Current Philanthropy News
This section offers a variety of press releases, current events, editorials, and more related to philanthropy in Arizona and throughout the world. Please contact us if you know of any important information that should be posted on this page.
CLICK HERE to see national and international philanthropy news (below).
News & Editorials
Our Turn: Giving is Essential in Hard Times
7/13/08
Marissa Theisen and Ed Portnoy co-authored this Our Turn editorial, reporting on how the economic downturn appears to be affecting the nonprofit community, and what funders and individuals can do to ease the negative effects felt by our most needy citizens. Click here to view the article.
Lodestar Foundation Launches Collaboration Prize
6/15/08
The Phoenix-based Lodestar Foundation, in association with the Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance, has announced a new Collaboration Prize designed to inspire nonprofit collaborations that achieve exceptional impact and significantly eliminate duplication of efforts. The $250,000 prize will be awarded annually to a collaboration that demonstrates quantifiable evidence of impact and effectiveness through programmatic collaborations, administrative consolidation, or other joint activities. Visit www.thecollaborationprize.org for more information.
Piper Trust Accepting Applications for Piper Fellows Program
6/9/08
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust's Piper Fellows program provides up to $30,000 to support the professional development of outstanding senior executives of nonprofit organizations serving Maricopa County, Arizona. Eligible applicants are executives with significant responsibilities for the programmatic or operational activities of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or a governmental agency serving the areas of human services, healthcare, education, religion, or arts and culture in Maricopa County. The complete Piper Fellows Brochure can be downloaded at the Piper Foundation website: click here.
Valley Programs Will Receive $1 million from Ford Fund
Arizona Republic, 5/15/08
The philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Co. will give Phoenix-area programs, schools, and nonprofits $1 million in 2008, as a result of Ford's initiative to increase giving in seven major urban areas. This amount is a $600,000 increase over last year's giving from the Fund. Ford is targeting the funds at education and auto-safety programs, and as a result is partnering with Ford dealers in Phoenix to organize the local programs. Click here to read the full article.
Valley of the Sun United Way Receives $25 million Pledge
Arizona Republic, 5/2/08
One of the Valley's leading philanthropists is giving another multimillion-dollar gift. Real-estate developer Jerry Bisgrove on Thursday announced a $25 million pledge to the Valley of the Sun United Way Foundation. The gift is the largest to that United Way and the third-largest pledge to any United Way in the country, said Merl Waschler, president of Valley of the Sun United Way. Bisgrove's Stardust Foundation will match 50 cents to every dollar pledged to United Way over the next five years up to $25 million. Click here to read the full article.
The Rise of Philanthropy
Arizona Republic, 12/30/07
Philanthropic Foundations are emerging as catalysts, resources, visionaries, and leaders in the state of Arizona. A number of AZ foundations are introducing innovative and impactful initiatives in the areas of education, health, housing, and more. This opinion article reviews a number of exciting grants and projects that foundations are implementing throughout the state.
CLICK HERE for full article.
Events
Also see our newsletters for upcoming events - Member Exchange (Members only), and News & Notes.
Measuring Community Impact of Corporate Philanthropy
8/13/08
Register/More Info: CLICK HERE
Location TBD
Is the growing interest in greater community impact at odds with many companies’ need to achieve business objectives through philanthropy? Join Doug Bauer from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for a discussion on corporate philanthropy and community impact. Insight on the current national thinking around community impact and examples of specific models that can be used in the field make this webinar a great resource for corporate grantmakers. Corporate AGF members will gather and view the webinar together at a central location TBD, allowing for discussion and networking after the presentation.
How to Use AGF's Member Resources and Website
8/14/08
Register/More Info: CLICK HERE
Webinar: For Members Only
Most of our members know that AGF has a website full of resources and services, including a Members Only section of the website. However, you may not have had time to fully explore all of the resources available to you through our website. Join us for this webinar on how to take full advantage of AGF's extensive website, including a detailed tour of the Members Only website, a demonstration of how to use the ListServ, and much more.
Meaningful Metrics for Measuring Impact
Flagstaff, AZ, 8/21/08
Register/More Info: CLICK HERE
Grantmakers, especially those committed to addressing the root causes of social problems, struggle with the question: how do we know if our charitable giving has a positive impact?. The Annie E Casey Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the U.S., has been grappling with this questions for a number of years. They have developed a results-oriented framework which they use to evaluate the impact of their various grantmaking programs. This program will provide the opportunity to join your colleagues in cool Flagstaff to hear how one national funder has tackled the question of how to measure grant impact.
Charities Struggle to Finance Midwest Disaster Relief
Wichita Eagle, 7/7/08
Recent tornadoes and flooding throughout Kansas and Western Missouri have stretched the limits of money designated for disaster relief at both the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, reports The Wichita Eagle. Andrea Anglin, a spokeswoman for the Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross, said that while that organization has enough money for smaller disasters such as local house fires, relief money is badly needed for the tornadoes that have hit northeast Kansas and the flooding that has inundated the Midwest. Click here for full article.
Foundations Give Millions for Efforts to Resolve Foreclosure Crisis
Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08
The Living Cities Consortium, which includes such major foundations and financial institutions as the Ford, Kresge, and Annie E. Casey Foundations and Deutsche Bank, is announcing a plan to give as much as $10-million in grants and low-interest loans to state and local programs working to resolve the foreclosure crisis. Grantees will use funto buy, demolish, rehabilitate, and sell homes at more affordable prices, as well as keep foreclosed homes from being resold to speculators. Click here for full article.
Facebook Says $2.5-Million Donated in First Year Through 'Causes'
Washinton Post, 5/29/08
Officials at Causes, a Facebook application that promotes donations of time and money to nonprofit groups, says $2.5-million has been raised for 19,445 nonprofit groups, The Washington Post reports. The group says it has registered 12 million users who are now supporting more than 80,000 chartable causes across the globe. Click here for full article.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Establish Fund for Chinese Earthquake Survivors
Philanthropy News Digest, 5/27/08
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors announced that it is coordinating a donor appeal through the Bridge Fund to provide direct relief to survivors of the Sichuan earthquake in China. Click here for full article.
Corporate Foundation Giving Reaches an Estimated $4.4 Billion, Report Finds
Philanthropy News Digest, 4/24/08
Giving by corporate foundations increased 6.6 percent in 2007 to an estimated $4.4 billion, a new summary report from the Foundation Cent finds. Looking ahead, 54 percent of the corporate foundations surveyed expect their giving to increase in 2008. Click here for full article.
Charities Bracing for Bad News from Wall Street
New York Times, 4/12/08
Charities that traditionally benefited from the largess of Wall Street, law firms, and corporations in New York City have begun planning for the possibility of tough fundraising days ahead, the New York Times reports. Because 2007 was an excellent year for charitable donations, the situation is not yet dire for most charities, though many are anticipating fewer corporate contributions and looking at ways to encourage longtime donors to give more. Still, smaller charities without longstanding corporate connections could be vulnerable. For full article click here.
Events
How Foundations Can Manage Advocacy Campaigns
Teleconference, July 15 2008
Register/More Info: Click Here
What questions should funders ask themselves before committing to an advocacy strategy? Should funders set up and manage their own campaigns, support campaigns of advocacy organizations or coalitions, or establish a new entity to develop and run campaigns? What are the different management styles that funders can employ when supporting an advocacy campaign? To explore these questions and more, please join a panel of foundation officers with extensive experience in advocacy for a Webinar discussion of how funders can choose to manage advocacy campaigns. Every participant will receive a copy of “Why Supporting Advocacy Makes Sense for Foundations,” also available for free download at www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/atlantic_reports.
SECF Corporate Philanthropy Summit
Jacksonville, FL, June 18-20, 2008
Register/More Info: Click Here
On behalf of SECF’s Corporate Foundation and Giving Programs Committee, you are cordially invited to attend the Corporate Philanthropy Summit, June 18-20, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. The enclosed agenda features an exceptional diversity of presenters and three site visits to local community programs. The focus of the summit is promising practices in leadership, accountability, partnership, and education.