Fluff Free Fundraising

From Access Philanthropy

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April 2024

Earmarks, Grant Opportunities, and Out-of-Fashion Fundraising Words

In this Issue:

• LOI Webinar Registration + Price Drop on Funder Lists
• People in Philanthropy
• Grant announcements
• Fundraising news
• Surveys and Reports
• Fundraiser's Toolbox
• Jobs in Philanthropy
• Raise a Glass

Immigrants and the Baltimore Bridge Disaster

The six construction workers who tragically died when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed provide a solemn reminder about the invisible heroes toiling to build and maintain the nation’s roads and infrastructure. Given the outsized contributions that immigrants make as essential workers in our economy and society, it is unsurprising that these six construction workers were all immigrants from Central America. 

"Filling potholes along a major highway while most of us slept is paradigmatic of the willingness of newcomers to do whatever it takes in pursuit of the American dream.” Read the article in the Emerson Collective (Lauren Powell Jobs).

April is Arab American Heritage Month

Celebrating a community that includes more than

20 nationalities and many religious groups.

The quote is from an article Mohamad Jaafar wrote for Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, about Arab American Giving.  A communications specialist for The Center for Arab American Philanthropy, Jaafar unpacks a 2022 report by the Center: A Tapestry of Giving Philanthropy in the Arab American Community. 

Online Access Philanthropy Workshop - May 14

Introducing Your Organization to Funders

Many foundations, especially family foundations, do not have a formal application process and can seem out of reach. Join us to learn how to introduce your organization to new funders in a way that captures their attention.

$45

And....

++ We have new pricing on our funder profiles:

3-month subscription to MN Plus: $145 |Small Family Foundations, and Interest Areas: $99

Link to Funder List Page

++ Look forward to the most comprehensive directory of MN Arts Foundations and Funders - coming next month.

PEOPLE IN PHILANTHROPY

In our workshops and consultations, AP stresses the importance of developing relationships with foundation personnel, especially in your field of interest. Here are a bunch of new foundation folks you may want to contact.

The next generation of leaders takes over community foundations

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports: More than three dozen community foundations named new leaders in the past three years, as many baby boomers have retired:

• St. Louis Community Foundation: Kelvin Adams, replacing Amelia Bond, who led the foundation for 12 years.
• New York Community Trust: Amy Freitag, replacing Lorie Slutsky, who led the foundation for 32 years.
• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: LaSandra Gaddy, replacing Diana Sieger, who led the foundation for 36 years.
• Cleveland Foundation: Lillian Kuri, replacing Ronn Richards, who led the foundation for 20 years.
• Baton Rouge Area Foundation: Chris Meyer, replacing John Davies, who led the foundation for 30 years.
• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta: Frank Fernandez, replacing Alicia Philipp, who led the foundation for 43 years.
• Community Foundation of Northern Nevada: Eaton Dunkelberger, replacing Chris Askin, who led the foundation for 20 years.
• Boston Foundation: Lee Pelton, replacing Paul Grogan, who led the foundation for 20 years.
• Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Betsy Constantine, replacing Clotilde Perez-Bode Dodecker, who led the foundation for 18 years.
• Lincoln Community Foundation: Alec Gorynski, replacing Barbara Bartle, who led the foundation for 11 years.
• Foundation for the Carolinas: Catherine Bessant, replacing Michael Marsicano, who led the foundation for 23 years.
• Marin Community Foundation: Rhea Suh, replacing Thomas Peters, who led the foundation for 23 years.
• The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida: Isaiah Oliver, replacing Nina Waters, who led the foundation for 18 years.
• Rhode Island Foundation: David Cicilline, replacing Neil Steinberg, who led the foundation for 15 years.
• Seattle Foundation: Alesha Washington, replacing Tony Mestres, who led the foundation for seven years.

Our old friend, Gabrielle (Gaby) Strong, former Otto Bremer Trust program officer and administrator at Lower Sioux Indian Agency is now NDN Collective Vice President in charge of grantmaking for the Collective.

The San Antonio Area Foundation has named former Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation COO, Nadege Souvenir as its new CEO.

Uma Mishra was selected as the Interim Executive Director of FRIDA, a funder to young feminist organizers. She had been the Managing Director of The Racial Equity Index, an interesting group watching the leadership and staff of the international development community.

