Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Jeff Skoll Receives Order of Canada for Philanthropic Work

2012-05-23T16:37:04-04:00

The Order of Canada is one of Canada's highest civilian honours. It was established in 1967 as a fellowship that recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service. The honour is given to both: Canadians in every field who have made significant contributions to Canada, and non-Canadians who have made the World better in some way.

The Order recently announced that Jeff Skoll, a native of Montreal and current California resident, has been appointed... and that Canada has never heard of him. On this side of the border, or perhaps just this part of the country, everyone knows who Jeff Skoll is. Skoll is the former President of eBay, and founder of The Skoll Foundation, and Participant Media. The Skoll Foundation is a leading foundation supporting social entrepreneurship.

Skoll finds himself in good company. Previous recipients include: Margaret Attwood, Leonard Cohen, Lorne Michaels, Joni Mitchell, and Christopher Plummer. Congratulations Jeff!

This Week at the Foundation Center (May 21-25)

2012-05-21T12:00:00-04:00

Please note: The library/learning center will close Friday, May 25 at 1:00 pm and remain closed until Tuesday, May 29 at 10:00 am in observance of Memorial Day.

Wednesday, May 23, 10:00-11:30 am Proposal Writing Basics

Library Hours:

Monday: 11:00 am-6:00 pm
Tuesday/Thursday/Friday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am-8:00 pm

Is Crowdfunding Getting Crowded?

2012-05-18T17:29:55-04:00

Crowd funding allows groups to pool resources to fund myriad objectives. Many nonprofits and individuals use crowd funding to raise money for causes, events, and projects. Although crowd funding is newer to the fundraising toolbox it is gaining momentum as a method of garnering financial support from individual donors.

These days, it seems like not a week goes by where we don't hear about a new way to crowd fund. There are so many platforms, each with its own features, benefits, and audiences, it can be difficult to decide which is right for your project.

Just yesterday, Crowdtilt was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle as the latest, greatest fundraising tool. According to the article "Crowdtilt is among the entrants in the field known as crowd funding that is growing increasingly crowded itself." Read more on SFGate.

What do you think? Is crowd funding getting a little crowded? Or is this a space where the more the merrier applies? Let us know in the comments below.

June is Funding for Education Month!

2012-05-18T15:07:44-04:00

Join us in June for Funding for Education Month! All month long we'll be highlighting resources and offering special events and free classes focused on what's happening in education funding. Topics will include scholarships and financial aid, prospect research, corporate giving, and more. The following are just some of the programs coming up next month:

Wednesday, June 6, 10:00-11:00 am How to Find and Win Scholarships and Fellowships (WEBINAR); 1:00-3:30 pm Understanding Collaboration

Wednesday, June 13, 12:00-1:00 pm Getting a Grip on Your Student Loans (WEBINAR)

Thursday, June 14, 3:00-4:15 pm Finding Foundation Support for Your Education (in Sunnyvale); 4:20-5:30 pm Meet the Scholarship Funders: Grant Opportunities for South Bay College Students (in Sunnyvale)

Monday, June 18, 2:30-4:00 pm Prospect Research 101: Learn from the Pros

Tuesday, June 19, 10:00 am-12:00 pm Growing from the Inside Out: Effectively Engaging and Cultivating Existing Donors & Volunteers

Wednesday, June 20, 3:00-4:30 pm Meet the Grantmakers: Funding Opportunities for Santa Clara County Education Nonprofits (in San Jose)

Thursday, June 21, 10:00 am-12:00 pm Meet the Grantmakers: Picking up Steam with STEM

Monday, June 25, 4:00-5:15 pm Finding Foundation Support for Your Education (in Berkeley); 5:30-7:00 pm Meet the Scholarship Funders: Grant Opportunities for East Bay College Students (in Berkeley)

Thursday, June 28, 9:30-11:00 am Introduction to Corporate Giving (in San Mateo); 11:00 am-12:00 pm Meet the Grantmakers: Securing Corporate Funding (in San Mateo)

Register now for any (or all) of our special June events taking place all the way around the Bay.
Indicates a Funding for Education Month program.

Will Facebook Millionaires Consider Philanthropy?

2012-05-17T16:56:30-04:00

From today's San Francisco Chronicle:

Facebook is going public on Friday. The company's market valuation at the end of its first day of trading could top $100 billion. Instantly, scores of Facebook employees will become millionaires.

But what happens the following day? These newly wealthy folks will eventually have to ask themselves an important question: What should I do with this money?

Kerry Olson and Dave Katz, a couple that benefited from Juniper Networks' IPO over a decade ago provide humble advice to newly minted Facebook millionaires. Olson and Katz are co-founders of Firelight Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the well-being of children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more on SFGate.

SVCF Victory: San Jose Passes Strong Controls on Payday Lending

2012-05-17T13:10:21-04:00

Yesterday, San José City Council approved a strong municipal ordinance that will curb the impact of predatory payday lending on San José residents. The measure passed as part of an effort by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s (SVCF) ongoing advocacy for local reforms; the ultimate goal being a statewide rate cap on payday loans.

The ordinance caps the number of payday lending stores within the city at the current number of 39. The council also voted to limit payday lenders from opening stores within or near low-income neighborhoods and to limit the density of these businesses.

The SVCF funds the Coalition Against Payday Predators (CAPP), an organization that has been working with many community based organizations to raise awareness about payday lending. With the San José ordinance now in place, CAPP will begin working for similar reforms in southern Santa Clara County.

SVCF has invested $5.5 million in anti payday lending policy advocacy since 2009. Other Silicon Valley municipalities, Pacifica, East Palo Alto, and the boards of supervisors in both San Mateo and San José, have approved restrictions to payday lending. San José is the largest city in the country to place strong controls on establishments that are charging more than 400 percent annualized interest for these short-term loans.

Coming to a Location Near You in June

2012-05-16T18:53:58-04:00

Foundation Center is on the road. Look for Foundation Center events throughout California in June:

SUNNYVALE - Thursday, June 14: 3:00-4:15 pm, Finding Foundation Support for Your Education; 4:20-5:30 pm Meet the Scholarship Funders: Grant Opportunities for South Bay College Students

SAN RAFAEL - Friday, June 15: 9:30-11:00 am Introduction to Fundraising Planning

SAN JOSE - Wednesday, June 20: 1:30-2:45 pm How to Approach a Foundation; 3:00-4:30 pm Meet the Grantmakers: Funding Opportunities for Santa Clara County Education Nonprofits

BERKELEY - Monday, June 25: 4:00-5:15 pm Finding Foundation Support for Your Education; 5:30-7:00 pm Meet the Scholarship Funders: Grant Opportunities for East Bay College Students

SAN DIEGO - Tuesday, June 26: 1:00-3:00 pm Proposal Writing Basics and How to Approach a Foundation

SAN MATEO - Thursday, June 28: 9:30-11:00 am Introduction to Corporate Giving; 11:00 am-12:00 pm Meet the Grantmakers: Securing Corporate Funding

Find a full list of Foundation Center Cooperating Collections on GrantSpace. For a complete course offerings through July, visit our online calendar.

Upcoming Webinars for Students

2012-05-16T18:30:21-04:00

Looking for scholarships? Paying back student loans?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, then sign up for our free webinars coming in June!

How to Find & Win Scholarships and Fellowships

Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time / 10:00-11:00 am Pacific Time

Get expert advice on how to find scholarship opportunities and prepare winning applications.

Funding your education requires careful planning, persistence, and knowing how and where to look for funding. If you are looking for money to pay for school, then you should look forward to attending this webinar!

Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Finaid.org and Fastweb.com and one of the nation's experts on student aid, and will cover the following topics in his presentation:

Searching for scholarships
Strategies for winning scholarships
Key scholarship resources
Writing winning scholarship essays
Acing the scholarship interview
After you win a scholarship
And much, much more! Register>>

Getting a Grip on Your Student Loans

Wednesday, June 13, 2012, 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern Time / 12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time

Learn how to more effectively manage your student debt.

Students and grads have important decisions to make about managing their student debt. Flexible repayment options and forgiveness provisions are available, but the details matter and it can be confusing to figure it out on your own.

Our presenter, Heather Jarvis, knows how to break it down step-by-step so it makes sense once and for all.

From this presentation, you can:

Determine what kind of loans you have and why it makes a difference,
Evaluate income-based repayment and other options, and
Learn simple steps to qualify for public service loan forgiveness.

Bring your toughest questions because the expert is in the house! Register>>

If you've never taken a Foundation Center webinar before, click here to see how they work.

Coalition for Community Schools National Forum

2012-05-16T16:36:52-04:00

Last week, the Coalition for Community Schools held their National Forum in San Francisco. The Coalition for Community Schools is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks. Community schools are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Initiatives share a common set of principles: fostering strong partnerships, sharing accountability for results, setting high expectations, building on the community’s strengths, and embracing diversity and innovative solutions.

In January, the Coalition published Achieving Results Through Community School Partnerships, a best practices that outlines the importance of strategies for building and maintaining successful partnerships for community schools that integrate academics, youth development, family support, health and social services, and community development.

The Coalition is funded by:

If your organization is involved in education and would like to know more about community schools, the Coalition for Community Schools web site provides a wealth of information on the topic, including resources, and information on grantmakers actively involved in community schools.

The Foundation Center, San Francisco is hosting Funding for Education Month in June. Check the calendar frequently for updates on local programs focused on Education. As always, visit the GrantSpace Education portal for the latest information on grantseeking for educational organizations.

This Week at the Foundation Center (May 14-18)

2012-05-14T12:00:00-04:00

Monday, May 14, 1:00-2:30 pm Supporting Volunteer Fundraisers; 3:00-4:30 pm Nonprofit Sustainability: Building Blocks to Organizational Success; 4:30-6:00 pm Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Course

Tuesday, May 15, 1:00-2:15 pm Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors

Wednesday, May 16, 5:00-6:30 pm Grantseeking Basics; 6:30-7:30 pm Introduction to Finding Funders

Thursday, May 17, 10:00 am-12:00 pm Give Your Fundraising Plan a Tune-Up

Library Hours:

Monday: 11:00 am-6:00 pm
Tuesday/Thursday/Friday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am-8:00 pm