Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Meeting Space in San Mateo

We just got notice from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) that it's planning to open a state-of-the-art conference center in San Mateo.  SVCF anticipates opening the facility in late January and hosting an open house in February 2010. Located at 1300 S. El Camino Real, the conference center is designed to offer free meeting space to community groups and accommodate SVCF events. The center will have three conference rooms that can host groups ranging from 50 to 160 attendees and will have video conferencing capabilities. Free meeting space seems always to be on the wish list for nonprofits, so thank you SVCF.

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 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.

Spotlight on Arts Grantmaking in California

We just released our new regional research report, "Spotlight on Arts Grantmaking in California."  The report sheds light on grant priorities and the effect of the economic crisis on California arts funders and recipient organizations surveyed earlier in 2009. Findings show the contrast between types of support that grantmakers award compared to what arts groups say they need most. Download the five-page pdf file.

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.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation Regional Meeting

Last week I attend the second annual regional meeting of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF). Like last year's meeting (read my blog post about it), this one attracted a large audience. However, the tone of this year's meeting was much less buoyant.  A panel comprised of county government representatives and human service providers spoke of the tremendous negative effect the deteriorating economy has had on both struggling community members and the safety-net organizations meant to help them.  SVCF's CEO Emmett Carson offered some hope and closed the meeting highlighting the results of the foundation's Strengthening the Safety-Net Campaign and announced the release of a Report on the Status of Payday Lending in California. You can download the transcript of his remarks.

Listen! Funding for Arts Month: Frances Phillips of the Creative Work Fund

Frances Phillips, director of the Creative Work Fund and also senior program officer at the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, discusses the Creative Work Fund's current grantmaking programs, and provides tips for artists and arts organization representatives who plan to approach the Creative Work Fund for support.

Listen>>

Live from Challenges and Opportunities of the Economic Crisis - October 13

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, will provide his perspective on the impact of the economic crisis on the philanthropic sector – both foundations and service providers – and the challenges and opportunities these turbulent times present for the future.

This 60-minute program will be presented at the Foundation Center-Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 13, starting at 11:15 a.m.PDT/2:30 p.m. EDT, but you can attend virtually via the text-based chat window below.  Set a reminder below and plan to join us!

Learn about Public and Private Funding Opportunities for Individual Artists

If you are an individual artist, then read on--these two programs were designed especially for you:

Friday, October 9, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm: Funding for Public Art in the Bay Area Panelists will discuss what they look for in public art commissions, explain decision-making processes, and offer insight into the priorities they are managing. Speaker include representatives of the City of Oakland, San Francisco Arts Commission, Alameda County Arts Commission and the City of Emeryville. Register>>

Wednesday, October 14, 2-4pm: Meet the Grantmakers: Funding Opportunities for Individual Artists Panelists will describe their organizations' funding priorities and guidelines as they pertain to individual artists. Speakers include representatives of Artadia, Black Rock Arts Foundation, Creative Work Fund, San Francisco Foundation, and Center for Cultural Innovation. Register>>

Both of these programs will take place at The Foundation Center-San Francisco, 312 Sutter Street, San Francisco. Directions>>

Be sure to check out our October Funding for Arts Month Calendar for a complete list of upcoming free programs.

Thanks to Our Funding for Arts Month Sponsors: James Irvine Foundation and Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

Wednesday, October 14, 2-4pm: Meet the Grantmakers: Funding Opportunities for Individual Artists Panelists will describe their organizations' funding priorities and guidelines as they pertain to individual artists. Speakers include representatives of Artadia, Black Rock Arts Foundation, Creative Work Fund, San Francisco Foundation, and Center for Cultural Innovation. Register>>