Dr. Jochen (Joe) Marschall, currently serving as interim Science program director, has been appointed as Science Program Director at the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Need a sounding board for your development ideas? Need promising new ideas from the philanthropic sector? Need someone to think about the big picture or the day-to-day fundraising stuff? AP crew members offer 30-minute chats for free. Drop a note to 4info@accessphilanthropy.com to set up a time to chat. Email us!

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Opportunities

Here are a few grant opportunities that AP has come across which may have broad interest.

EARMARKS

In The U.S. Senate: CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTED SPENDING

In The U.S. House Of Representatives: COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING REQUESTS

We used to call them Congressional Earmarks, but they were ended in 2011 after a series of scandals. When they were revitalized in 2021, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives added more layers of consideration for each earmark and renamed "Earmarks" to more politically acceptable names. 

The Senate and House have overall rules for appropriations. But, each U.S. Senator and Representative is allowed to nominate a number of special projects in their own state/district. And each Senator/ Representative has their own process for accepting nominations. The nominations then go through several layers of consideration, eventually being passed by the full Senate/House.  

Go to the Senators/Representatives’ homepage to determine their process (and get inside tips on how each member prioritizes). Also, if you have a specific field of interest (such as arts, health), check Google to find tips from arts, health, and other types of organizations on how to support your special projects.

For the fiscal year 2025 appropriations cycle, MN Senators and members of Congress are accepting earmark requests.

Links To Minnesota Senator/Representative Earmark Applications:

Note: Some more conservative members of Congress are more reluctant to support the earmark process and it may take more work to determine how these Representatives deal with them.

• Sen. Tina Smith
• Rep Ilhan Omar
• Rep. Betty McCullum
• Rep. Dean Phillilps
• Rep. Angie Craig
• Rep. Brad Finstad
• Rep. Michelle Fischbach
• Rep. Pete Stauber

More Grant Opportunities 

• Nathan Cummings Foundation has an open call for funding proposals, or Letters of Inquiry (LOIs). They are offering two types of funding opportunities: grants and program-related investments 
• The Anna Lalor Burdick Program funds initiatives that bring women information and access to reproductive health care, contraception, and pregnancy termination in order to help broaden and enhance their options in life. Concept paper due May 1.

Announcements of grantees/ grant news:

When Access Philanthropy is grant prospecting for clients, we look at organizations grantmakers have funded in the past to spot those that look/sound like our client. Here are some grant lists that will help you determine whether this grantmaker is for you.

• The JPB Foundation announced plans to spend up to $100 million in additional funds in 2024 to strengthen democracy, six new senior staff hires, and the appointment of five additional members to its Board of Directors, as Deepak Bhargava begins his tenure as the Foundation’s President. 
• The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation announced 34 new grants from the Community Opportunity Fund including two, five-year grants and 32 one-time grants
• Information about MN state grant opportunities.
• ClimateWorks is a global platform for philanthropy to innovate and scale high-impact climate solutions that benefit people and the planet. They maintain a database of grantees.
• Minneapolis Foundation’s Fund for Safe Neighborhoods - Grants for direct service programs, communication, advocacy, and organizing led by community-based organizations. We prioritize efforts that are led and influenced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and which are grounded in the needs of diverse Minneapolis neighborhoods.

FUNDRAISING NEWS

MN Ranked First In Per Capita For State Art Agency Income

Twice yearly, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports revenues for state and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) within the context of national trends.

Some key points:

• MN ranked #1 in Per Capita Spending on SAAs, and 2nd in SAA Legislative Appropriations as a Percentage of State General Fund Expenditures (0.147%)
• Thirty-nine SAAs reported increases in total legislative appropriations, with a median increase of 12.7%. 
• Twelve SAAs reported decreases, with a median decrease of 29.4%. 
• After two years of double-digit growth spurred by pandemic relief and positively trending economic performance, state general fund spending and revenues are projected to settle into a moderate pace in FY2024.
• By law, the National Endowment for the Arts allocates 40% of its annual grants budget to state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations - significant funding for states with smaller budgets: 18 states received more than one-third of their total revenue from the federal arts agency in FY2024.

