Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

Celebrities Get Positive Press

Professional athletes and entertainers often make headlines for behaving badly, while their good works in the community hardly get noticed. Kimberly Haynes, founder and chief consultant of the OMBI Group, LLC is setting out to change that.

On November 9, 2009 the OMBI Group celebrated its 5th year anniversary by presenting its Giving Gracefully Awards to Reggie Howard of the AAG Foundation, Inc., the Brian Jordan Foundation, Inc., the Hannibal Navies Foundation, Inc., and the DeShawn Snow Foundation.

OMBI recognized these organizations for their outstanding commitment to the community and for their contributions to helping youth live safe, positive, and productive lives. Montblanc hosted the event, which was also sponsored by Red Bull, Jim Ellis Audi, Imperial Concierge and Lifestyle Management, Atlas Sports and Entertainment, Brumfield Limousines, SVB Group, and Prime Restaurant.

Many celebrity foundations provide direct services or operate programs rather than awarding grants. If you want to find grantmaking organizations and public charities founded by celebrities, then the following resource is for you. The Celebrity Foundation Directory, newly-published by the Foundation Center, lists celebrity foundations with combined assets of nearly $255 billion and with charitable contributions of nearly $14 billion.

You can access this directory for free at our library/learning center or use it at home or in your office by purchasing a copy of the digital publication in the Marketplace section of our web site.

A huge thank you goes to Kimberly and the OMBI Group for giving us something positive to talk about.

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

New Digital Publication - Celebrity Foundation Directory

The Foundation Center has just published the first edition of the Celebrity Foundation Directory.

This new title includes detailed descriptions of thousands of foundations started by VIPs in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, and sports. Through their private foundations, many notable individuals have made significant contributions to help underserved populations and provide support for medical research, green technology, and countless other causes they care about. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Michael J. Fox are just a few examples of individuals who have made headlines for their support to philanthropic causes.

This new directory links celebrities with their grantmaking organizations and will help you identify which individuals or organizations may have an interest in funding your programs and activities. The interactive digital format allows for faster access to foundation profiles and includes links to additional grantmaker data online. The directory is also fully indexed for quick reference to information on individuals and foundations.

The Celebrity Foundation Directory is available for purchase at our web site. Buy now >>

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this and other Foundation Center publications.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Just Released - New Edition of Key Facts on Georgia Foundations

Assets held by Georgia foundations increased from $8.4 billion to $13.3 billion between 2002 and 2007, according to new data released by the Foundation Center in Key Facts on Georgia Foundations. The report also shows that in 2007, gifts received by Georgia foundations topped $1 billion for the first time, almost four times the amount for 2002.

"The increases in foundation assets, giving to nonprofits, and gifts to foundations in 2007 were significant and reflect the economy of that five-year timeframe," said the report's author, Pattie Johnson, director of the Foundation Center-Atlanta. "This report will provide a crucial baseline when we
analyze giving and assets for 2008, the year the recession began, and subsequent years."

Among the report's major findings:

• The number of Georgia foundations increased 16% between 2002 and 2007, from 1,262 to 1,470.
• Education was again the top funding priority for Georgia foundations in 2007.
• The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation topped the lists of Georgia foundations by both total giving and total assets for 2007.
• More than half of all Georgia foundations in 2007 were smaller funders that gave $50,000 or less in grants annually.

View or download Key Facts on Georgia Foundations for free from the Gain Knowledge section of our web site.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Tracking Foundations on Twitter

Recently, Beth Kanter, author of Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, posted an interesting analysis of foundations' use of Twitter. Using the list of 90 Foundations That Tweet compiled by Kris Putnam-Walkerly of the Philanthropy411 blog, she outlined four main categories of foundation Twitter profiles:

1) Pure Foundation Brand
An extension of the foundation's communications or PR, providing news, grant announcements, research studies, and other information directly related to the foundation's activities and branded with the organization's name, logo, and web site. 

2) Foundation with Personality
An 80%-20% blend of primarily foundation-related content with some level of personal interaction with followers. This account maintains the face of the foundation brand, but is maintained by an individual staff member and therefore shows a more human element.

3) Employee with Foundation Association
Individuals who don’t officially represent the foundation, but who openly state their affiliation with the organization. These are the reverse of profile type #2, with mostly personal information and some foundation-related content. The personal information is still 'professional' in that it mostly relates to philanthropy and the individual's subject expertise. 

4) Pure Personal Account
These profiles contain entirely personal content. While the individual may be employed with the foundation, he or she does not state any organizational affiliation and does not formally represent the foundation.

