Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

This Week at the Foundation Center: October 27-31

Grantseeker Training
Grantseeker Training Institute
Registration closed.

Coming Next Week
Foundation Fundraising: An Introductory Course
Tuesday, November 3, 9:00 am–4:00 pm
Cost: $125 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Earned Income: Assessing Your Nonprofit's Revenue Options
Friday, November 6, 9:00 am–4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Learn about scholarships available to assist representatives of New York City under-resourced nonprofit organizations to attend Foundation Center full-day training seminars.

Funding for Arts Month Programs
Webinar: Funding Trends in Arts and Culture
Friday, October 30, 3:00-4:15 pm (EDT)
Join us from the comfort of your own office and learn about funding trends and the outlook for arts and culture from experts in the field.

Free Classes
Wednesday, October 28
How to Approach a Foundation
11:00 am-12:30 pm

Introduction to Corporate Giving
1:00-2:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics
2:30-4:00 pm

Foundation Center in Your Community
Foundation Center staff will offer key classes this week at a library near you.
Queens Borough Public Library
Grantseeking Basics
Tuesday, October 27, 3:00-5:00 pm

Brooklyn Public Library
Introduction to Fundraising Planning
Thursday, October 29, 1:00-3:00 pm

Visit the Foundation Center's New York library/learning center for free access to funding databases, specialized book and periodicals collections for nonprofits and individual grantseekers, and expert help in using these resources. Open to all who are doing funding, nonprofit management, and related research. No appointment necessary.

Library Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
10:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am-8:00 pm

Sunday and Monday, Closed

Grants for Faith-Based Community Health Programs

The Aetna Foundation and the Faith Center for Community Development announced the Promoting Healthy Communities Faith-based Grants program for 2009. This program aims to assist congregations and faith-based organizations located in the five boroughs of New York City to address health care issues in their communities. Three grants in the amount of $10,000 each will be awarded in December 2009 by the Aetna Foundation. Eligible organizations are those that work with under-served communities and currently sponsor successful community health initiatives addressing health care disparities through education, prevention, or treatment.

To apply for this grant, e-mail centenom@aetna.com a 2-3 page letter of interest providing information on the:

• sponsoring organization
• program
• budget and other support
• collaboration partners
• goals and measurements of success, and
• how you would utilize the Aetna grant

Please write Faith-based Grants Program in the subject line. The e-mail must be received by 12 noon, Monday, November 9. Semi-finalists will be selected and extended an invitation to submit a full, online proposal to the Aetna Foundation later in November 2009. The three finalists will be selected in early December 2009.

Thanks to the Brooklyn Aids Task Force for alerting us to this announcement!

Pulse Check 3: How Are Nonprofits Doing?

As a follow-up to earlier Pulse Checks posted by our Cleveland colleagues in March and July, here is another round-up of the latest surveys and studies indicating how the nonprofit sector is handling the effects of the economic downturn.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Results of GuideStar's Latest Nonprofit Economic Survey (August 2009)
GuideStar’s most recent nonprofit economic survey takes a look at the financial health of charitable organizations from March-May 2009. They found that since the last update, covering October 2008-February 2009, the percentage of nonprofits reporting decreased contributions has remained steady at 52%. Other findings showed that:

• 18% of responding nonprofits saw their contributions increase, while 29% reported that their contributions had stayed about the same from the previous survey period.
• Nonprofits reported that the decrease in giving was the result of the following:
  • Fewer individuals gave (69%)
  • Gifts from individuals were smaller (68%)
  • Corporate gifts were smaller (38%)
  • Private foundation grants were smaller (37%)
  • Read more>>

Volunteering in America: Research Highlights (August 2009) [PDF]
The Corporation for National and Community Service collects information on the American volunteer landscape in an effort to track changes and developments that may be useful for civic leaders and nonprofit organizations. Some of the key findings showed that:

• In 2008, 61.8 million Americans or 26.4 percent of the adult population contributed 8 billion hours of volunteer service worth $162 billion, using Independent Sector’s 2008 estimate of the dollar value of a volunteer hour ($20.25).
• As the economy slows and nonprofit organizations struggle to provide services on smaller budgets, volunteers become even more vital to the health of our nation’s communities. Between September 2008 and March 2009, more than a third (37%) of nonprofit organizations report increasing the number of volunteers they use, and almost half (48%) foresee increasing their usage of volunteers in the coming year. Almost no nonprofit organizations are showing a decrease in their volunteer usage.
• Volunteers were much more likely than non-volunteers to donate to a charitable cause in 2008, with 78.2 percent contributing $25 or more compared to 38.5 percent of non-volunteers.
• Read More [PDF]>>

