Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Mapping Foundation Response to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes

As the third anniversary of the devastation caused by the Gulf Coast hurricanes is upon us those of us working in the nonprofit sector might find ourselves pausing and reflecting on the great need the hurricanes left in their wake and the subsequent outpouring of philanthropic support.  If this reflection leads you to ponder where foundation dollars went, or if it leads you to consider the role of institutional philanthropy in a large-scale disaster, then you might want to refer to our new, online interactive maps and charts tracking institutional philanthropy's response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Since 2005 U.S. grantmakers have committed more than $1 billion for relief, recovery, and rebuilding in response to the disaster. Using the new interactive maps and charts on the Foundation Center's web site, you can explore more than 4,000 of the grants awarded, totaling over $800 million. These tools illustrate the geographic areas and types of services and organizations that received this support. You can also drill down by state, county, city, ZIP code, or three levels of giving categories to zoom in on the individual grants that went to help those affected by the hurricanes.

Please share this link with interested colleagues and friends, and let us know what you think.

From the Answer Desk: Prospect Research

Q: Can you recommend a free tool for compiling information about prospective funders?

A: Yes! At the Foundation Center's web site, you can find Prospect Worksheets for both institutional and individual donors. These tools will help you to capture information about funders whose priorities match those of your organization.

Additionally, our FAQ "Where can I find information on cultivating donors?" provides links to resources and web sites that focus on prospect research generally. The Foundation Center also offers free, in-person classes to help you conduct more effective research: Introduction to Corporate Giving; Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online; and Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors. You can also attend at no charge Introduction to Finding Funders via webinar. And our free tutorial Guide to Funding Research is always available.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

This post is from Katie Artzner, the Foundation Center's online reference specialist.

Philanthropy Chat: Getting Ready for the New 990

If you've been wondering what exactly you need to know about the new and revised 990, you are in luck.  Pat Pasqual, Director of our Washington, D.C. office has just launched the D.C. "Philanthropy Chat" series with an informative chat about the new reporting requirements.  Pat interviewed Geoffrey Peters, President of Creative Direct Response, to learn more about the new Schedule G form. 

If you  want to listen to other Philanthropy Chats peruse the offerings in our Events Archive. 

This Week at the Foundation Center (August 25-29)

• Monday, August 25, 1:00-2:30 pm How to Approach a Foundation
• Tuesday, August 26, 10:00 am-12:00 pm How to Apply to the Taproot Foundation’s New Strategy Management Service Grant Program; 1:00-2:30 pm Introduction to Fundraising Planning; and 2:30-4:00 pm Your Board and Fundraising
• Wednesday, August 27, 5:00-6:30 pm Grantseeking Basics; 6:30-7:30 pm Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
• Thursday, August 28, 10:00 am-12:00 pm What's Your Best Pickup Line?; 3:00-4:30 pm Introduction to Corporate Giving    

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

Library Hours:

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm
Friday-closing early for Labor Day holiday
10:00 am-1:00pm

• Monday, August 25, 1:00-2:30 pm How to Approach a Foundation
• Tuesday, August 26, 10:00 am-12:00 pm How to Apply to the Taproot Foundation’s New Strategy Management Service Grant Program; 1:00-2:30 pm Introduction to Fundraising Planning; and 2:30-4:00 pm Your Board and Fundraising
• Wednesday, August 27, 5:00-6:30 pm Grantseeking Basics; 6:30-7:30 pm Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
• Thursday, August 28, 10:00 am-12:00 pm What's Your Best Pickup Line?; 3:00-4:30 pm Introduction to Corporate Giving    

Scholarships Now Available for Fall Grantseeker Training Seminars

Attention California Nonprofit Organizations!

Scholarships are now available to assist representatives of under-resourced nonprofits in California for our full-day training seminars in Fall 2008. If you represent a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in California with a budget under $1,000,000, you are eligible to apply. Courses are being offered in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Francisco. This initiative is sponsored by the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation and the donors to the Foundation Center-San Francisco's Capacity Building Initiative.

Download the application form for details and to apply.

The application deadline is Thursday, September 18th, at 4:00pm.

SF Film Groups Merge

After 32 years of service, the Film Arts Foundation announced yesterday that it will no longer be able to sustain its current services, and that a decision was made by its board and staff to merge with the San Francisco Film Society.  We have referred many a filmmaker over the years to the services of the Film Arts Foundation, so I write this eulogy of sorts with more than a little sadness.  However, upon reading the announcement further I was more than a little relieved to see that many of the services the Film Arts Foundation was known for, such as film production classes, assistance with marketing and promoting films, and fiscal sponsorship would be continued or expanded by the merger with the San Francisco Film Society. 

