Vol. 1, No. 4
April, 2007

In this issue:

Upcoming AGF Programs

Grants/Contributions Received to Support AGF

Member News

Philanthropy News

Upcoming Programs

To reserve a seat at any of the programs listed below, please email AGF's registration box at register@arizonagrantmakersforum.org.

Thurs May 24 Investing in Our Communities: Strategies for Immigration Integration Program will explore what funders can do to help integrate immigrants into American society. 11:30am - 1:30pm, Location: Arizona Community Foundation Open to AGF Members Only

Thurs June 28 Evaluation: Philanthropy's Dirty Little Secret An informal session providing funders with an opportunity to share their approaches to evaluation and what data they collect and review. 11:30am - 1:30pm, Location: Arizona Community Foundation Open to AGF Members Only

2007 Grants in Support of AGF

AGF receives revenues from three primary sources: Dues, Program Revenues and Grants/Sponsorships. We are grateful to the following members who, in addition to their dues, committed to supporting AGF in 2007 with general operating dollars and/or program underwriting:

Leadership Circle:

• BHHS Legacy Foundation
• Dorrance Family Foundation
• Helios Education Foundation
• Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
• St. Luke's Health Initiatives
• The Lodestar Foundation
• The Stardust Foundation

Partners Circle:

• APS
• Mr. Tom Chauncey
• Salt River Project

Program Hosts:

• Mr. Tom Chauncey
• F2 Family Foundation
• Phelps Dodge Corporation

Member News

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Reaches the $100M Mark
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona reached a milestone in its 26-year history, surpassing for the first time the $100 million mark in total assets. A final audit is still pending, but the foundation is reporting that for fiscal year 2006 it has $113.6 million in assets, up about $20 million from the previous year. The money is held in 479 funds managed by the foundation, which for fiscal year 2006 awarded $7.2 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and community organizations.

Gene D'Adamo & Family Honored by Chrysalis
AGF Board Member and V.P. of Community Relations for the Arizona Republic, Gene D'Adamo & Family will be honored by Chrysalis on Thursday, April 19 at The Arizona Biltmore. Gene has been with The Arizona Republic for 26 years and leads their community relations department. Over the last six years, Chrysalis has been part of the D’Adamo family with everyone volunteering in one form or another.

UniSource & TEP Grant Announcement
UniSource Energy Services and Tucson Electric Power "Grants That Make a Difference" application & guidelines will be available at tep.com and unsaz.com starting June 8, 2007. Grant applications are due September 11, 2007. Funds are for programs in UNS service territory serving "at risk" persons. Grant amounts vary by county. UNS/TEP are sponsoring "Grant Magic" workshops for charitable nonprofits in our service territories to strenghten agencies' grant opportunities. Dates: May 15, Prescott; May 16, Kingman; May 22, Tucson. See website for more details.

Honeywell Announces $500,000 in Community Grants
In April, Honeywell Aerospace will announce more than $500,000 in communuity grants to worthy non-profit organizations furthering the causes of housing and shelter, family safety, and math and science education. Grants are dispensed in communities around the world where Honeywell has an operating presence.

Philanthropy News & Resources

Independent Sector Urges Increased Budget for IRS
Independent Sector, a coalition of foundations, corporations, and private voluntary organizations working to strengthen America's nonprofit sector, is calling on Congress to increase the budget for the Internal Revenue Service — a move that would enable the agency to provide greater oversight of the sector and offer improved resources designed to educate nonprofits about new and existing tax laws.

In an April 10 letter to the leadership of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, IS urged the committee to consider increasing the agency's fiscal year 2008 budget and encouraged committee leaders to rely on the IRS Oversight Board's forthcoming budget recommendation, which is likely to exceed the Bush administration's budget request for the agency. Click here to read the entire article.

Broad and Gates Funds Start $60-Million Education Effort
Billionaire philanthropists Eli Broad and Bill Gates have teamed up to create a $60-million project that they hope will catapult the need for improved public education to the top of the 2008 presidential candidates’ agendas, The New York Times reports. Their foundations — the Broad Foundation, in Los Angeles, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in Seattle — will distribute the money. Using the slogan “Ed in ’08,” the Strong American Schools project will include television and radio advertising spots targeted at some of the most crucial states in the election, an Internet-driven appeal for volunteers, and a national coalition of representatives in both parties. Read the full abstract.

Opinion: 'American Idol' Charity Event May Spur Viewers to Act
While some observers of news coming from this week’s American Idol charity event may want to grimace at the thought of more celebrities promoting their causes, the high-profile event may do some good, writes E.J. Dionne Jr. in his Washington Post column today. “The program will, in effect, be a sustained, two-night argument to ‘Idol’ viewers that they might have an obligation to do something about injustice and the pain of others,” Mr. Dionne writes. Read the full abstract.

Walton Family Fund May Soon Grow Much Larger
Helen Walton, widow of the founder of Wal-Mart, died last week, which may mean that her family’s foundation will soon receive some or all of her $16.4-billion fortune, reports USA Today. Ms. Walton died on Thursday in Bentonville, Ark., at the age of 87. Her family has said in the past that she planned to leave her Wal-Mart stock to the Walton Family Foundation, which supports efforts to improve the public schools and has made grants to colleges and universities. A spokesman would not confirm how Ms. Walton’s estate will be used. If most of Ms. Walton’s fortune goes to the foundation, it would become one of the largest in the United States, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s rankings of the 10 wealthiest grant makers.

Kellogg Foundation Awards $4.5 Million to Foster Healthy Communities
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, has announced $4.5 million in grants to nine community groups across the country working to encourage active living and healthy eating locally.

The community groups, representing collaborations between schools, hospitals and public health agencies, nonprofits, businesses, churches, and recreational facilities, will each receive a two-year, $500,000 award to create an action plan to improve health, nutrition, and physical activity among local families and children. Projects will focus on increasing physical activity in schools and safety in public spaces; creating community gardens and markets for affordable local and regionally grown foods; and creating more pathways for walkers and bicyclists. Several projects will specifically address the needs of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, and Pacific Islander populations. After the planning process has been completed, each group will be eligible for implementation funding for up to eight years. Click here to read the full article.

Companies' Commitment to Volunteering Attracts Young Employees
Companies that encourage and help their employees volunteer their professional skills to nonprofit organizations have an advantage when it comes to recruiting Gen Y talent, a new study by Deloitte & Touche USA finds.

According to the company's 2007 Volunteer IMPACT Survey of Generation Y (18-26 year olds) (6 pages, PDF), 62 percent of respondents said they would prefer to work for companies that give them opportunities to contribute their talents to nonprofits, while only 39 percent of Gen Y employees said their companies currently provide these types of opportunities. In the survey, 80 percent of respondents identified themselves as volunteers, and 97 percent said companies should offer their employees opportunities to volunteer their work-related skills or talents to nonprofits.

Although there are many reasons people volunteer, 74 percent of the volunteers surveyed said they do it to have a meaningful impact on their communities or to fulfill a personal desire to give back, while 82 percent indicated that the activity helps them develop leadership and other important workplace skills.

Coca-Cola Announces Reorganization of Its Charitable Giving
The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company has announced that it is reorganizing its main charitable department and fundamentally changing its worldwide giving priorities, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.

The proposed changes include the elimination of Coca-Cola's long-standing corporate external affairs department, which will be replaced by a new oversight division named Global Community Connections. As part of the shift, the company will refocus its giving, which had targeted education and diversity, on three areas: water cleanliness and supply, recycling with an emphasis on sustainable packaging, and fitness. In addition, each global operating region will be able to specify two local initiatives to support beyond the three company-wide priorities. Coca-Cola expects the reorganization, which will be managed by Ingrid Saunders Jones, the former head of external affairs and longtime charitable face of Coca-Cola, to be completed by January 2008.

Give and Take: A Roundup of Nonprofit Blogs
Give and Take is a service of the Chronicle of Philanthropy that rounds up the best postings that appear on blogs about the nonprofit world. Our most recent postings discuss innovative online social-action videos and recommended reading for people who seek inspiration for their antipoverty work. You can also read previous postings on issues about philanthropic giving, fund raising, and management of nonprofit organizations. Click here to view.