In this issue: News
Important to Grantmakers
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AGF Member Exchange is designed to provide timely information to AGF members about important topics of interest to grantmakers. It is also intended to provide a forum for AGF members to share ideas and learn more about each other. We welcome member contributions and hope that we hear from you.
Grantmaking isn’t the only way to support the environment! Whether or not you fund environmental causes, many ways exist for you to act more directly to alleviate climate change, prevent pollution, and protect ecosystems through your organizational practices. “Greening” your foundation’s day-to-day activities puts its operating resources to work for a cleaner, safer, and healthier planet. The Environmental Grantmakers Association recently released Green Beyond Grants: Sustainable Practices for Foundations, (www.ega.org/resources) which offers simple guidelines and specific steps to start your foundation on the road to environmental sustainability at the office and at sponsored events. “Sustainable” practices support the healthiest and most just outcomes for both the natural environment and human well-being, now and into the indefinite future.
This month we asked members about the steps they have taken to improve environmental stewardship. Seventeen AGF members responded to our survey question. Forty-seven percent reported that they have begun to implement environmentally-friendly policies in their offices. Of these, using green materials and supplies, as well as waste reduction, were the two most common activities. To view survey results, click here.
UPCOMING
EVENTS Local Programs October 4 - Grantmaking, Governance and More: What the New IRS Wants From Your Organization: A discussion with Northern Trust Vice President Grace Allison regarding new governance initiatives, potential investment pitfalls, and guidance on new private foundation distribution rules. Ms. Allison will also review a recent IRS study on donor advised funds and supporting organizations. October 25 - Nonprofit Consolidation: Opportunities and Challenges in Arizona: Co-sponsored by AGF and the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, this program will feature David LaPiana, a national expert on nonprofit collaboration/consolidation. Local leaders who have either been involved in nonprofit mergers or have studied the impact of this movement will also speak. This program is sponsored by The Lodestar Foundation and American Express.
October 31 - Teaching Children the Art of Giving: The Arizona Grantmakers Forum, in partnership with a number of other philanthropic and civic organizations around Arizona, will host a conversation with noted author Susan Crites Price. The event will provide participants with information to help adults teach children - from toddlers to teens - how to use their time, talent, and money to help others. We are currently accepting RSVP's for this event! For more information, click here. Other
Events of Interest...
Oct 1-3, Neighborhood Funders Group Annual Conference Oct. 10-11, Grantmakers In Health Oct. 11-12, Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health & Rights Oct. 17-19, Grantmakers for Education, 11th Annual Conference Oct. 17-19, Peace and Security Funders Group Oct. 31-Nov. 2, Grantmakers in Aging, 2007 Annual Conference Nov. 8-10, The Philanthropy Roundtable, 2007 Annual Meeting Nov. 15-17, ARNOVA, 36th Annual Conference Nov. 21-23, Independent Sector Annual Conference, Opportunity and Responsibility Nov. 21-24, Grantmakers in the Arts, Annual Conference, Taos Journey Nov. 28-29, Airlie Center near Warrenton, Va.: first national meeting of the Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN).
AGF Welcomes Our Newest Members! Coconino County | Coconino County's mission is to conscientiously serve their community and provide their citizens with accessible local government; provide the most effective and efficient delivery of services; be sensitive to the needs of ALL citizens in our changing world; challenge, recognize and support their employees because they are the backbone of the County; and protect, preserve and care for our environment. Contact: Lucinda Andreani, Director of Special Initiatives. Cox Communications/Cox Charities | Cox Charities is a foundation that is dedicated to raising money to support non-profit organizations throughout Arizona that focus primarily on youth development. Contact: Jenny Aho, Manager of Community Relations. Fennemore Craig, P.C. | The lawyers and employees of Fennemore Craig are committed to making grants and coordinating volunteers to assist 501(c)(3) organizations and charitable causes. Contact: Ellis Carter, Director.
MEMBER NEWS The Daron and Ron Barness Family Foundation Announces 2007 General Grants Program Recipients Tucson Make a Difference Day City of Phoenix Giving Update Mesa United Way Presents Dr. Bruce D. Perry Piper Trust Awards Grants Totaling Over $5 Million Renee Sheridan is the new Executive Director of the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation. She replaces Denise McClintic, who is now doing fund development for TGEN. Martha Harmon, CEO of the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation, has announced her resignation effective mid-October. She is moving to Los Angeles, to join her husband who is opening a new office.
