallout for philanthropy.

The program, The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area, will happen tomorrow from 12-2pm.  The session will feature representatives from the top five ranked corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area taken from the San Francisco Business Times' annual list.  Panelists will discuss current philanthropic strategies, giving forecasts for 2010 and beyond, and how corporate philanthropy responds during tough economic times.  Panelists include representatives from AT&T, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Bank of America, and Safeway.

I invite you to submit suggestions for questions that you would like asked of our panel of corporate philanthropy colleagues.  I know we have inquiring minds out there--please submit your questions now for consideration now by posting to our blog.

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

• Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
• Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
• View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
• Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
• Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

Kidsdata.org is Now Statewide: Find Data for Every City, School District, and County in California

Data on the health and well being of children across California is now more accessible than ever before.

Kidsdata.org, a children’s health web site developed by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, just expanded statewide, offering data for all counties, cities, and school districts in California -- nearly 1,600 regions. Data are available for dozens of topics measuring the health and well being of children, and much more data will be phased in throughout 2010. Learn how kids in your community are faring use this data to support your case for support at http://www.kidsdata.org

Do you need data about children and families for your grant proposals or reports? Kidsdata.org can help you find the facts quickly and easily. The user-friendly site offers nearly 300 indicators of child health and well being, ranging from family economics and physical health to child safety and emotional health. You also can compare regions of interest and view comparable California data. Join us on Tuesday, December 15, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and learn how to get the most out of this web site for your work. To register, visit http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco/training/wksf12_15.html.

New Funding Source for Artists and Others

Did you see the feature about Kickstarter in today's San Francisco Chronicle? The article describes Kickstarter as a crowd-funding web site.  The company's own web site calls itself  a "funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers..."  As we know any kind of funding source/platform/vehicle for artists and other creative types is more than welcome.

Free Technical Assistance available at Alliance for Justice

We just received word that Alliance for Justice (Oakland office) will be holding 30-minute appointments for free in-person technical assistance one day each month starting in November. Technical assistance office hours are an opportunity for you to ask questions about the federal tax and election law rules and California disclosure rules governing nonprofit advocacy.

Attorneys/Trainers will be available on Monday, November 23rd from 1:00-3:00 pm to help you understand issues involving:

• The limits on lobbying by 501(c)(3) organizations
• The difference between the definitions of lobbying under federal tax law and California's lobbying and ballot measure disclosure laws
• The boundaries of (c)(3) participation in voter education and GOTV campaigns 
• How (c)(3)s and (c)(4)s can work together to maximize advocacy impact
• Assistance with filing ballot measure campaign reports under California law

To schedule an appointment for Monday, 11/23, please email Nancy Chen (nancy@afj.org). Hurry, appointments must be made by November 13, 2009.

Alliance for Justice west coast office is located in Downtown Oakland at 1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 1006, Oakland, 94612.

This Week at the Foundation Center (November 9-13)

Monday, November 9, 2:00-3:30 pm How to Approach a Foundation: From Initial Contact to Getting Funded - What Does It Take?

Wednesday, November 11, 1:00-2:30 pm Introduction to Fundraising Planning; and 2:30-4:30 pm Earn Your Keep by Pursuing an Earned Income Strategy for Your Nonprofit

Thursday, November 12, 10:00 am-12:00 pm Fearless Facilitation; and 1:00-2:30 pm Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits 

Friday, November 13, 10:00-11:30 am Introduction to Corporate Giving; and 12:00-2:00 pm Meet the Grantmakers: The State of Corporate Philanthropy in the Bay Area 

Our library is open Monday through Friday free of charge and no appointment is necessary.

Library Hours:

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm

New Digital Publication - Celebrity Foundation Directory

The Foundation Center has just published the first edition of the Celebrity Foundation Directory.

This new title includes detailed descriptions of thousands of foundations started by VIPs in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, and sports. Through their private foundations, many notable individuals have made significant contributions to help underserved populations and provide support for medical research, green technology, and countless other causes they care about. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Michael J. Fox are just a few examples of individuals who have made headlines for their support to philanthropic causes.

This new directory links celebrities with their grantmaking organizations and will help you identify which individuals or organizations may have an interest in funding your programs and activities. The interactive digital format allows for faster access to foundation profiles and includes links to additional grantmaker data online. The directory is also fully indexed for quick reference to information on individuals and foundations.

The Celebrity Foundation Directory is available for purchase at our web site. Buy now >>

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this and other Foundation Center publications.

New Research Advisory Gives Long-Term View of Foundation Giving

In September 2009, the Foundation Center conducted a follow-up to its January 2009 giving forecast survey to determine foundation expectations for giving beyond 2009. The survey responses from over 600 grantmakers have been analyzed and indicate that giving from foundations is expected to decline by more than 10 percent in 2009, and continued reductions are expected in 2010. "Foundations will be giving less than they expected at the beginning of the year," said Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center. "But many are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact."

Foundations' Year-end Outlook for Giving and the Sector is the latest in the Center's research advisory series that explores the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. The advisories and the online chart "In Their Own Words: 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast" are available at the Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis web page.

The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Middle School Math RFPs

I just got notice that Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has released a new request for proposals, or RFP, for grants that focus on education, specifically for closing the middle school achievement gap in mathematics. One is through an In-School Strategy due December 9 and the other is
through an Out-of-School Strategy due December 2. SVCF will host two information sessions designed for organizations eligible to respond to the education RFP.

• Tuesday, Nov. 17, 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Mountain View
• Thursday, Nov. 19, 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Mountain View

Understanding the California Budget

In an effort to help us better understand the massive budget challenges facing the state of California, Blue Shield of California Foundation commissioned Tim Gage, a California finance and budget policy expert, to write a short primer highlighting the major structural budget challenges before our state.

We thought this information might be helpful to you and the work you do.  Read California's Budget Crisis (12 page PDF).