August 2009 eBulletin

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For other stories from Alliance posted since the last eBulletin was published on 1 July, go to Latest from Alliance

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Feature

Interview - Stephen Dawson: An ambitious venture?

Stephen Dawson has recently announced his intention of stepping down from the chair of the Impetus Trust, the venture philanthropy fund he co-founded sixyears ago, to launch Jacana Venture Partnership, an organization that will support emerging venture capital funds in Africa. Why now? Why is he forsaking the venture philanthropy approach and apparently returning to his venture capital roots? What will he take from his Impetus experience into the new venture? Caroline Hartnell finds out …

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Impact of the financial crisis

Rapoport opts for spend-down and others offer severance plans as recession bites deeper

The Paul Rapoport Foundation, established in 1987 to support lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual communities in the New York City area, has announced that it will cease grantmaking in 2014, and close its doors by the following year. Significant declines in the foundation's assets over the past year and consequent doubts over its long-term future have led the board to try to maximize its impact over the next five years by dramatically increasing short-term funding levels.

In a further move to cut costs, the W K Kellogg Foundation is offering early retirement to employees, having apparently lost about 30 per cent of its asset base. The move follows closures of offices in Africa and Mississippi and the scheduled closure of its office in Brazil this month. The move is not an isolated one. In June, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also announced a voluntary severance plan, and the Ford Foundation offered a similar one the previous month.

Source
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=258500015
Battle Creek Enquirer, 18 July 2009

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Global updates

Real progress comes from people, Obama tells Moscow Civil Society Summit

Barack Obama

Ordinary citizens are the key to lasting change, Barack Obama told a Civil Society Summit in Moscow last month. Speaking at the two-day summit, organized by the Eurasia Foundation, New Eurasia Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US president said that real change always comes from the grassroots and that ‘by mobilizing and organizing and changing people's hearts and minds, you then change the political landscape’. Coinciding with meetings between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and President Obama, one of the chief aims of the summit was to move Russian-American collaboration beyond traditional models of foreign assistance towards more equitable engagement in tackling problems that affect the lives of ordinary citizens in both countries.

For more information
www.eurasia.org/ebulletin/home.aspx

Foundations step up investments in health care in developing countries

The Rockefeller Foundation is to spend $100 million over five years to help impoverished nations build better healthcare systems. Transforming Health Systems represents a new approach for large foundations, in that it will attempt to strengthen health systems as a whole rather than concentrating on fighting a particular disease. The programme will stress three areas: training health professionals and developing better health policies, data gathering and financing mechanisms; improving regulation and partnership of private hospitals and other non-governmental health players; and using mobile phones, electronic health records, and other information technology to improve access to health services and make them less expensive.

While it will fund international advocacy and research, the project will primarily assist three countries initially: Ghana, Rwanda and Vietnam. If successful, it will be expanded to other regions of Africa and Asia. The initiative ‘will tear down barriers preventing millions of people from accessing affordable, high-quality health services’, says Judith Rodin, Rockefeller’s president. She added: ‘While vertical interventions – including revolutionary new drugs and treatments – remain crucially important, we must also ensure that they get to the people who most need them … no matter how powerful the drug, it won’t do any good if consumers can’t reach the doctor that prescribes it, the clinic that provides it, or pay the bill if they receive it.’

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is increasing its commitment to the Avahan HIV/AIDS prevention programme it founded in India in 2003 by $80 million. Total funding will now be $338 million.

Sources
Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1 July 2009
The Times of India, 24 July 2009

European community foundations see networks as way forward

Following proposals at this year’s EFC Conference in Rome, the idea of a European community foundations network is to be explored, building on the preparatory work of the EFC’s recently concluded Community Philanthropy Initiative. A main priority of the network, to be called the European Community Foundations P-2-P Network, would be to facilitate low-cost peer learning and knowledge exchanges through both meetings and visits, and an online knowledge exchange and networking facility. The next stage of the initiative’s development is likely to be a meeting organized during the CEE Trust’s Civil Society Forum, in Bratislava in September, to develop a proposal.

The move follows the founding in February this year of Spain’s first community foundation network by the Fundación Bertelsmann. More recently, Fundación Bertelsmann has just signed an agreement under which the government of Valencia, the third-largest of the country's autonomous regions, will promote not only the establishment of new community foundations, but the strategic reorganization of existing foundations, helping them focus on development and other issues of key importance to their communities. According to Rafael Blasco, Minister of Immigration and Citizenship in Valencia's regional government and signatory of the agreement on its behalf, ‘improving the quality of life of Valencia's residents and … increasing their civic engagement has top priority, and community foundations are a highly efficient means to this end’.