JOB OPENINGS CEO, Arizona College Scholarship Foundation
Congressional Philanthropy Congress The purpose of the Caucus is to:
The idea of creating the Caucus was one of the principle talking points for the nearly 400 participants of the 2007 Foundations on the Hill event. We received a lot of meeting reports expressing interest in the establishment of the Caucus. The Council on Foundations is currently running a grassroots campaign asking the philanthropic sector to urge their representatives to join the group. They expect to hear soon an official announcement from the Caucus co-chairs about which members have joined. Please let the staff of the Government Relations Department at the Council on Foundations know if you have any questions or require additional information. Foundations Press Congress to Change Tax Rules for Endowments Many large foundations and universities are investing billions of dollars in overseas companies as a way to avoid facing large tax bills on hedge-fund income, nonprofit tax experts told Congressional lawmakers at a hearing today. Foundations urged Congress to change the tax system so that nonprofit endowments would no longer face any incentive to place large investments in so-called “offshore blockers.” Nonprofit endowments are taxed just as for-profit businesses if they invest in a type of fund that uses a lot of debt to increase returns so they use so-called blocker companies overseas to convert taxable profit from hedge funds into dividends, which are not taxed. “I don’t know of any foundation that wants to invest in offshore blocker corporations,” Janne G. Gallagher, vice president and general counsel of the Council on Foundations, told the House Ways and Means Committee today. “But current law is such that foundations that elect to invest in hedge funds would not be prudent stewards of their assets if they did not use these corporations to block the application of a tax that we believe Congress never intended to apply to this form of investment.” Read Pressing Congress to Change Tax Rules. Subscription to The Chronicle of Philanthropy required.
From the CMF NewsWire - Americans have topped the $100 million mark in giving through IRA Charitable Rollovers thanks to Congress' passage of the giving incentive in the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Read more. Corporate Giving Rises Modestly - 6% increase falls short of last year's growth For 81 businesses, the total dollar amount of cash donations rose to $3.8-billion in 2006 from $3.5-billion the previous year. The companies' cash giving increased by a median of 6 percent, meaning that half of them increased their giving by a higher percentage and half by less. That percentage fell short of last year's growth, when cash giving increased by a median of 10.1 percent. IRS Releases 16-Point Checklist To Help Foundations With Executive, Board Compensation Issues
Hot Topics in Corporate Philanthropy Updated Edition Of Civic Participation And Smarter Growth Paper Online Corporate Philanthropy Resource Guide EDUCATION RESOURCES Report Offers Examples of School-Centered Revitalization Efforts Dollars for Scholars Incentive$ for Teacher$ - Education World But with schools searching for new ways to boost performance among low-income, low-performing students, some districts have found that incentives to draw the best teachers and administrators to the worst schools are paying off. In one district, principals who transfer to struggling schools could earn up to an additional $60,000 over five years. Some educators remain cautious, though, citing concerns about the effects of bonuses on teachers, principals, and school staffing. For some, looking past the traditional pay system already has paid off. Now in its third year of offering bonuses to experienced teachers to transfer to struggling schools, the Hamilton County (Tennessee) school district, which includes urban Chattanooga, has seen student scores soar in their neediest schools. "We have seen statistically significant changes; the urban schools are catching up," said superintendent of schools Jesse Register. Gerry Dowler, who coordinates the national, state, and local teachers' unions in Tennessee, said Hamilton County is experiencing "startling results" in student achievement: reading and math scores jumped an average of 10 to 12 percent in a year in nine priority schools since the influx of new teachers. Read Teacher Incentives Report Offers Strategies for Developing Preschool Facilities Finish Line Calculator Provides High School Graduation Statistics Across U.S. School Districts Publication Features Positive Stories & Outcomes From 10 Mentoring Programs Mentoring programs produce tangible outcomes for students “including decreases in drug and alcohol use, enhanced peer and parent-child relationships, better school attendance and improved attitudes about performance and school.” A new report by Public-Private Ventures, Making a Difference in Schools features the outcomes of participants in 10 Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) programs across the nation. In just five months of mentoring, BBBS students, when compared to their non-mentored peers, improved overall academic performance, quality of class work and homework completion rates. BBBS students also reported feeling more competent academically and skipping school less. For more information visit: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/219_publication.pdf.
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If you have comments or questions regarding The Members' Exchange, please contact Marissa Theisen (602-977-2756 or mtheisen@arizonagrantmakersforum.org). Feel free to comment, suggest article ideas or submit news items. We're always happy to hear from you. | ||||||
