Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Funders Speak: Michael Parks and Barbra Stonerock, The Dayton Foundation

Our second edition of Giving Voice features an interview with Michael Parks, president, and Barbra Stonerock, director of community relations, The Dayton Foundation. Giving Voice premiered here on 2/20/09 and features foundation leaders discussing how they are responding to the economic crisis. Listen!

      

(Running time: 5 minutes, 58 seconds)

Update! Columbus Foundation Ready to Launch Public Match Campaign for Safety Net Fund

The American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation announced 3/3/09 that it will donate $200,000 to respond to The Columbus Foundation's Critical Need Alert and the creation of the Safety Net Fund to help 20 area nonprofit organizations offer food and housing to people in need in central Ohio.

"Our decision to join with The Columbus Foundation in this effort is simple," said Michael G. Morris, chairman of The AEP Foundation and AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "People in our community are feeling the impact of the economic downturn. We know that an increasing number of families and individuals are in crisis, and we want to help ensure that they have the most essential of life's necessities - food to eat and a warm, safe place to sleep."

Original post:

The Columbus Foundation has established a Safety Net Fund in response to the critical needs facing Columbus, Ohio. To seed the fund and to support 20 selected organizations providing safety net services to Columbus residents in need, the Foundation is using its PowerPhilanthropy platform to engage donors and the public in a matching gift program, described like this:

Your gift to the Safety Net Fund or any of the 20 organizations included within will be matched. Thanks to The Columbus Foundation’s Governing Committee and several generous donors, for every dollar contributed, fifty cents will be added, until the match is exhausted. A total of $400,000 in matching funds for existing donors and the public is currently available.   

The matching program for existing donors to the Columbus Foundation kicked off February 5, 2009.

There is no gift maximum per fund or organization. Up to $300,000 in matching funds will be available to Foundation donors, with matching funds that remain as of February 26 to be rolled over into the public match.

The public match day kicks off Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 2:00 pm.

The public is invited to make gifts online through PowerPhilanthropy at www.columbusfoundation.org. The Foundation is setting aside at least $100,000 (plus any remaining match funds from the Foundation donor match period) to match online credit card donations to eligible nonprofits or to the Safety Net Fund in the amount of fifty cents for every dollar contributed, until funds are exhausted. Anyone can give, with a minimum gift of only $20. There is no gift maximum per individual or per organization.

Pretty cool. Sounds like a great way to level the philanthropic playing field, enabling anyone with twenty bucks to participate in leveraging good works with grant dollars. And, it will help a lot of people who need it right now. Nice.

--Cindy Bailie

 

Reinberger Foundation Responds to the Economy

I received this communique today (2/25/09) from the Reinberger Foundation outlining how their grantmaking will be affected this year by the economic situation. I have reprinted it here in its entirety:

Due to the current economic situation, the Trustees of The Reinberger Foundation have made the difficult decision to suspend receiving requests for support for Education and Healthcare for 2009.

In the current environment, the Trustees feel committed to supporting basic human needs such as food, clothing and shelter for those most impacted.

It is our fervent hope that our economy will recover quickly and we will once more have funds available to support Education and Healthcare.  It is not that we feel these areas are unimportant only that the needs are less urgent in the short term.

We have also changed the schedule for Social Service requests as follows:

Letter of Inquiry Deadlines 
Education:                                Not accepting
Healthcare:                              Not accepting
Social Service                           July 1, 2009 (We will respond by September 1)
Arts, Culture, Humanities:       December 1, 2009 

--Cindy Bailie
 

Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland Announces Plans to Address Projected Budget Shortfall

I received this news release (2/17/09) about the impact of the economy on the Jewish Community Federation. I share it here in its entirety:

Due to the current economic situation, the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland is undergoing an intensive evaluation process of its structure, programs and activities to look at all potential cost savings. With roughly a one-third decrease in its endowment and a 15 percent reduction-to-date in pledges to the 2009 Campaign for Jewish Needs, the Federation will need to undergo a significant reorganization and retrenchment of its workforce. 

Although the Federation has already reduced its current year budget by $500K through spending cuts and a hiring freeze, pressing economic challenges require an additional $2.4 million reduction in the operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009. These cuts will be addressed through additional reductions in expenses, programming and personnel.

“Our senior management is working on a restructuring plan now,” said Stephen H. Hoffman, president of the Jewish Community Federation. “We are targeting early March as the time when we will be able to let our board and staff know the outcome of our plans.”

Harley I. Gross, Federation board chair, said, “This is an incredibly difficult situation for us to face as a community and especially for the staff. But the Federation must do everything in its power to continue its mission to serve our community locally and overseas, and to ensure that our operations are maintained on a fiscally sound basis.”

--Cindy Bailie

Apocalypse Now for Nonprofits?

   

Not exactly! On February 20, 2009, The Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal and The Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) presented a content-rich and lively panel discussion about a recent NPQ article by Paul Light titled Four Futures. Featured presenters at the session included:

• Paul Light, New York University
• Perla Ni, Great Nonprofits
• William Schambra (moderator)
• Lester Salamon, Johns Hopkins University
• Peter Frumkin, University of Texas Austin

NPQ's Rick Cohen welcomed the group and offered some observations on the stimulus package and what it might do for nonprofits. He posited that the real question about the stimulus package should be not what effect it will have on nonprofits, but what impact it will have on the communities they serve.

Paul Light outlined four possible scenarios for nonprofits (taken from the article):

• The rescue fantasy - Relying on the generosity of strangers to pull the nonprofit sector through.
• A withering winter land - Through declining support and revenue, nonprofits will starve themselves into a weakened state, but not before possibly preying on smaller, weaker organizations.
• An arbitrary winnowing - This would balance the sector towards larger, wealthier, and more well-connected nonprofits, essentially cutting out the "middle class." 
• Transformation - The sector will use the current economic crisis as an opportunity to reinvent itself.

Each of the panelists then reacted to the scenarios. Ni offered that smaller nonprofits will survive the crisis because they can be more flexible and have compelling stories. Salamon commented that in the proposed scenarios, nonprofits were acted upon, not taking into account the resilience in the sector that enables it to save itself. Frumkin shared his concerns about the four funding streams for nonprofits: earned income, individual giving, government funding, and foundations and corporations, sharing his theory that nonprofits that have been using the “rhetoric of reason and rationale” may begin using the “rhetoric of emotion” to maintain and attract donors. This issue sparked a lively discussion about how to measure a nonprofit’s value. Do we give with our heads, our hearts, or both?In the end, the panelists concluded that many nonprofits will adapt and survive.

What do you think?

An audio and video recording of this event will be posted at the Bradley Center's web site shortly. A transcript of the discussion will be posted in approximately one week.

(This post is from Patricia Pasqual, Director, Foundation Center Washington, D.C., who attended the program.)

This Week at the Foundation Center (February 23 - February 27)

Special Program:
Tuesday, February 24: 4:30-7:00pm. Free.
   Resource Market: Tackling Tough Times. 
Meet representatives from organizations that can help you to weather the current economic storm and greet colleagues new and old while visiting 'vendor tables' and attending any of the following mini-sessions for must-know tips:

• 4:40-4:55: David Holmes, Foundation Center on foundation fundraising
• 5:00-5:15: Carol Carbary, Association of Fundraising Professionals on individual fundraising
• 5:20-5:35: Barbara Clemenson, Case Western Reserve University on earned income
• 5:40-5:55: Ann Kent, Business Volunteers Unlimited on nonprofit boards
• 6:00-6:15: Michael Matthews, Neighborhood Leadership Institute on communicating your story/advocacy
• 6:20-6:35: Tom O'Brien, Neighborhood Connections on grassroots/new organizations

Register here.

Classes:
Thursday, February 26, 2009. Double Feature!
Grantseeking Basics with a Special Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online. 
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Proposal Writing Basics.
2:30 - 4:00 pm

Library Hours:
Monday - 12:00 - 4:30 pm
Tuesday - 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday - 12:00-4:30pm
Thursday - 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday - 12:00-4:30pm

Visit anytime.
No appointment necessary. 
Always free. 
Always someone available to answer your questions.

Unable to visit? Ask Us online.

Share this post with your friends.

• 4:40-4:55: David Holmes, Foundation Center on foundation fundraising
• 5:00-5:15: Carol Carbary, Association of Fundraising Professionals on individual fundraising
• 5:20-5:35: Barbara Clemenson, Case Western Reserve University on earned income
• 5:40-5:55: Ann Kent, Business Volunteers Unlimited on nonprofit boards
• 6:00-6:15: Michael Matthews, Neighborhood Leadership Institute on communicating your story/advocacy
• 6:20-6:35: Tom O'Brien, Neighborhood Connections on grassroots/new organizations

Register here.

Classes:
Thursday, February 26, 2009. Double Feature!
Grantseeking Basics with a Special Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online. 
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Proposal Writing Basics.
2:30 - 4:00 pm

Visit anytime.
No appointment necessary. 
Always free. 
Always someone available to answer your questions.

Unable to visit? Ask Us online.

Share this post with your friends.

Unable to visit? Ask Us online.

Share this post with your friends.

Grant Guides Have Gone Digital

The 21 titles in the Foundation Center's popular Grant Guides series, which provide detailed listings of recent foundation grants for selected subject areas, population groups, and types of support, are now available for purchase as digital editions.

In addition to detailed information on recent grants, each guide includes helpful indexes, key statistics, lists of top funders, and key facts for identifying funding prospects.

The new digital format includes added features, such as a keyword text search, links to our free Foundation Finder web tool, and subject, geographic, and recipient indexes.

Titles in the series include:

• Grants for Children & Youth
• Grants for Community & Economic Development
• Grants for Elementary & Secondary Education
• Grants for Foreign & International Programs
• Grants for Medical Research
• Grants for Minorities
• Grants for Services for the Homeless
• Grants for Women & Girls

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site to view all 21 titles in our Grant Guides series. Each guide can be purchased for $39.95 and is licensed for one download per customer.

Funders Speak: Cristin Slesh, Foundation Management Services

Our new podcast series features foundation leaders discussing their response to the economic crisis. The Foundation Center is pleased to join with Ohio Grantmakers Forum in this effort and to present the first one featuring Cristin Slesh, president, Foundation Management Services (FMS). FMS provides program support to seven private foundations:

• The Abington Foundation   
• The Althans Foundation   
• Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation   
• The Ellie Fund   
• The McGregor Foundation   
• Thomas H. White Foundation   
• Woodruff Foundation   

Cristin discusses how her foundation clients' grantmaking is being affected by the current economic situation and offers some advice for her colleagues and partners.

(Total running time: 5 minutes, 20 seconds)

Real-time Needs vs. Economic Realities: Saint Luke's Foundation Responds to Economy

As our region's foundations issue statement about how they are responding to the economy, we will share them here. This statement is from Saint Luke's Foundation:

The Foundation has decided at this time to concentrate on community grants requests that most closely align with our mission of improving the health and well-being of the community. For the Saint Luke’s Foundation, this means funding projects, programs and organizations addressing basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and health care concerns across broadly-based vulnerable populations.  Additionally, we will make few, if any, multi-year grants until the economic climate has stabilized.

As a result, some grant requests may be declined because the projects may not be deemed as high a priority in comparison with other requests that align more closely with our focus on basic needs. This does not necessarily mean we view these projects as unimportant.  However, it does mean we must look across the spectrum of needs in this community and work with nonprofit partners to address the most pressing needs as we see them unfolding right now. Please know that the Foundation is also tightening its own spending as much as possible because we know that when the economy is challenging for us, it is that much more so for the people who are helped by the nonprofits we support. 

Steep Decreases in Assets Will Impact Grants by Ohio Funders in 2009

I just received this news release from Ohio Grantmakers Forum, reprinted here in its entirety:

Contact:
George E. Espy, president, Ohio Grantmakers Forum
Phone: 614.224.1344
Date: February 19, 2009

COLUMBUS: After witnessing steep declines in their assets, some Ohio funders expect to hold steady or increase their grants although the majority will decrease the amount of grant dollars they give in 2009. These are among the key findings from a survey of foundations and corporate grantmakers Ohio Grantmakers Forum conducted in January and released in its annual grantmaking outlook report.

With 90 percent of survey respondents reporting their assets dropped in the last 12 months, 60 percent expect to decrease the amount of dollars they give to nonprofits. About one-quarter expect to hold their grant dollars at 2008 levels and just over 10 percent expect to increase the amount they grant. Over 80 percent of respondents expect to review more requests for funding in 2009, particularly from agencies focusing on human services.

"This year's report shows that, although grantmakers have experienced declines in their asset base, their commitment to support local non profits remains high. Grantmakers are tightening their own belts and are working hard to be as helpful as they can be," says OGF President George E. Espy.

OGF's report details the belt-tightening, as about half of those surveyed anticipated making cuts to travel, professional development, print communications and event costs this year. A smaller percentage of funders said they expect to cut staff, salaries or benefits.

Grantmakers are employing other strategies to help their grantees face the consequences of the economic downturn, using staff and trustee expertise to help build capacity of local agencies. Over 42 percent will provide one-on-one consulting or work on leadership development with nonprofits, 38 percent will facilitate mergers, 36 percent will conduct programs on capacity building and 33 percent expect to help with strategic planning. Additionally, 46 percent will increase funding for general operating support and 29 percent plan to streamline application and reporting processes.

The 92 survey respondents reflect the diversity of Ohio's grantmaking community, from small private foundations to large community foundations as well as corporate giving programs, and from all regions of the state. Together, respondents held 40 percent of the state's charitable assets and awarded 36 percent of the state's grants. The full report, complete with charts and more analysis, is available on the OGF website.

Ohio Grantmakers Forum is an association of foundations, corporate contributions programs and other grantmaking organizations. Its mission is to provide leadership for organized philanthropy in Ohio and to enhance the ability of members to fulfill their charitable goals. Together, its more than 200 members provide over $600 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that work to improve the lives of community residents.