For more information
www.wings-globalfund.org/documents/e-bulletin/GFCFBulletin_Issue9_July2009.pdf and
www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/bst_engl/hs.xsl/nachrichten_96547.htm

In/Sight ‘future of philanthropy’ says Foundation Center president

The Foundation Center last month unveiled its Philanthropy In/Sight tool, a data visualization platform that allows users to create customized Google maps to explore giving patterns, emerging trends, and funding relationships at the global, national or community level. Updated weekly, the Center's data on more than 97,000 grantmakers and 1.6 million grants can be combined with dozens of demographic and socioeconomic data overlays, resulting in ‘mashups’ that show where foundation dollars are having the greatest effect or where funding is needed most. The maps pinpoint the locations of grantmakers and grant recipients and offer a wide choice of filters and criteria. Users can open the ‘pins’ for details about funders, recipients and grants; display giving across a variety of geographical entities from country to zip code; and choose from 26 fields of interest and 1,100 specialty areas. ‘Foundations want to be more strategic, governments look to them for innovation, and the public expects solutions,’ says Foundation Center president Bradford Smith. ‘The future of philanthropy starts today.’

Philanthropy In/ Sight will be reviewed in the September issue of Alliance by Reinhard Skinner and Selim Iltus of the Bernard van Leer Foundation.

The Foundation Center has also been active in charting social justice grantmaking, where a changed political environment, the success of community organizing in the recent election, and new ideas and energy in the field are among a number of factors that are reinvigorating a commitment to it, according to Social Justice Grantmaking II, an update on the Foundation Center’s initial 2005 study. It finds renewed optimism in the field in marked contrast to downbeat responses in the original. In 2006, social justice funding accounted for 12 per cent of foundation grant dollars, up from 11 per cent four years earlier, while it reached $3 billion in 2007, or 13.7 per cent, with estimates suggesting that it held steady in 2008.

For more information
In/Sight subscriptions http://philanthropyinsight.org or insight@foundationcenter.org
Social Justice Grantmaking II http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge

Euclid outlines forthcoming support for Western Balkan civil society

Sustainable funding, lack of good governance and professionalism within the sector, the inadequacy of networks and the often-unhelpful character of legislation: these are all important obstacles to the development of civil society in the Western Balkans region, according to the report of a recent study visit by the Euclid Network, Connecting Europeans: Understanding and empowering civil society in the Western Balkans. Leadership is the key to overcoming these problems, and to help build a community of leaders in the region, engaging them within the wider European community, Euclid proposes to support the creation of national working groups of NGO leaders. The network will scale up its current programme for leadership development in the region with research into the main challenges for the sector and ways to address them, job shadowing opportunities, and training on specific areas of weakness. Euclid will also develop its new 2.0 website, as well as other new technologies (such as podcasting) to integrate leaders from the region into wider European civil society.

For more information
www.euclidnetwork.eu/cmsallegati/news/204/Connecting_Europeans_understanding_and_empowering_civil_society_in_the_western_balkans.pdf

Urgent Action Fund announces opening of sister fund for Latin America

Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights and Urgent Action Fund-Africa have announced the launch of an Urgent Action Fund-Latin America, which will begin operations in October, from a base in Bogotá, Colombia. According the official letter of announcement, issued by UAF, building on ‘the strengths of UAF-Africa's Transitional Justice program, and UAF's Sustaining Activism research, publications and advocacy, UAF-Latin America will develop and introduce a Restorative Justice initiative addressing the particular concerns in the Latin American context’.

For more information
www.urgentactionfund.org/index.php?id=162

Big in China – basketball star Kobe Bryant to set up China fund

Kobe Bryant

US basketball star Kobe Bryant is establishing a fund to raise money for education and healthcare programmes in China, where he is one of the most popular sportsmen. The Kobe Bryant China Fund will partner with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government, which offers educational, healthcare and sports programmes to young people. In the US, Bryant’s existing fund, the Kobe Bryant Family Foundation, set up in 2006, will also work to strengthen ties between the two countries by teaching middle school students about Chinese language and culture.

Source
Philanthropy UK Newsletter, 9 July 2009

Seattle initiatives see connecting power of new technology as a way to promote young people’s giving

Microsoft executives have launched two Seattle non-profits aimed at encouraging young people to give by using mobile phones, social networking and online connections between donors and people in need. Scott Oki, a retired Microsoft executive, and long-time philanthropist and software entrepreneur Digvijay Chauhan started SeeYourImpact, a micro-charity portal that connects donors to causes and uses mobile phones to capture photos and videos from the field, showing how the donation is working. Meanwhile, Adnan Mahmud, a programme manager at Microsoft Research, has started a similar initiative, the Jolkona Foundation with his wife, Nadia Khawaja. The premise of both is that more people would donate if they could see the difference their donation was making, hence the importance of the donor-recipient connection to the initiatives. Trevor Neilson, president of the Seattle advisory firm Global Philanthropy Group, sees in the two initiatives an example of the way technology is ‘democratizing’ philanthropy by giving people quick access to information about the issues and tools to take action. Matthew Nelson, assistant vice president at the Council on Foundations, also noted the way in which philanthropy is embracing new web tools and different models to engage younger donors, but sounded a cautionary note in respect of such programmes’ ability to measure impact: ‘Did the bicycle get ridden? Did the well provide water a year later? Did you actually change their lives?’