Billionaire Philanthropy

Musk’s haphazard philanthropy is under scrutiny

The New York Times took a look at Elon Musk's foundation, summarized here by CNN

Takeaways:

• Since 2020, Musk has seeded his charity with tax-deductible donations of stock worth more than $7 billion at the time, making it one of the largest in the country.
• The Foundation has no staff
• It has failed in recent years to give away the bare minimum required by law to justify the tax break.
• About half the Foundation giving in 2021 and 2022 — the latest years for which full data is available — had some link to Mr. Musk, one of his employees, or one of his businesses.
• Says the CNN Editor: “The Musk Foundation appears to be consistent with Musk’s general disdain toward non-profit work,” pointing out that he believes his for-profit work will offer more transformative change for the world.

Even Impact Investors Barely Invest in Impact

The Bridgespan Social Impact Group, along with the Capricorn Investment Group (Jeff Skoll of eBay money), studied 65 foundations with assets ranging from $11 million to $16 billion. They learned just 5% of the primarily U.S.-based foundations surveyed invest their assets for impact. Yet, nearly all are active members of impact investing groups, such as the Global Impact Investing Network and Mission Investors Exchange.

The Case for Funding Collaboratives

Writing for Exponent Philanthropy, two philanthropic leaders from NY Community Trust make a case for funding collaboratives, in which donors come together to pool money and resources for a shared cause. These collaboratives, they say, are especially attractive for smaller foundations that are looking to maximize their resources to achieve greater impact.

Charitable Giving Across Generations

In a pitch for their Constituent Management System, the tech company Sylogist offers some advice on “How Nonprofit Fundraisers Can Better Understand Donor's Preferences for Generational Giving.” They break down overall giving behaviors, provide some statistics about each generation's giving, how each likes to be contacted, and their preferred giving method.

Briefly:

• The Silent Generation (1925-1945) prefers voice calls and direct mail for communication and donating.
• Baby Boomers (1946-1964) will communicate through voice calls, Text or SMS messaging, email, and social media posts, and prefer online giving - 24% say they gave online because of direct mail they received.
• Generation X (1965-1980) prefers to communicate through voice calls, Text or SMS messaging, email, social media posts, and online giving. Email prompted 31% of online donations made by Gen Xers.
• Millennials (1981-1996) prefer to communicate through Text or SMS messaging and social media posts, and online giving. In 2016, 47% gave through an organization’s website.
• Generation Z (1997-2012) is just starting to develop their preferences now. 59% are inspired to donate to charity by a message/image they saw on social media.
• No word yet on Generation Alpha (Born after 2012).

Links to other reports

• The Northwest Area Foundation published its Annual Report.
• Giving Tuesday’s GivingPulse Q4 2023 Report takes a holistic look at trends in giving behavior and perspectives.
• Giving Gap is the largest free searchable platform of Black-founded nonprofits in the United States.

10 Words and Phrases You Should Never Use

An advice piece in the Chronicle of Philanthropy goes after "Philanthro-speak" which often means one thing to a foundation program officer and another to people outside that bubble. The CP staff and some nonprofit leaders and communications experts go after ten to stop using.

• Some are likely keystones in your proposal narrative, like “Bridge building” and “Best practice.”
• Some you may have felt forced to use, even if you hate them, such as “Theory of Change” and “Asset Mapping.”
• Others, like ”socialize” and “ecosystem” are just confusing, or they make your ears hurt, as in “concretize” (better to say: Offer details to illustrate your project).
• But also “Impact”, possibly the most-used word in philanthropy. Says Jara Dean-Coffey, director of the Equitable Evaluation Initiative*: Every program officer wants their grants to result in change. But ‘impact’ is something that happens to something; it suggests, for instance, that a community working with a foundation has no role in its betterment. Meteors make impact. Teeth get impacted. The word is violent, nonconsensual, and not fair. (*An effort to redefine how foundations determine grant results.)

We’ve listed them with the comments in the Access Philanthropy Toolbox online

A Dozen Ways to Create Events Donors Love — Without Spending a Fortune

Lisa Schohl, Senior Editor of Advice with Chronicle of Philanthropy offers these tips:

1. Be intentional: When planning your events for the year, make sure each event has a purpose and you’re not just doing something because you always have or to please a board member or other individual.
2. Go smaller: Thoughtfully curate the audience and program. Try different types of venues. Offer individual tickets, instead of entire tables, to companies that sponsor their events.
3. Create a short yet powerful program: Hire an emcee. Stay focused on the mission. Allow the most time for your fundraising appeal. End on a high note. 
4. Raise as much as you can before the event.
5. Keep food costs under control.
6. Save on décor and printed materials.
7. Spend where it counts: Don't skimp on sound.
8. You may want to add a livestreaming package to increase reach and accessibility. Hire a professional auctioneer or fundraising host.
9. Negotiate to meet your budget
10. Make the most of auctions.
11. Experiences sell. Make the silent auction virtual and open it a few days before. Add a live peer-to-peer fundraising element.
12. Thank and follow up with donors promptly.