Tactical Philanthropy's Sean Stannard-Stockton responded to Beth's post by offering his own take on foundations that tweet. While dismissing categories #1 and #4 as being either too restricted or too personal, he states his preference for the second and third categories of Twitter profiles, since these offer a blend of professional material with a personal touch. In his words:

"Profile 2 and 3 types are really interesting. These are either foundation branded Twitter profiles that clearly are authored by a real person writing like a normal human does or individual branded Twitter profiles where the person’s connection to a foundation is clearly noted."

I think the lesson to be drawn here is that in the search for how best to share knowledge, the key thing is to put humans at the center. Knowledge is not some sort of physical element that we can stack in a room somewhere and index easily. Knowledge is a concept that is rooted in the very fact that we are human."

What are the implications for grantseekers?

Foundations' Twitter updates, like annual reports and IRS filings, can be yet another source of information on grantmakers' funding interests and priorities. Foundations may provide updates on current or past grantees, share news on emerging trends or topics within their fields of interest, or even post information on upcoming initiatives.

Joining the conversation on Twitter can also be a subtle and unobtrusive way of putting your organization's programs and activities in front of a funder. Sean's comments above are particularly relevant when it comes to building relationships with funders. Given the individualistic nature of foundations and the importance of personal contact in the nonprofit sector, connecting with foundation staff (the human element) on Twitter may be a crucial new avenue for approaching grantmakers and creating an ongoing dialogue with funders.

Twitter and other social media sites allow for broader connections as well. Networks can be created among funders, nonprofits, government agencies, and other groups according to geography, mission, service population, and many other aspects. This can facilitate collaboration among different types of organizations and help to build communities of practice within the sector.

What are your thoughts? Have you had any experiences communicating with funders through social media sites? Are there any foundations on Twitter that you find to be particularly engaging? Let us know in the comments section below.

For listings of foundations that tweet, see the following posts from the Philanthropy411 blog:

90 Foundations That Tweet

21 Community Foundations That Tweet

20 Funder Networks That Tweet

You can also find links to foundations' Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, MySpace accounts, and other social media profiles in our database of U.S. grantmakers, Foundation Directory Online.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Applying for Funding from Family Foundations

"As the chances of getting a grant from the larger foundations increasingly become slim to none, many nonprofits are rethinking their strategy of applying to the philanthropic behemoths....In this environment, nonprofits would be wise to look beyond the largest foundations to the largely untapped reservoir of philanthropic dollars in family foundations. Many operate almost invisibly, often providing needed funding in their own hometowns."

So states Page Snow, chief philanthropic officer at Foundation Source and president of Foundation Source Advisors, in an August 2009 GuideStar article.

Foundation Source, "the nation's leading provider of outsourced support services for private foundations", recently surveyed 120 of its clients to find out how they would advise applicants in their quests for funding. While the sample size may be small, the results are still worth telling.

What do these foundations advise?

• Focus on building the relationship first, not writing the proposal.
• Contact them via email, their preferred mode -- unless they instruct otherwise.
• Small family foundations may be more willing to provide general operating support.
• Make sure the project falls within the funder's grantmaking guidelines ("64 percent said they reacted negatively if the 'request does not reflect an understanding of our foundation's priorities or guidelines.'")
• Follow the funder's application instructions.
• Demonstrate that you have clear goals, plans, measures for success, strong need, and expertise for the project.

Do these sound familiar? They might, if you've ever attended our Grantseeking Basics or How to Approach a Foundation classes.

What turns them off?

• Generic, boilerplate proposals.
• Requests that don't fit in the foundation's funding priorities.
• Overambitious goals and hyperbole about the organization.
• Project isn't described clearly or completely.
• No discussion about risks and challenges.
• Misspellings, grammatical errors, other typos
• Applicants who don't follow application instructions.

Read the article.

Sandy Pon, Virtual Library/Learning Center Specialist

Foundation Center Study Shows Renewed Interest in Social Justice Philanthropy

Social Justice Grantmaking II: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends provides a current analysis of foundation giving to social justice work and reports on the detailed recommendations given by funders and advocates interested in advancing social justice philanthropy. This follow-up to the Center’s 2005 study, our first exploration of the topic, reports a nearly 31 percent increase in foundation giving to U.S.-based and international social justice activities between 2002 and 2006. The increase surpasses the 20 percent increase in overall foundation giving during the same time period. Foundation giving to social justice totaled $2.3 billion in 2006, representing roughly 12% of all giving by foundations. Economic and community development, health care access, and human rights and civil liberties received the largest share of social justice funding.

The report discusses factors that have influenced the resurgence of interest in social justice grantmaking, including the success of community organizing during the presidential election. "In 2005 many of us wondered about the prospects for social justice philanthropy because the field itself was so pessimistic about its future. Today, social justice is experiencing a resurgence, fueled by philanthropists whose passion won't let them stand by when there is injustice and whose pragmatism demands results," said Bradford Smith, president of the Foundation Center.
You can download the highlights to the report free of charge and purchase a copy from the Gain Knowledge area of our web site.

Introducing Philanthropy In/Sight

The Foundation Center recently released Philanthropy In/Sight, our new interactive mapping tool for grantmakers, policymakers, researchers, and others interested in seeing the impact of philanthropy in the U.S. and worldwide.

Philanthropy In/Sight provides two unique mapping platforms powered by the Foundation Center's comprehensive databases of the more than 97,000 U.S. grantmakers and records of 1.6 million grants. Users can choose from over 1,100 subject areas and dozens of thematic indicators to assess past funding and current needs in areas such as education, housing, and health care at the global, national, state, or local levels. With these features, Philanthropy In/Sight enables foundations and policymakers to take a more strategic approach to grantmaking.

Philanthropy In/Sight users can:

• Plot the locations of grantmakers and grant recipients by country, state, county, city, metro area, congressional district, or ZIP code
• Find quick information about grantmakers and grant recipients, as well as details about past and recently-awarded grants
• Use layered demographic and thematic data to assess local funding needs and impact
• Explore emerging trends in both domestic and international grantmaking

To learn more, take the guided tour of Philanthropy In/Sight or see these frequently asked questions.

Interested in subscribing to Philanthropy In/Sight? Click here.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

New Funding Guide for Preserving Historical, Cultural Collections

Working in collaboration, the Foundation Center and the Library of Congress have just released the second edition of Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums. This publication, issued as a PDF file, includes over 1,900 grants awarded by close to 500 foundations to public, academic, research, school, and special libraries, as well as to archives and museums, for work in conservation and preservation.

Deanna Marcum, associate librarian of Library Services at the Library of Congress said, “We are currently developing new initiatives to help libraries, archives, and museums care for our country's vulnerable cultural patrimony, including modern media during challenging times. We are delighted to partner on this Guide, which will lead people to funding sources that can support their preservation efforts."

Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums is available for free download at the Library of Congress web site, http://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html.

Charitable Donations Exceeded $300 Billion in 2008

The Giving USA Foundation released its annual report on giving – Giving USA – yesterday. Although charitable giving in the US (including giving by individuals, corporations, foundations and bequests)  exceeded $300 billion, these donations were 2% less than 2007. The 2008 figure was the first decline in giving (in current, not inflation adjusted, dollars) since 1987 and only the second since Giving USA began publishing these reports in 1956. But you have to keep things in perspective. If my personal retirement account had dropped only 2% from 2007, I would be overjoyed. $307.65 billion – estimated charitable donations in 2008 – is a lot of money! This is still a very generous country.
 
There are lots of details in the Giving USA Foundation press release. The report will be published in early July and can be pre-ordered now.

Folks in Atlanta were fortunate to be able to hear an in-depth analysis of the data yesterday morning at a program sponsored by Giving USA Foundation and Alexander Haas.  Del Martin, one of the founders of the Alexander Haas consulting firm, is the chair of the Giving USA Foundation.  David King from Alexander Haas made the presentation on the findings; you can download his slide show. The presentation also included highlights from Georgia Gives 2008, a report compiled by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and funded by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Foundation. 

For more discussion about Giving USA 2009, see:

• Charitable Donations Fell by Nearly 6% in 2008, the Sharpest Drop in 53 Years from the Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Dissecting Giving USA's 2008 Resultsfrom the Chronicle of Philanthropy
• How Much Did Americans Really Give in 2008? from Tactical Philanthropy blog

Looking for similar information about Canadian philanthropy?  Check out Canada Statistics.

Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center – Atlanta

Changes and more changes . . .

Recently it seems that people are changing jobs – moving to different organizations or being promoted. Below are some that I’ve heard about, you may know of others.  If so, please share:

Lesley Grady, Vice President of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Community Partnerships.

Judy Anderson retired from her position as president of the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. Mike Anderson (no relation) has taken her place as head of the Foundation. He will also continue his duties as Vice President of Corporate Services.

T. Fitz Johnson, who recently sold his Eagle Group International LLC to Lockheed Martin Corp., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation.

Ken Sternad is the new president of the UPS Foundation.

Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center – Atlanta