Back to school for grantmakers

Timely grant helps rescue Danbury clinic for uninsured

Connecticut’s grantmaking jumps dramatically, totals $741 million

Amidst rise in demand for services, supporters of
New Haven soup kitchen rally to build for its future

Study shows education, intervention by health providers
can reduce incidence of elderly falls

Funders Network makes first collaborative grant
to spur Bridgeport Public Schools ambitious strategic plan

After uncertain future, Achievement First Hartford Academy saved

Foundation offers opportunity for low-income ‘tweens’ to study and travel

Tow Foundation awards $8 million for new approaches to journalism

Foundation television commercial wins national award

UTC contributes $1 million towards Smilow Cancer Hospital

Transitions

Maine climbs out of bottom 10 in foundation assets, barely

UMaine wins $1.6 million grant for “revolutionary” work
with ice cores to predict climate change

Maine and Vermont’s neighbors to north and south
map the human footprint left on the environment

Women invite others to join 10-month leadership experience

Habitat for Humanity going “green” in Portland

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Fund focuses latest grants on grassroots engagement

More than half of Black male students nationwide
fail to graduate on time, new Schott study finds

AGM Summer Fund sends more than 25,000 kids to camp

'Mission, Vision, and Planning' kicks off new nonprofit workshop series

Fund at community foundation helps small farms to process poultry

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

New Hampshire remains in bottom 10 in foundation assets

Endowment for Health awards nearly $2.9 million to reduce
“economic, geographic, cultural barriers” to access

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Looking for great projects to serve upper Connecticut River watershed

“Bid with your Stonyfield lid,” but do it by August 31

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Legacy ensures scholarships for police officers’ children

Vermont stays near bottom in foundation assets

Vermont and Maine’s neighbors to north and south
help map the human footprint left on the environment

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

NEGEF schedules October retreat for grassroots community organizers

Looking for great projects to serve upper Connecticut River watershed

Back to school for grantmakers

The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy is co-sponsoring a New England-wide seminar for grantmakers November 12-14 in Hartford, CT. Called “Advanced Proposal Analysis: A Critical Examination of Complex Issues,” the intensive program is designed for experienced grantmakers, and is led by national experts.

For information: www.grantmakingschool.org.

Timely grant helps rescue Danbury clinic for uninsured

Danbury’s low-income uninsured will continue to receive free health care but in a newly-renovated location. The Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Foundation has donated $400,000 to renovate the new facility, which is run by AmeriCares Free Clinics, located in Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Danbury.

The new home, a former bike shop at 76 West Street just blocks from the current facility, is expected to open this fall.

In addition to the renovations, Boehringer Ingelheim has promised AmeriCares Free Clinics $200,000 a year for the Danbury clinic and a mobile clinic that serves residents of Bethel and New Milford.

Dr. Patrick Broderick, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Danbury Hospital and the medical director of the clinic, told the Danbury News Times the clinic was otherwise at risk of shutting down entirely.

AmeriCares Free Clinics estimates it has delivered more than $20 million worth of free health care to more than 16,000 patients in southwestern Connecticut since it was established in 1994, and billions of dollars of emergency aid around the world since 1982.

For more information: Christina Chan, 203-798-4703, Christina.chan@boehringer-ingelheim.com or Donna Porstner, 203-658-9579, dporstner@americares.org.

Connecticut’s grantmaking jumps dramatically, totals $741 million

Connecticut grantmakers distributed more than $741 million in 2006, a 33% increase from 2004, according to 2008 Connecticut Grantmaking Highlights published by the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. The Council issues the report every two years.

Council President Nancy Roberts said the analysis included 1,929 active foundations in Connecticut.

Key findings include:

• Of the total $741 million in grants, 59% came from private independent foundations, 28% from corporate foundations and giving programs, and 13% came from community or public foundations.
• Connecticut grantmakers held nearly $9 billion in assets, an increase of 27% over 2004.
• 114 foundations (6%), distributing over $1 million in grants, accounted for approximately 76% of the grants paid and 63% of the assets held.
• Fairfield County’s 907 foundations account for 47% of the state’s total, followed by Hartford County’s 583 or 30%.
• Nearly half (891) of Connecticut’s foundations were established between 1997 and 2006.

The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy is a nonprofit membership association of grantmakers committed to promoting and supporting effective philanthropy for the public good in Connecticut.

For more information: Nancy Roberts, 860-525-5585, nroberts@ctphilanthropy.org.

Amidst rise in demand for services, supporters of
New Haven soup kitchen rally to build for its future

The future of the Community Soup Kitchen in New Haven is looking brighter thanks to several donors who have pooled their resources to create an endowment at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. The new fund is called the Isaiah Fund for the Community Soup Kitchen. The Community Soup Kitchen hopes to bring the total to $100,000 by December 31; an anonymous donor has offered to match new gifts up to $25,000.

The Soup Kitchen, which served 59,335 meals in 2007, expects to serve more than 68,000 by the end of this year.

For more information: Tricia Caldwell, 203-777-7090, tcaldwell@cfgnh.org

Study shows education, intervention by health providers
can reduce incidence of elderly falls

A Yale study reported in Science News suggests a combination of educational campaigns and risk assessment and management practices could significantly reduce the number and severity of elderly falls. The study was funded by the The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation based in West Hartford, and by the Yale Pepper Center from the National Institute on Aging.

According to Science News, the study also found that the fall prevention programs “resulted in almost 10 percent fewer fall-related hip fractures and head injuries among the elderly.”

It went on to report that “fall-related injuries are among the most common, disabling and expensive health conditions experienced by older adults. Falls account for 10 percent of emergency department visits and 6 percent of hospitalizations among those over age 65. Falls can also lead to functional decline, placement in a nursing home and restricted activity.”

For more information: Lynne Garner, 860-521-9011, lynne@donaghue.org.

Funders Network makes first collaborative grant
to spur Bridgeport Public Schools ambitious strategic plan

The state’s second largest school district can begin implementing a five-year plan to improve test scores, prepare students for college, and decrease the dropout rate, thanks to the joint support of ten private funders and the school system.

The $80,250 grant to the Connecticut Center for School Change is the first time the Bridgeport Funder’s Network has collaborated to fund a project. The Center, a nonprofit based in Hartford, will guide the Bridgeport Public Schools superintendent’s nine-member cabinet how to implement the district’s strategic plan.

Participants in the collaborative grant include The Charter Oak Challenge Foundation, Fairfield County Community Foundation (which is leading the Funder’s Network), GE Foundation, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Lone Pine Foundation, Near and Far Aid, People’s United Bank, The Perrin Family Foundation, The William H. Pitt Foundation (FL) and United Illuminating Company.

For more information: Sallie Mitchell, 203-750-3206, smitchell@fccfoundation.org.

After uncertain future, Achievement First Hartford Academy saved

Achievement First, a nonprofit charter school management organization, announced that all 252 students from low-performing and underserved neighborhoods who were promised seats this fall can now attend its new Hartford Academy due to public and philanthropic support galvanized by Achievement First parents, Governor Rell, Superintendant Adamowski, Mayor Perez, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and other private donors.

The opening of Achievement First Hartford Academy is part of a larger “All Choice” plan to transform Hartford Public Schools through accountability and full parental choice; it has the goal of opening 30 new schools over the next 10 years.

The absence of state funding placed Achievement First Hartford Academy in a precarious situation only weeks before its first day of school. Necessary funds and in-kind considerations came from the above sources as well as the Olson, H.A. Vance, and Imagineers foundations, and anonymous gifts from a Greenwich foundation and individual donors.

“We are incredibly grateful for all of the support that has come together to save this school,” remarks Dacia Toll, Achievement First’s founder and co-CEO. “Now it is up to us to deliver on our promises to kids and their families.”

For more information: Donna Jolly, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 860-548-1888, djolly@hfpg.org

Foundation offers opportunity for low-income ‘tweens’ to study and travel

Looking to encourage young people to appreciate new experiences, develop an interest in travel, and accept individual and group responsibility, the Tauck Foundation partners with area youth organizations to offer low-income middle schoolers an opportunity to learn and travel.

The “Sparks” program covers history, geography, culture, ecology and life skills while also building self-awareness and self-confidence.

Participants may learn about the Pilgrims and the American Revolution, and travel throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Or they may study biographies of people like Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, or an Amish teenager and travel to Washington, DC, Gettysburg, and Philadelphia.

The third curriculum and trip theme is “California Dreaming,” exploring immigration and the American dream. Key lessons focus on the 1849 Gold Rush, the Spanish mission movement, the Chinese and Mexican immigrant experience, as well as the unique geographic and natural features of California. Travel includes San Francisco, Muir Woods, Hearst Castle, the central valley, Los Angeles and Hollywood.

For more information: Kendra St. John, Tauck Foundation, 888-828-2503, kendra@tauckfoundation.org

Tow Foundation awards $8 million for new approaches to journalism

The Tow Foundation in Wilton is “investing” $8 million in two New York City graduate schools to encourage the use of modern forms of journalism.

The foundation donated $5 million to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to help establish the Tow Center to train professional journalists in new and emerging media.

It donated an additional $3 million to the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism to establish a separate Tow Center to research new business models for journalism while creating an incubator to help develop new journalistic products and services using Internet technologies.

For more information: Emily Tow Jackson, 203-761-6604, emily@towfoundation.org.

Foundation television commercial wins national award

“Poor Coverage,” a television spot by Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, has received a Gold Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants.

Considered by some as the “Emmy awards of politics,” the Pollies are prestigious prizes in the political campaign and public affairs industry.

“Poor Coverage” uses people in ill-fitting hospital gowns to demonstrate the plight of individuals who have insurance that doesn’t cover their needs – and sometimes doesn’t cover anything at all.

For more information: Janet Davenport, 203-639-0550, jdavenport@universalhealthct.org.

UTC contributes $1 million towards Smilow Cancer Hospital

United Technologies Corp. has contributed $1 million for the Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, which, when completed next year, will dramatically increase clinical space for Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine.

United Technologies Corp. provides high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

For more information: Tom Downie, UTC, 860-728-7012.

Transitions >>

Maine

Maine climbs out of bottom 10 in foundation assets, barel

Coming in at 40 of 51 (including Washington, DC) Maine barely climbed out of the Bottom 10 of states by foundation assets in 2005, according to The Philanthropic Divide 2007 Update Report from the Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits. Sister New England states of Vermont and New Hampshire remain in the lowest 20 percentile, however.

Maine would drop two rungs, however, without the addition of the Oak Foundation which is now registered in Maine with more than $340 million in assets. Its grantmaking is primarily national and international, so those dollars have less impact on Maine. 

The state ranks considerably better in per capita giving by foundations: $70 per Maine resident, putting it at 29 of 51.

A lack of foundation assets in a state makes it increasingly difficult for nonprofits to adjust to government cutbacks, to capitalize new initiatives, and to compete for out-of-state funding.

Some specific Maine statistics:

• Ranks 40th in 2005, up from 44th in 1988
• Total assets in 2005 were $1,540,397,000
• Since 2004, assets increased by $547,905,000
• Asset change from 2004 to 2005 was 55.20%, highest in the nation

The study was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

UMaine wins $1.6 million grant for “revolutionary” work
with ice cores to predict climate change

The William M. Keck Foundation will provide $1.6 million to the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute for its project, "Major Advances in the Field of Climate Change Reconstruction Using Ice Cores." According to the University, the project "will revolutionize climate science."

The project uses a global array of ice cores to study historical climate change, to better predict the planet's climate future.

Based in Los Angeles, the W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by its namesake, founder of the Superior Oil Company.  It focuses on, but is not limited to, medical research, science and engineering. 

The funds will be largely used to purchase and invent new technology for the field.

For more information: Joe Carr, 207-581-3571. 

Maine and Vermont’s neighbors to north and south
help map the human footprint left on the environment

With funding from the Kendall Foundation out of Boston to the south, the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada [www.wcscanada.org] has been mapping, literally, the impact of the human footprint in the Northern Appalachians, with special focus on Maine and Vermont in the U.S., where they dominate the states’ landscapes.

In The Green Blog this month, Boston Globe Staff Beth Daley writes, “It turns out we have a lot more impact on areas – even those we may consider pristine – then many people may realize.”

The study, which Kendall points out is one of four it has commissioned, is part of a cross-border scientific initiative called “Two Countries, One Forest” designed to conserve the lands and wildlife of Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. The study has resulted in a publicly-accessible interactive map.

Women invite others to join 10-month leadership experience

The New Girls' Network of the Maine Women’s Fund is urging women in their 20s and 30s to register by September 15 for a 10-month facilitated “exploration of philanthropy, leadership, activism and feminism through stories, reflections and dialogue.

More than 200 women have already gone through the program, which spans Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Lewiston, Portland, and Rockland. There is a fee.

Habitat for Humanity going “green” in Portland

Governor & Mrs. Baldacci were present this month to “raise the first wall” of a Habitat for Humanity home built to The National Association of Home Builders “green” standards in Cumberland County.  The effort brings together a wide variety of volunteers, including architects, landscape designers, engineers, suppliers and contractors to apply their respective talents to designing houses that will be easy to build, highly efficient to keep comfortable, easy to maintain, and low-impact in their use of resources. 

“This is a groundbreaking project for Maine and the nation, and we hope that the results will serve as a model for affordable ‘green’ housing everywhere,” said Stephen Bolton, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland.

The home, funded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the Sustainable Forest Initiative will be located on Demerest Street in Portland.

For more information: Nicole Nastacie, Bank of America, 980-388-7252, nicole.nastacie@bankofamerica.com; and Steve Bolton, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland, 207-772-2151, info@habitatme.org

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Individuals and families with donor-advised funds, current or future trustees, and staff from family philanthropies are invited to gather for three days of “networking, learning, and inspiration” from October 22-24 at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

The organizers promise intriguing presentations and interactive sessions on such topics as succession planning, engaging the next generation, handling family dynamics, building effective boards, successfully collaborating, and navigating transitions.

To download the conference brochure.

Registration fees vary, and go up after September 12.

The three-day conference is hosted by Associated Grant Makers (MA and NH), the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Maine Philanthropy Center, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Transitions >>

Fund focuses latest grants on grassroots engagement

The Access Strategies Fund has chosen 11 grassroots organizations to share $225,000 for their civic engagement work across the state.

Among the 11 are organizations like the Chinese Progressive Association, for community building and voter education and mobilization; the Commonwealth Seminar, which trains leaders from communities of color and immigrant communities on the legislative process and advocacy; and EPOCA, Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement, in Worcester, an organization of ex-prisoners and felons, along with allies, that creates resources and opportunities

The funding priorities of the Access Strategies Fund include:

• Non-partisan voter engagement
• Non-partisan civic leadership
• Electoral justice
• Immigrant civic participation and
• Civic culture change.

More than half of Black male students nationwide
fail to graduate on time, new Schott study finds

More than a half-century after Brown v. Board of Education, the nation’s urban public school systems continue to “serve as a pipeline to failure” for most Black male students, a report by the Schott Foundation for Public Education finds.

Among the findings from Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males:

• Only 47% of Black male students nationwide graduate from high school on time.
• Forty-six percent of male Black students nationally score at or above basic Grade 8 level in reading and math.
• Nearly three times as many male Black students are expelled or given out-of-school suspensions as would be appropriate, given their share of enrollments.

Inequitable resources, biased policies, and unfair institutional decisions push Black male students out of school and into the streets or into jail, the report points out.

It also offers educational success stories, citing Baltimore and Montgomery counties in Maryland and the state of New Jersey which graduate male Black students at a rate comparable to the national average for White, non-Hispanic male students.

In Massachusetts, the statistics are close to the national average. In the 2005-06 school year, 51 percent of Black males graduated (versus 47 percent nationally) and 77 percent of White males graduated (versus 75 percent nationally).

For more information: Regina Barboza, 917-553-5155; Pattie Haubner or Mike Nemec, 914-833-7093.

AGM Summer Fund sends more than 25,000 kids to camp

Whatever the financial concerns of individuals, businesses, and foundations, they didn’t allow that to stop their generosity towards Associated Grant Makers’ Summer Fund, which surpassed its 2008 fundraising goal and sent more than 25,000 Boston-area youth to camp this summer.

The 36-year-old effort brings donations from dozens of sources together in one pool to which camp programs serving inner-city youth can apply, rather than having to send multiple applications to individual funders.

This year, the Summer Fund partnered with Intercultural Center for Research in Education to roll out the first phase of a three-year academic enrichment initiative providing hands-on science activities in existing camp activities.

In late August, the New England Revolution hosted the second annual Kids Night Out at Gillette Stadium.

For more information: Dayna Antenucci, Summer Fund Manager, 617-426-2606 x12, dantenucci@agmconnect.org.

'Mission, Vision, and Planning' kicks off new nonprofit workshop series

Regional supporter Third Sector New England is offering a nine-session workshop series for nonprofits from September through June at its NonProfit Center near South Station in Boston. Topics range from "Mission, Vision, and Planning" (September 18) to "Strategic Thinking and Learning Loops" (November 20) to "Communications and Your Mission" (January 15) to "The Adaptive Leader (June 11).

To register.

Fund at community foundation helps small farms to process poultry

Though consumers are increasingly calling for locally produced, humanely-raised, free-range, and organic poultry, small-scale producers – fewer than 2,000 birds/year – have nowhere to kill and process the flocks. There are no state-licensed or USDA-inspected poultry slaughter facilities in the Northeast open to small producers.

Enter the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU) which enables small-scale producers within a reasonable geographic radius to share processing equipment and use the facility on their farm. The MPPU meets all necessary state and federal regulations.

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at Tufts University is looking to raise at least $35,000 to build a second MPPU and train eastern Massachusetts farmers how to use it.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is accepting online and other contributions to the New Entry Mobile Poultry Processing Fund.

For more information: Jennifer Hashley, director of New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, 617-306-4879, jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu.

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Individuals and families with donor-advised funds, current or future trustees, and staff from family philanthropies are invited to gather for three days of “networking, learning, and inspiration” from October 22-24 at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

The organizers promise intriguing presentations and interactive sessions on such topics as succession planning, engaging the next generation, handling family dynamics, building effective boards, successfully collaborating, and navigating transitions.

To download the conference brochure.

Registration fees vary, and go up after September 12.

The three-day conference is hosted by Associated Grant Makers (MA and NH), the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Maine Philanthropy Center, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Transitions >>

New Hampshire

New Hampshire remains in bottom 10 in foundation assets

Coming in at 43 of 51 (including Washington, DC), New Hampshire actually dropped a notch among the bottom 10 of states by foundation assets in 2005, according to The Philanthropic Divide 2007 Update Report from the Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits. Sister New England state of Vermont joins New Hampshire in the lowest 20 percentile.

The state ranks moderately better in per capita giving by foundations: $47 per New Hampshire resident, placing it at 37 of 51.

A lack of foundation assets in a state signals weaker nonprofits and associations, inability to respond to government cuts, a lack of entrepreneurship, and more difficulty in attracting out-of-state funding.

Other New Hampshire statistics:

• Ranks 43rd in 2005, down from 42nd in 2004
• Assets in 2005 were $1,191,069,000
• Since 2004, assets increased $57,617,000

The study was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Endowment for Health awards nearly $2.9 million to reduce
“economic, geographic, cultural barriers” to access

The Endowment for Health, New Hampshire’s largest health foundation, recently awarded nearly $2.9 million to a total of 30 organizations. Most of the grants seek to reduce “economic, geographic, and cultural barriers” that make it difficult for people to obtain the health care they need.

For example, the Manchester Sustainable Access Project received $240,000 to develop an integrated community health care network for the city.

Similarly, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Committee received nearly $50,000 to develop a plan to improve regional transportation services within Sullivan County.

The city of Nashua hopes to reduce cultural and social barriers to health with its Health & Wellness Immigrant Integration Initiative ($134,000), which promotes greater collaboration among municipal, social, and health care agencies serving immigrants and refugees.

For a full list of grants.

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Individuals and families with donor-advised funds, current or future trustees, and staff from family philanthropies are invited to gather for three days of “networking, learning, and inspiration” from October 22-24 at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

The organizers promise intriguing presentations and interactive sessions on such topics as succession planning, engaging the next generation, handling family dynamics, building effective boards, successfully collaborating, and navigating transitions.

To download the conference brochure.

Registration fees vary, and go up after September 12.

The three-day conference is hosted by Associated Grant Makers (MA and NH), the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Maine Philanthropy Center, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Looking for great projects to serve upper Connecticut River watershed

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation are prepared to fund initiatives that provide river, wetland and shoreline restoration, protection and enhancement within the Connecticut River watershed above White River Junction, VT.

The deadline for applications to the Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund is November 30, 2008. Applicants seeking more than $25,000 also must submit a short “concept paper” by September 30.

The Fund was created in 2002 as part of the settlement agreement between parties involved in the federal process to award a new operating license for three hydroelectric dams on the Connecticut River at Fifteen Mile Falls near Littleton, NH and Ryegate, VT. It has already awarded more than $5 million in six years, and expects to reach a total of approximately $20 million.

For more information: Kevin Peterson, 603-653-0387, kp@nhcf.org.

“Bid with your Stonyfield lid,” but do it by August 31

Londonderry-based Stonyfield Farms donates 10 percent of its profits through its Profits for the Planet (PFP) program. Yogurt-eaters everywhere can help direct some of that money this year.

Stonyfield will give a total of $100,000 to three organizations that help the earth: Physicians for Social Responsibility, Ocean Conservancy, and the Worldwatch Institute. Each organization will receive $20,000 plus a percentage of $40,000, based on online voting. (It’s too late to mail in votes; there’s an August 31 deadline.)

Vote here with a simple click. Results will be posted on the company’s website by September 15.

Transitions >>

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Individuals and families with donor-advised funds, current or future trustees, and staff from family philanthropies are invited to gather for three days of “networking, learning, and inspiration” from October 22-24 at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

The organizers promise intriguing presentations and interactive sessions on such topics as succession planning, engaging the next generation, handling family dynamics, building effective boards, successfully collaborating, and navigating transitions.

To download the conference brochure.

Registration fees vary, and go up after September 12.

The three-day conference is hosted by Associated Grant Makers (MA and NH), the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Maine Philanthropy Center, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Legacy ensures scholarships for police officers’ children

Five students have been awarded scholarships from the Major Jeremiah P. Murphy Scholarship Fund at The Rhode Island Foundation which provides scholarships to children of active, retired, or deceased Providence police officers.

Major Murphy served the Providence Police Department for 33 years, before retiring in 1987. He served as a State Representative from 1988 until his death in 1992. The scholarship fund was established shortly after his death.

“It was his (re-election) campaign funds and the fact that a lot of people wanted to do something in his memory that we started the fund,” explained John Murphy, Major Murphy's brother. Transferred to The Rhode Island Foundation in 2006, the Fund has awarded $196,500 to 46 students since 1996.

Transitions >>

Vermont stays near bottom in foundation assets

Coming in at 48 of 51 (including Washington, DC) in 2005, Vermont improved by one rung by total foundation assets since 2004, according to The Philanthropic Divide 2007 Update Report from the Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits. New Hampshire was the only other New England state among the bottom 10, coming in at 43rd.

The state ranks moderately better in per capita giving by foundations: $35 per Vermont resident, placing it at 40 of 51.

A lack of foundation assets in a state signals weaker nonprofits and associations, inability to respond to government cuts, a lack of entrepreurship, and more difficulty in attracting out-of-state funding.

Other Vermont statistics:

• Ranks 48th, up from 49th in 2004
• Assets in 2005 were $459,310,000
• Since 2004, assets increased by $65,485,000
• Asset change from 2004 to 2005 is 16.63%
• Growth rate 2004 to 2005 of 16.63% is fifth highest in the nation
• Ranks 40th nationally in per capita grantmaking at $35

The study was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Vermont and Maine’s neighbors to north and south
help map the human footprint left on the environment

With funding from the Kendall Foundation out of Boston to the south, the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada has been mapping, literally, the impact of the human footprint in the Northern Appalachians, with special focus on Maine and Vermont in the U.S., where they dominate the states’ landscapes.

In The Green Blog this month, Boston Globe Staff Beth Daley writes, “It turns out we have a lot more impact on areas – even those we may consider pristine – then many people may realize.”

The study, which Kendall points out is one of four it has commissioned, is part of a cross-border scientific initiative called “Two Countries, One Forest” designed to conserve the lands and wildlife of Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. The study has resulted in a publicly-accessible interactive map.

October New England philanthropy conference
will tackle major issues facing family giving

Individuals and families with donor-advised funds, current or future trustees, and staff from family philanthropies are invited to gather for three days of “networking, learning, and inspiration” from October 22-24 at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT.

The organizers promise intriguing presentations and interactive sessions on such topics as succession planning, engaging the next generation, handling family dynamics, building effective boards, successfully collaborating, and navigating transitions.

To download the conference brochure.

Registration fees vary, and go up after September 12.

The three-day conference is hosted by Associated Grant Makers (MA and NH), the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Maine Philanthropy Center, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

NEGEF schedules October retreat for grassroots community organizers

New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF), based in Montpelier, will hold a two-day retreat for its grantees and partners October 10 and 11 at UMass/Amherst. Organizers say the event is for leaders of grassroots groups that are building and maintaining “healthy, just, safe and environmentally sustainable communities.”

Among this year's workshops are:

• Grassroots Fundraising, led by Andy Robinson, co-author of Grassroots Grants: An Activist’s Guide to Proposal Writing and author of Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out): Earned Income Strategies for Non-Profits
• Rockwood Art of Leadership, led by Jose Acevedo of the Rockwood Leadership Program
• Advanced Community Organizing, led by Alyssa Schuren, Executive Director of the Toxics Action Center.

Looking for great projects to serve upper Connecticut River watershed

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation are prepared to fund initiatives that provide river, wetland and shoreline restoration, protection and enhancement within the Connecticut River watershed above White River Junction, VT.

The deadline for applications to the Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund is November 30, 2008. Applicants seeking more than $25,000 also must submit a short “concept paper” by September 30.

The Fund was created in 2002 as part of the settlement agreement between parties involved in the federal process to award a new operating license for three hydroelectric dams on the Connecticut River at Fifteen Mile Falls near Littleton, NH and Ryegate, VT.  It has already awarded more than $5 million in six years, and expects to reach a total of approximately $20 million.

For more information: Kevin Peterson, 603-653-0387, kp@nhcf.org.

Transitions >>

Connecticut

Gerry Amodio, COO of Amodio Worldwide Moving and Storage of New Britain, has been elected chair of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain board of directors. Amodio succeeds Donna Lasher, vice president of OKAY Industries, who remains a board member. Elected vice chair was Paul G. Salina, retired principal of New Britain High School.

The Foundation also announced two new members to the board: real estate investor/entrepreneur and former teacher Tabitha Manafort, and Enrique Juncadella, Director of Community Relations for the Hospital of Central Connecticut.

Portraits of Rev. Harvey Loomis and his wife Anna Battell Loomis dating back to 1822 are on exhibit at the Torrington Historical Society, thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Northwestern Connecticut, The Connecticut Humanities Council and The First National Bank of Litchfield.

The intriguing story of how Rev. and Mrs. Loomis happened to be in Bangor, Maine as “missionaries” when Connecticut-born (and deaf) artist John Brewster, Jr. was there is recounted in the Litchfield County Times. For more information, call the historical society at 860-482-8260.

Richard D. Gray, executive director of the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA), will become UConn’s vice president and chief financial officer in September. Gray, a 1972 graduate of UConn who also holds a master’s of business administration from the University of New Haven, will serve as the University’s chief financial officer for both the Storrs-based and the Health Center programs. He succeeds Lorraine M. Aronson.

The board of the Connecticut Health Foundation has three new members: Laurel G. Holmes, MSW, director of community health, outreach and partnerships at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital; Steven J. Huleatt, MPH, R.S., director of health for West Hartford-Bloomfield health district; and Tory Z. Westbrook, M.D., family physician and site manager for ProHealth Physicians Inc. (East Hampton) and medical director at Water’s Edge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Facility (Middletown).

Don’t call me Al! The former United Way of the Capital Area is now the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. Raymond P. Necci, president and COO of Connecticut Light and Power and Yankee Gas and UWCNC chairman, said the new name better reflects the reach and responsibilities of the organization.

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Maine

Drew Watt is the new president of Common Good Ventures. He has extensive experience managing professional services consulting teams and working with state and city governments. Until April, Drew ran the $17M New York / New Jersey business unit of the informational technology consulting firm CGI. Prior to that, he managed projects to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the information systems that support child welfare, child abuse protection, and other government programs. He earned his MBA in Finance and Accounting at the University of Chicago and served in the Peace Corps.

John E. Baldacci joined the 25th Anniversary celebration for the state’s largest grantmaker, the Maine Community Foundation by proclaiming July 28, 2008 “Maine Community Foundation Day.”In that brief period, MaineCF's assets have grown to $250 million and total grant and scholarship are nearing the $130 million mark.

The three regional councils of the Maine Women’s Fund have new chairwomen. In Bangor, Jen Eastman and Lucie Estabrook are sharing the role. (Bangor also reports that Council Member Sarah McCarthy recently gave birth to a baby girl! In Lewiston-Auburn, Adilah Muhammad has taken the role of Council Chair, as has Meredith Bove in Portland.

Massachusetts

Nellie Mae Education Foundation has added to its brain trust, hiring:

• Mary Sylvia Harrison as Vice President of Programs. She previously served as president of the College Crusade of Rhode Island from 1994 to 2008.
• Charlie Toulmin as Director of Policy. He is currently the Senior Policy Analyst with the Education Division of the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices.
• José Massó as Director of Communications. He most recently served as the regional director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration New England Regional Office in Boston.
• Delia Arellano-Weddleton as Program Officer. She previously led the Newcomers and Neighbors Center in Framingham.

Boston Centers for Youth & Families acknowledged the 36-year-old donor collaborative AGM Summer Fund as a 2008 Hall of Fame Sponsor. The partnership between the two organizations helps thousands of children attend activity rich summer programming in Boston. AGM President Ron Ancrum accepted the honor on behalf of the Summer Fund at a Fenway Park breakfast meeting.

Rhode Island

Citizens Bank, Rhode Island and NBC10 named Youth in Action in Providence as their 2008 third quarter Champion in Action® in youth programming. As part of the award, YIA will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work. Founded in 1997, YIA is centered young people’s capacity to lead, natural ability to innovate and desire for positive change.

Newport resident Joyce Botelho has been named by The Rhode Island Foundation as coordinator of its $3.7 million Newport County Fund, which was established six years ago to focus attention – and resources – on issues affecting the six communities of Newport County: Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, and Tiverton. Botelho brings more than 25 years of professional experience in nonprofit administration, cultural resource management, and educational program development to her new position. She has served as director of development at Newport’s Cluny School, coordinator of academic and public programs at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization at Brown University and has taught at Salve Regina University, Providence College, and Brown University, among other activities.