Nearly 30% of Nonprofit Leaders Took a Pay Cut This Year; Pay in 2008 Grew Quickly (Sept. 2009)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted a survey of 325 organizations that raised the highest amounts of donations from private sources in 2008, as well as grantmakers holding the highest assets that year. The results of the survey revealed that:

• 57 charities and foundations—29 percent of the 195 groups that responded—reported that their top executive had taken a pay cut this year due to the recession, declined raises or bonuses, or had his or her pay frozen. The median pay cut was 10 percent.
• The median compensation for chief executives at the organizations surveyed was $361,538, based on information from 253 groups that provided data for both 2007 and 2008. In 2007 the median compensation was $330,395.
• Read more>>

Have you read other enlightening reports and survey findings? Tell us about them.

Katie Artzner, Online Librarian, Foundation Center

This Week at the Foundation Center: Oct 20-24

Grantseeker Training Seminar
Outcome Thinking and Management: Shifting Focus from Activities to Results
Wednesday, October 21, 9:00 am–4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.
This course focuses on the popular outcomes approach to evaluating projects. By focusing on outcomes, you'll be better able to write breakthrough grant proposals and be prepared to report on program results.

Learn about scholarships available to assist representatives of under-resourced nonprofits to attend Foundation Center full-day training seminars.

Coming Up Next Week: Grantseeker Training Institute: Learn more and register today>>

Funding for Arts Month Programs
Dialogue with Donors: A Corporate View of Arts Funding
Tuesday, October 20, 9:30-11:30 am
In celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, and to assist arts organizations in this difficult funding climate, the Foundation Center and the Arts & Business Council of New York are pleased to offer this special Dialogue with Donors event for arts organizations.

Getting Published: A Forum for Writers
Tuesday, October 20, 5:30-7:00 pm
For the first time, Funding for Arts Month in New York will include a program just for you. Learn from your fellow writers about getting your work published or doing it yourself.
Learn more and register today»

Free Classes
Tuesday, October 20
New Class! Fundraising in a Challenging Economy
1:00-2:15 pm

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
3:00-4:00 pm

Wednesday, October 21
Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
4:30-5:30 pm

Grantseeking Basics
6:00-7:30 pm

Thursday, October 22
Your Board and Fundraising
11:00 am-12:15 pm

Introduction to Fundraising Planning
1:00-2:15 pm

Friday, October 23
Film Series - "The Successful Ask: Winning the Gift" Part 1
11:30 am-12:30 pm

Foundations and Their Role in Philanthropy
1:00-2:30 pm

Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits
3:00-4:30 pm

Foundation Center in Your Community
Foundation Center staff will offer key classes this week at a library near you.
Bronx Library Center
Grantseeking Basics
Thursday, October 22, 4:00-6:00 pm

St. George Library Center, Staten Island
Grantseeking Basics
Thursday, October 22, 3:00-5:00 pm

Visit the Foundation Center's New York library/learning center for free access to funding databases, specialized book and periodicals collections for nonprofits and individual grantseekers, and expert help in using these resources. Open to all who are doing funding, nonprofit management, and related research. No appointment necessary.

Library Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
10:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am-8:00 pm

Sunday and Monday, Closed

Listen! David La Piana Discusses How Nonprofits Should Approach Strategic Restructuring

David La Piana, author of Strategic Restructuring: Mergers, Integrations and Alliances, recently sat down with Janet Camarena, Director, Foundation Center-San Francisco, to talk about best practices in how nonprofits should approach collaborations, mergers, and other types of partnerships. Listen>>

Philanthropy New York and the Foundation Center Release New Study on Diversity in the Nonprofit/Philanthropic Sector

The report, Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits, examines the racial, ethnic, and gender demographics of both foundations and nonprofit organizations in New York, as well as, to a limited extent, survey results on sexual orientation and people with disabilities in these organizations.

In addition the diversity of the staffs and boards of the foundations and nonprofits themselves, the study looks at other measures of diversity focus, including whether organizations have policies regarding board and staff diversity, whether foundations have policies regarding grantmaking diversity, and the actual proportion of grants awarded to specific population groups.

