Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

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.

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital to Get a Big Grant

I just read on SF Gate that the David and Lucile Packard Foundation intends to commit up to $100 million for the expansion of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. This will be the lead gift in the hospital’s campaign to add 104 new beds to its Palo Alto campus. The foundation will give $50 million up front, with the remaining funds contingent on other donors matching the gift as well as Stanford's ability to secure the necessary state and local approvals for the project. Read "Children's hospital to get big grant" on SF Gate.  You can also read about the full plan for expanding Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, rebuilding Stanford Hopsital, and replacing laboratories at Stanford's School of Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center: Project Renewal.

Listen! Fatima Angeles of The California Wellness Foundation

For the latest installment of our Philanthropy Chat series, Janet Camarena, director of Foundation Center-San Francisco, interviewed Fatima Angeles, of The California Wellness Foundation. The mission of The California Wellness Foundation is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. Fatima discusses the foundation's grantmaking priorities, a glimpse in trends in the field of health care philanthropy, and insights into best practices in securing foundation support.

In addition to finding the Foundation Center's Philanthropy Chat podcasts here, you can also subscribe to them at iTunes, or via our feed.

YNPN Book Club: A Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Last night, as part of our Special Focus on Health and Human Services during April, we had the pleasure of hosting the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Book Club's discussion on A Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman. If you haven't read it, be prepared for a very touching account that explores medicine, its relation to culture, and the challenges immigrants face when dealing with Western medicine. (Read synopses and reviews). To quote a participant during last night's discussion: "This is by far the most emotional book I have ever read." If you've already read this moving book, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

The YNPN Book Club is an active group of young Bay Area professionals that meet bi-monthly to network, discuss books and share ideas and questions related to nonprofit management, social change or related topics. Recent reads include Stick Your Neck Out by John Graham; Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins; and Loyal to the Sky by Marisa Handler. Whether your'e a job seeker, new to the nonprofit sector, or a seasoned leader, you are welcome to join the Book Club. For more information, email: bookclubsf@ynpn.org

Join us for the next YNPN Book Club discussion on Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits (read our Off the Shelf book review) by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod-Grant--Wednesday, June 10th, from 6-8 pm at the Foundation Center.