Source
Seattle Times, 29 June 2009

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Legal and fiscal developments

Three out of first 12 UK charities assessed fail public benefit test

Three out of the 12 charities taking part in the initial round of the UK Charity Commission’s public benefit assessments have failed the assessment. Trustees of the two independent schools and one care home in question have been told by the commissioners that they do not provide enough opportunity for those who cannot afford the fees to benefit and they have been given 12 months to come up with an action plan to take account of this.

For more information
www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=3024

Ortega postpones restrictive NGO legislation

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has postponed the introduction of the so-called international cooperation manual, whose implementation, critics say, would threaten the flow of resources and cooperative activities between national and international NGOs. The manual lays down regulations for the activities of NGOs operating in Nicaragua, including a strict control of funds received by NGOs in the country, as well as restrictions for NGOs in international cooperation.

Among the restrictions it stipulates on international NGOs is a ban on participation in and financing activities of a ‘partisan-political nature’, including advocacy activities and lobbying for public policy formulation. The manual also includes a complex set of official procedures and requirements that international NGOs wanting to work in Nicaragua would have to meet, as well as limitations on the number of foreign personnel they may hire.

The manual has sparked criticism from official agencies and NGOs. CIVICUS has sent a letter to President Ortega warning that the implementation of the manual could result in fewer resources for Nicaragua.

For more information http://new.lasociedadcivil.org/docs/ciberteca/Solidaridad%20con%20Nicaragua%20_CIVICUS.pdf

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Resources for funders

Hewlett ponders increased impact through outcome-focused grantmaking

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has published a report on its experience of implementing the outcome-focused grantmaking (OFG) approach that it has used in its environment programme as a guide for identifying a portfolio of grants with maximum impact. Doing Good Today and Better Tomorrow: A roadmap to high impact philanthropy through outcome-focused grantmaking looks at the early difficulties involved (and errors made), recent innovations that have made it more effective, and the challenges that lie in wait.

To download
www.hewlett.org/news/doing-good-today-and-better-tomorrow

FSG research highlights growing use of shared evaluation systems

New research highlights the emergence of shared, web-based measurement systems, a new trend in non-profit evaluation. The report, Breakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact, produced by FSG Social Impact Advisors and funded by the Hewlett Foundation, describes 20 different shared measurement systems and documents their contribution to increasing grantees' efficiency, knowledge and impact. The research identified a number of factors common to the most successful examples, which include strong leadership and substantial funding throughout a multiyear development period; broad engagement in the design process by many organizations in the field, with clear expectations about confidentiality or transparency; independence from funders in devising indicators and managing the system; and ongoing staffing to provide training and facilitation and to review the accuracy of data.

To download
www.fsg-impact.org/ideas/item/breakthroughs_in_measurement.html

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Awards, fellowships, calls for proposals, applications

Keystone seeking views on the state of constituency voice

Keystone is in the process of preparing its first public report, which will review the state of ‘constituency voice’ in the development sector around the world. The term constituency voice is used to describe the practice of ensuring that the views of all relevant constituents are seriously taken into account in planning, monitoring, assessing, reporting and learning from an organization’s work. Constituents are invited to fill out a short anonymous survey by 10 August. The results of the survey, along with the report, will be published on www.KeystoneAccountability.org in October.

To access and complete the survey
www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=U2CQ5VY95CMD

GG2020 seeking fellows’ applications

The Global Governance 2020: Designing Scenarios for the Future of International Institutions (GG2020) programme has launched a call for applications for fellows. The programme will bring together 24 young leaders, eight each from China, Germany and the United States, for three five-day dialogue sessions in Berlin, Shanghai and Washington DC between January 2010 and January 2011. The programme offers GG2020 fellows an opportunity to develop scenarios for the future of international institutions in the areas of peace and security, energy and climate change, and trade and finance. GG2020 is supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Transatlantic Programme of the German government. The deadline for applications is 30 September.

To download
www.gg2020.net/fileadmin/gppi/GG2020_CfA.pdf
For more information
www.gg2020.net

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Books and other publications

Philanthropy in a Flat World: Inspiration through globalization
Jon Duschinsky John Wiley £18.99
ISBN 9780470458013

Looks at the forces at work in creating the global, ‘borderless’ philanthropic world of tomorrow and examines how NGOs can become more flexible, adaptable and international in approach to help them survive the coming challenges.

To order
http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470458011.html

The Guide to Intelligent Giving: Make a difference in the world – and in your own life
Joanna L Krotz Hearst Books $19.95
ISBN 1588167615

Explains how to donate money and time for optimum impact, no matter what your level of income. It features personal stories from a range of contributors, from celebrities like Gary Sinise, who co-founded an organization to donate school supplies to Iraqi children, and Osceola McCarty, a laundress who, at 85, donated $150,000 to a scholarship fund for black students at the University of Mississippi. The book also provides concrete advice on how to select the cause most suited to you.

To order
http://isbndb.com/d/book/the_guide_to_intelligent_giving_make_a_difference_in_the_wor.html

Why Others?
Lombard Odier $29.95

The brainchild of Thierry Lombard, head of a private banking family business, this is one of a series of books (others include Who, Me? and Why Me?) that address issues for families relating to succession, values and wealth. Or, as the book’s website puts it, it ‘summarizes in a simple and pleasant way the many questions which individuals and families need to ask themselves when turning to philanthropy’. Topics covered include The Spirit of Giving, Philanthropy Today, Strategic Choices, How Families Give, Good Giving Principles and Rewards. According to a study cited by one of the book’s contributors (Matthieu Ricard, who is also a Buddhist monk), ‘money can buy happiness – if it’s spent on others’. Other contributors include Etienne Eichenberger of wise and John L Ward, Professor of Family Enterprises at Kellogg School of Management.

To order
www.lombardodier.com/en/Private-clients/Planning-for-tomorrow/About-philanthropy/Why-Others/Why-Others.html

Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the gifts of a lifetime
Bill Gates Sr and Mary Ann Mackin Broadway Business $22
ISBN 9780385527019

Through the course of several dozen narratives arranged in roughly chronological fashion, Gates introduces the people and experiences that influenced his thinking and shaped his moral universe, from his scoutmaster and his famous son to Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter, and tells his readers what he has learned as a husband, father, lawyer, philanthropist and citizen.

To order
www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780385527019.html

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Conferences August - October 2009

3-7 August
2nd International Corporate Social Responsibility Conference: Responsible recovery from the global crisis
OWW Consulting/MAF/EU-MFFI
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Contact nurol.latif@oww-consulting.com

31 August-4 September
World Climate Conference 3
World Meteorological Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
Contact www.wmo.int/wcc3

1-3 September
Social Capital Markets 2009: At the intersection of money and meaning
Social Capital Media
San Francisco, USA
Contact www.socialcapitalmarkets.net

14-16 September
International Social Innovation Research Conference
Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Oxford, UK
Contact pippa.hichens@sbs.ox.ac.uk

17-18 September
The 2009 CIS MLS Symposium - The Global Crisis: What's next for social investment, nonprofits and philanthropy?
Centre for Social Investment (CSI)
Heidelberg, Germany
Contact: volker.then@csi.uni-heidelberg.de

18 September
Euclid Network AGM
Euclid Network
London, UK
Contact www.euclidnetwork.eu/pubb/events_ext.php?id=134

18-19 September
2009 Civil Society Forum
CEE Trust
Bratislava, Slovakia
Contact www.ceetrust.org/civil-society-forum.html

20-22 September
AGNA Annual Meeting
Affinity Group of National Associations
Johannesburg, South Africa
Contact www.civicus.org/affinity-group-of-national-associations/1093

23 September
Strategic Philanthropy: Doing good done better
Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Contact www.eur.nl/ese/english/expertise/ese_conferences/strategic_philanthropy/registration

29 September-2 October
Fall Retreat
Environmental Grantmakers Association
Anchorage, USA
Contact www.ega.org/events/retreat/2009/index222.php

5-7 October
COF Fall Conference for Community Foundations
Council on Foundations
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Contact www.cof.org

6-7 October
Non-profit Management Institute 2009: Shaping effective organizations during tough times
SSIR/Association of Fundraising Professionals
Stanford, CA, USA
Contact www.ssireview.org/npinstitute

6-8 October
Social Enterprise World Forum
Social Ventures Australia/Social Traders
Melbourne, Australia
Contact www.sewf09.com

17-20 October
The Opportunity Collaboration
MicroCredit Enterprise/Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs
Ixtapa, Mexico
Contact www.opportunitycollaboration.net

20-23 October
29th International Fundraising Congress
IFC
Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands
Contact www.resource-alliance.org/ifc/default.asp

22 October
ACF Conference 2009
Association of Charitable Foundations
London, UK
Contact www.acf.org.uk

27-28 October
NGO Forum 09: Cutting the democratic deficit through civic participation
Forum for Voluntary Social Work
Örebro, Sweden
Contact www.ngoforum09.se

27-30 October
World Forum on Statistics, Policy and Knowledge
OECD
Busan, Korea
Contact http://dd4d.net/Downloads/Busan-World-Forum.pdf

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