Ronna Brown, president of Philanthropy New York, finds that the report "... provides valuable data about the makeup of foundations and the organizations they fund; it's a service to our members and others who care about philanthropy, so they can have informed conversations about how to make and measure progress in the diversity of their organizations."

Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits is available for download at www.philanthropynewyork.org or at www.foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/specialtrends.

Live From Challenges and Opportunities of the Economic Crisis - October 13

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, will provide his perspective on the impact of the economic crisis on the philanthropic sector – both foundations and service providers – and the challenges and opportunities these turbulent times present for the future.

This 60-minute program will be at the Foundation Center-Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 13, starting at 2:30 p.m. To read Mr. Smith's biography or sign up to attend, please see our Events Calendar.

Can't get to this event in person? Attend the program virtually via the window below, either during the program or after it's happened. This program also will be taped and posted to our web site later this month.

Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Funding for Arts Month: Advice from a Filmmaker and More

We kicked off our Funding for Arts Month events last Thursday night with a lively discussion of Film, Fundraising, and Social Change, with filmmaker Alice Elliott and funder Emily Verellen. Here are a few snippets of advice from that evening's panel:

• It's pretty shocking how many people don't look at a foundation's web site ... every hour you put into research will give you infinite dividends.
• Most documentaries are too long—it's our dirty little secret. Increasingly, more funders are open to help finance shorts instead.
• First make a good film; then see if it works as an advocacy piece.
• You can't expect to get funding for a film on an idea; you have to have footage. You can't expect someone to go, "Oh, I like you, I'll give you 100K"—it's not fair.
• Don't talk about why funders should fund media; talk about why your work in media fits into a funder's philanthropic strategy.
• Don’t turn up your nose at a small gift. It’s important to get that early money in. Even $100 can help pay for a mailing or get that editor started.
• Go to conferences and conventions where your issue is being discussed. Don’t expect to meet a funder at movie night.

Like to hear more from Alice and Emily? We'll be posting taped program highlights at our media archive later this month. And if you're with an arts nonprofit, or a would-be board member, you can join a discussion like this at The Art of Serving on Arts Boards on Wednesday, October 14, 5:30-7:30 pm.

Charlotte Dion, Director, Foundation Center's New York Library

After-School Arts Partnerships: Program Guidelines Announced

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) announced the creation of a new initiative for after-school programs in New York City. The After-School Arts Partnerships (ASAP) awards are for nonprofit cultural organizations to provide services for elementary and middle school students participating in designated after-school program sites in need of improving their arts education programs.

The awards will be of $5,000 per site. Applications are due to the Department of Cultural Affairs by Friday, October 16, at 5:00 pm. Find complete information about this program, along with application guidelines on http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/home/home.shtml. For questions regarding the program, e-mail ASAP@culture.nyc.gov.

The After-School Arts Partnerships is a program of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City with funding provided by a grant from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

Thanks to the Arts & Business Council of New York for bringing this news to our attention.

This Week at the Foundation Center: Oct 5-9

Grantseeker Training Seminars
Foundation Funding Research: Strategies for Finding and Evaluating Prospects
Wednesday, October 7, 1:00–4:00 pm & Thursday, October 8, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $295 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.
Develop research strategies to identify foundation prospects that have proven their commitment to programs and projects like yours and learn to use these with the leading grantseeking database, Foundation Directory Online Professional.

Learn about scholarships available to assist representatives of under-resourced nonprofits to attend Foundation Center full-day training seminars.

Free Classes
Monday, October 5
Proposal Writing Basics
5:30-7:30 pm
Countee Cullen Branch Library, New York Public Library

Thursday, October 8
Proposal Writing Basics
1:00-2:00 pm

Proposal Budgeting Basics
3:00-4:00 pm

Film, Fundraising, and Social Change
5:30-7:30 pm
Our first program for Funding for Arts Month brings together Alice Elliott, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and Emily Verellen, senior program officer at the Fledgling Fund, who will share their experiences and knowledge of how film projects are financed.
Register today>>

Friday, October 9
Finding Foundation Support for Your Education
1:00-2:00 pm

Getting Started with Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
3:00-4:00 pm

Library Hours
Closed: Saturday, October 10
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm