Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Allstate Foundation Awards Grants for Domestic Violence

In the face of today's economic crisis and skyrocketing jobless rates, The Allstate Foundation announced (November 20, 2009) efforts to ease the financial burdens of domestic violence survivors with $625,000 in new economic empowerment grants for statewide coalitions against domestic violence in eleven states. The grants will be used to support a variety of local programs focused on developing strategies to move survivors of abuse toward financial independence. The grantees' work will center on financial literacy, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and job readiness activities. In Ohio, a $50,000 economic empowerment grant was awarded to Ohio Domestic Violence Network.

Read the Latest Studies on Family and Corporate Foundations

Two recently released reports provide useful perspectives for nonprofit grantseekers on company-sponsored and family foundations in the U.S.

Key Facts on Corporate Foundations presents data on, among many other topic areas, estimated giving, allocation of funding by subject area, and forecasts about future funding by the nation's 2,500 corporate foundations. Steven Lawrence, senior director of research at the Foundation Center, states in this report: "Corporate foundations will not be alone in having to reduce giving this year, but the cuts may well be deeper than for other types of grantmakers." Learn what else is happening with corporate foundations.
Download the full report>> [pdf]

Published jointly by the Foundation Center and the Council on Foundations, Perpetuity or Limited Lifespan: How Do Family Foundations Decide? presents results from the first national survey of family foundations on the topic of lifespan planning. Learn what family foundations are considering when they make these long-term decisions and see what factors and characteristics influence whether a foundation plans to exist in perpetuity or limit its lifespan.
Download the full report>> [pdf]

Watch This: Mary Kay Incandela, American Greetings Corporation

Mary Kay Incandela, director of corporate giving for American Greetings Corporation, discusses its charitable giving and community involvement, including some history and background about the company, what its giving interests are, and how to approach the corporation for support. Watch here.

A Tale of Two Banks-PNC Bank Announces Plans to Buy National City Bank

It was announced this morning (Friday, Oct. 24, 2008) that PNC Bank, headquartered in Pittsburgh, plans to buy Cleveland's National City Bank. The question for most readers of this blog is, what happens to philanthropic giving? National City has been a major player in Northeast Ohio and their community involvement extends to Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. PNC has a strong presence in the Pittsburgh area and its community involvement extends to Washington, DC, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia. For now, all we can do is look to the facts.

National City Bank supports a private company-sponsored foundation, a direct corporate giving program, and also operates a matching gift program. For the year ended 12/31/06, National City's corporate giving program gave support totaling $4.1 million. National City Bank's company-sponsored foundation, NCC Charitable Foundation (EIN 347050989), had assets of $51,862,182 (market value) as of 6/30/07 and total giving of $25,735,583. 

Here's a sampling of grants made by the NCC Charitable Foundation in 2007:

$445,000 to Western Michigan University Foundation, Kalamazoo, MI. For general support.
$300,000 to United Way, Metro, Louisville, KY. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$291,667 to Musical Arts Association, Cleveland, OH. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$142,857 to Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$110,000 to Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Pittsburgh, PA. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$50,000 to Salvation Army of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO. For general support.
$24,500 to United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$20,000 to Illinois State University, Normal, IL. For general support.
$20,000 to Opera Cleveland, Cleveland, OH. For general support, payable over 1 year.
$15,000 to Booker T. Washington Business Association, Detroit, MI. For general support, payable over 1 year.

PNC Bank supports 2 company-sponsored foundations and operates a sponsorship program, in addition to committing itself to "green building" and the environment and a signature cause, Grow Up Great, a 10-year, $100 million investment in school readiness to help prepare children from birth to age five for success in school and life. The PNC Foundation (EIN 251202255), had assets of $100,801,357 (market value) as of 12/31/07 and total giving of $18,577,489.

Here's a sampling of grants made by the PNC Foundation in 2007:

$300,000 to August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Pittsburgh, PA. For general operating support.
$300,000 to Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA. For general operating support.
$226,264 to United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. For general operating support.
$100,000 to Social Compact, Washington, DC. For general operating support.
$50,000 to Lynn Economic Opportunity, Lynn, MA. For general operating support.
$19,500 to United Way of Lackawanna County, Scranton, PA. For general operating support.
$10,000 to Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA. For general operating support.
$10,000 to Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA. For general operating support.
$10,000 to Philadelphia Dance Company, Philadelphia, PA. For general operating support.
$7,500 to Sarah A. Reed Children's Center, Erie, PA. For general operating support.

PNC's second foundation, the PNC Memorial Foundation (EIN 256487950), awards college scholarships to children of current employees and children of deceased employees who died during their period of employment at PNC Bank. The foundation had assets of $241,233 (market value) as of 12/31/07 and total giving of $9,000 for grants to individuals.

From the Answer Desk: Finding Sponsorships

Q: What is "sponsorship" and how can my organization get started with this type of support?

A: Sponsorship is a funding arrangement where one party (usually a corporation or business) pays, in part or entirely, for the project or event of another party (in this case, a nonprofit organization) and receives wide acknowledgement and visibility in return.

One way to begin finding grantmakers interested in sponsorships is by using Foundation Directory Online. A quick search in the Professional version for "Sponsorships" in Types of Support yields nearly 700 results.  Foundation Directory Online Professional is available for free use at the Foundation Center-Cleveland and all Ohio Cooperating Collections.

Learn more about getting started with sponsorships by reading an excerpt [PDF] from the book Made Possible By (available in our library). Written by Patricia Martin, this step-by-step guide shows you how to identify potential partners and negotiate terms. The Foundation Center's FAQ, "How Can I Find Corporate Sponsorship?" provides additional, helpful links for investigating sponsorship and how to secure them.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner, the Foundation Center's online librarian)

News Roundup: Corporate Giving, Women's Community Foundation, Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation

News about foundations and the organizations they fund crosses the desks at the Foundation Center on a regular basis. Here's the latest in a regular series of posts featuring a summary of information and news about grantmakers and their grants.

A slew of media outlets throughout Ohio picked up on a story, Corporate Donors May Not Be as Giving, that was originally published in The Columbus Dispatch. The article includes information from the Foundation Center's Key Facts on Corporate Foundations. The Foundation Center's annual forecasting survey found that 29 percent of corporate respondents expect to reduce their giving in 2008. It also revealed that 54 percent expect to increase their giving in 2008. Let's hope that some corporations giving in Ohio are represented in the 54 percent. However, it's a good idea, as always, to get a fundraising plan in place that includes a diverse array of support and income strategies.

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The Plain Dealer reports that the Women's Community Foundation will permanently close on May 30, 2008. "The economic times in Cleveland for fundraising are challenging," said executive director Roberta Mancini. "We were in a state of limbo where we were just getting by, and that's not what our mission is. Our mission is to make an incredible difference. . ." The foundation's endowment will be converted to a donor-advised fund at the Cleveland Foundation. It will support programs for women and girls.

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The News-Herald reports that the Cleveland Cord Blood Center recently opened in Warrensville Heights thanks in part to a philanthropic grant from Abraham Katz through the Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation (GA). The Center was established to meet Ohio’s need for umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells for use in both transplants and research. Initially, cord blood is being collected at major birthing centers in Northeast Ohio, incorporating the area’s ethnically diverse population. Cord blood accounts for approximately 1 in every 5 stem cell transplants performed in the U.S. 

Fast Food Philanthropy: Questions Arise as Arby's Buys Wendy's

Late last week (4/24/08) Columbus Business First reported that Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. has agreed to be purchased by the parent corporation of Arby's restaurants, Triarc Companies Inc.  This of course begs the question: what will happen to Wendy's philanthropic activities, if anything? Let's look at some of the facts regarding the corporate giving of these three entities.

Wendy's International Inc. established a company-sponsored foundation, Wendy's International Foundation, in 2002. In the latest year of record (2006) the market value of its assets was $2,245,661 and its giving activities included $800,000 for grants. Among the top recipients were United Way of Central Ohio ($125,000) and the Elliott Leadership Institute ($100,000 payment on 3-yr. grant).  Other  philanthropic programs affiliated with Wendy's International Inc. include the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Wendy's Wonderful Kids, Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge, Wendy's High School Heisman, and Wendy's Animal Welfare Program. 

The Atlanta-based Arby's Foundation, a public charity, was established in 1986. Through its Arby's Charity Tour (golf), restaurant fundraising, and community events, the foundation has raised more than $27 million dollars to support leadership, education and mentoring initiatives in Arby's communities. In the latest year of record (2006) they Arby's Foundation had assets of $13,099,285 and total giving of $2,630,842. Contributions primarily went to Big Brothers, Big Sisters programs throughout the U.S., including several in Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Northwestern).

Based in New York, Triarc Companies Inc. is a publicly traded holding company and franchisor of Arby's restaurants. It supports a corporate giving program that focuses on areas of company operations.

I'd like to think that a sale like this is aimed at gaining market share for Wendy's and maximizing profit, resulting in more corporate engagement in more communities, but that may be the naive wish of a girl who grew up consuming many a late-night Frosty (probably too many). What the outcome of the sale will be on the corporate giving of Wendy's remains to be seen, but it is something to watch. In the meantime, tell us your prediction.

Giving on the Rise at the Lubrizol Corporation

The Lubrizol Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Lubrizol Corporation, released its 2007 Annual Report, disclosing the distribution of $2.9 million in grants for education, health and human services, civic and cultural activities, and more. Its 2007 grantmaking is the most generous in its 56-year history, reflecting the Lubrizol Corporation's strong commitment to supporting organizations in communities primarily within the United States where it operates major facilities. The Foundation's more significant grants include:

--$100,000 to Baldwin-Wallace College's Center for Innovation and Growth
--$100,000 to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Children's Hospital Center for Autism
--$30,000 to the Rose (Houston, Texas) for digital breast cancer screening equipment
--$25,000 to the Memorial Hermann Hospital's Life Flight Campaign (Houston, Texas)
--$25,000 to the MetroHealth Hospital's Senior Health Wellness Center

Grants to education totaled over $1.0 million which included scholarship support of $387,300 to 43 colleges and universities across the country. Grants to health and human services organizations totaled over $857,000 for the year. Civic and cultural and environmental organizations combined received $168,250. Organizations supporting youth activities received $93,000.

Additionally, 2007 was the first year the Foundation matched employee contributions to United Ways, resulting in an additional $79,443 granted to Cleveland and Lake County, Ohio and the Texas Gulf Coast, and others. In all, the Foundation's employee matching gift program awarded $762,495 last year, with those dollars going to 974 charitable organizations.

The 37 charitable organizations where employees volunteer their time were awarded $11,700 through the Foundation's Community Connection program.

Source: News Release, The Lubrizol Foundation Announces Record Giving of $2.9 Million in 2007 Grants to Nonprofit and Educational Institutions, April 16, 2008.

Columbus Children's Hospital, Abercrombie & Fitch Face Flap over Naming Rights

The advocacy group, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (Boston), wants to keep the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus from putting the Abercrombie & Fitch name on a new emergency room. Abercrombie has pledged $10 million toward the construction of the emergency department at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Not the first time Abercrombie & Fitch, based in New Albany, Ohio, has faced criticism about its marketing campaigns aimed at teenagers, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is urging the hospital to drop any plans to put the retailer's name on the project, pointing to research that has shown a link between sexualized images of teens in the media and mental health problems in girls. The advocacy group made its position public in a letter to the hospital on Tuesday, March 11, signed by about 70 pediatricians and academics from around the U.S.

Tom Lennox, a spokesman at Abercrombie & Fitch, said, “We are proud of our longstanding relationship with the hospital and pleased to help secure its bright future.”

The New York Times reported that a call from a reporter to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for a response to the letter from the coalition was returned by Jon M. Fitzgerald, the president of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation. “I like to focus on the philanthropy of it,” Mr. Fitzgerald said, adding, “I don’t feel comfortable addressing” any of the objections raised in the letter.

“Two years ago, Abercrombie & Fitch made a very significant philanthropic gift,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “In honor of that gift, we chose to offer recognition of their tremendous support of our organization.”

Mr. Fitzgerald took issue with a contention in the letter that the hospital agreed to “sell naming rights” to Abercrombie & Fitch in exchange for the $10 million.

“We don’t sell naming rights,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We as a nonprofit accept gifts to support our mission. We’re looking for philanthropic support.”

What do you think?

Sources: When a Corporate Donation Raises Protests, Stuart Elliott, New York Times, March 12, 2008. Advocates Balk at Renaming Ohio Hospital, Matt Leingang, Associated Press, March 12, 1008.