At a press conference yesterday about the merger, the San Francisco Film Society also announced four new initiatives designed to promote independent filmmaking in the Bay Area:

• FilmHouse Residencies, a 2,800-square-foot space at Pier 27 on the Embarcadero that will be available free of charge to selected Bay Area filmmakers;
• Herbert Filmmaking Grants, currently with $25,000 to award to Bay Area filmmakers to provide critical support at various stages of their projects (calls for entry will be published in November 2008);
• the Filmmakers Advisory Board, an active group of established Bay Area film professionals whose role is to aid in further developing SFFS Filmmaker Services ; and
• a new large-scale monthly evening screening/conference/networking event that brings together and showcases Bay Area filmmakers and filmmaking. (Full details will be announced in September.)

For more information about the new initiatives or the merger see the following sources:

• San Francisco Film Society press release
• Film Arts Foundation web site
• San Francisco Chronicle article

This Week at the Foundation Center (August 18-22)

• Wednesday, August 20, 5:00-6:30 pm Proposal Writing Basics and 6:30-7:30 pm Proposal Budgeting Basics

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

From the Answer Desk: Donor-Advised Funds

(This post is from Katie Artzner, the Foundation Center's online reference specialist.)

Q:  I am looking for information about grants made by a specific donor-advised fund. Why can't I find public information about them? 

A:  Donor-advised funds are owned and controlled by a sponsoring entity, such as a community foundation. The nature of the reporting requirements for donor-advised funds makes it difficult for grantseekers and researchers to find detailed, public information about a specific fund's grantmaking activities. The IRS requires organizations that hold donor-advised funds to report the following as part of their annual tax filing (990):

• the total number of donor-advised funds the sponsoring organization owns at the end of the tax year;
• the aggregate value of assets held in such funds at the end of the taxable year;
• the aggregate value of contributions to such funds during the taxable year;
• the aggregate value of grants made from such funds during the taxable year.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

In the News: Free Funding Information Center Established in Berkeley

Please join us in welcoming the Berkeley Public Library to our national network of Cooperating Collections. Our Cooperating Collections provide free access to the Foundation Directory Online Professional and other funding information. The new Cooperating Collection is located at the Central Library branch at 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, CA and is open Monday 12-8pm; Tuesday 10-8pm; Wednesday - Saturday 10-6pm; and Sunday 1-5pm.

Also, to officially welcome our newest affiliate, Scott Ullman, regional training coordinator at the Foundation Center-San Francisco will be presenting two free training programs Tuesday, August 26th, 5:00-7:30pm: Grantseeking Basics and Introduction to Foundation Directory Online. These programs are free, but registration is required; please call the Berkeley Public Library to register: 510-981-6148. Both training programs will be held at the Berkeley Public Library, Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St., in the 3rd Floor Community Meeting Room.

If you are interested in learning more about our Cooperating Collections and how to establish one in your area, or how to schedule Foundation Center training for your group, we would love to hear from you.

'Nonprofit Times' Announces Sector's Top 50 for 2008

I guess it's official--it's "list" season in the sector.  You might recall we blogged about the Top Corporate Philanthropists in the Bay Area a couple of weeks ago, when that list came out.  And last week the AFP-GGC Philanthropy Awards list was announced.  And now, another day, another list it seems.  The NonProfit Times, a leading business publication covering the nonprofit sector, released its eleventh annual Power and Influence Top 50 list.  As PhilanTopic, our PND blog reported last week, the big news in the current year is the number of first-timers on the list, perhaps signaling the beginning of the first wave of leadership transitions from the old guard to the new.  For more on the first-timers on the list, read PhilanTopic's good coverage on this angle.

Given that the focus of our blog is regional news, here is a list of the four Californians on the Nonprofit Times list along with our hearty congratulations:

• Paul Brest, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park
• Florence Green, Executive Director of the California Association of Nonprofit Organizations in Los Angeles
• Belinda Johns, Deputy Attorney General, State of California in Sacramento
• Marnie Webb, Co-Chief Executive Officer, CompuMentor in San Francisco (first time on list)

To view or download the complete list, visit the NPT Web site. And feel free to use the comments section to suggest other sector leaders who belong on the list and/or are up-and-comers who deserve wider recognition.