Just how useful are Community Development Financial Institutions?

Citi Foundation Senior Program Officer Kristen Scheyder sat down with the University of New Hampshire Center for Impact Finance Director Michael Swack for a conversation on the impact of CDFIs and the opportunities that lie ahead. 

More tips

• Match funding is one of the greatest barriers to Native communities needing funding—but what is it?
• Blue Avocado on reviewing your nonprofit’s grant prospects.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy on Raise General Operating Support.
• Grammar Girl gives you 11 Tips to Trash Typos.
• Nonprofit Pro on campaign testing.

JOBS IN PHILANTHROPY

This is a free job board that AP puts together. Our interest is getting good Minnesota nonprofit folks into good local and national foundation jobs.

• Fred C. Katherine B. Andersen Foundation (MN) is conducting a search for its first President. The 65-year-old foundation provides resources to nonprofit organizations primarily serving the St. Croix Valley geographic region of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
• The Blaustein Philanthropic Group is hiring for an Executive Director.
• Bloomingdale’s is looking for a Cause Marketing and Corporate Giving Specialist
• Blue Sky Funders Forum is hiring a Communications Manager.
• Borealis Philanthropy (MN) has a number of job openings including two Fund Program Directors.
• The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment is hiring a Program Director - Community Engagement
• Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MN) is hiring Program Officers for Disaster Relief & Recovery and the Arts
• The Constellation Fund (MN) is seeking an individual with expertise in employment or housing for the role of Program Officer.
• Initiative Foundation (Little Falls, MN) is conducting a search for VP of Economic Opportunity to provide strategic leadership of the Foundation’s Entrepreneurship and Business Finance programs.
• Lever for Change (Chicago) an affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation that connects billionaires to causes (i.e.  Yield Giving Open Call), has openings for three associate positions and an Awards Manager.
• Libra Foundation announced its search for the next President.
• The MacArthur Foundation (Chicago) is looking to fill a new position: Cross-Foundation Program Officer, to apply their expertise across multiple subject areas to develop and implement grantmaking strategies.
• McKnight Foundation is hiring a Program and Grants Associate – Vibrant and Equitable Communities
• Minnesota Council on Foundations (MN) has several job listings
• The Open Society Foundation (NY) has six positions open, including Director of Diversity Equity Inclusion and Culture (NY), and Program Director, global south.  This position can be based in Amman, Dakar, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, or Mexico City.
• The Rockefeller Foundation (NY) has several openings, including  Director of Communications, Policy & Advocacy for the Food Initiative, and Food is Medicine Program Manager.

Other Philanthropic sector Job Boards:

• Minnesota Council On Foundations
• Emerging Practitioners In Philanthropy
• Funders for LGBTQ
• Peak Grantmaking
• Pollen
• Philanthropy Job Board Hub 

There are thousands of Arab American natives and immigrants to celebrate this month, including Donna Shalala, Edward Said, Rashida Tlaib, Imam Sharif Mohamed (Dar Al Hijrah Mosque in Cedar Riverside), Michael E. DeBakey, Helen Thomas, and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody). 

For me and many Baby Boomers, one Arab son of Lebanese immigrants stands out – Ralph Nader His work created whole new fields of consumer advocacy, college volunteering, and election involvement. We can celebrate his energy, his personal commitment, and his devotion to training, motivating, and involving college students in the consumer, environmental, and political spheres of their communities.

Nader was instrumental in the development of several great student-run national advocacy groups like the state Public Interest Research Groups, Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety, and Critical Mass Energy Project. His efforts also led to several key pieces of federal legislation, such as Freedom of Information Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Clean Water Act, Consumer Product Safety Act, and Whistleblower Protection Act. His repeat presidential campaigns upset many people, but the campaigns also trained thousands of young people in nuances of political campaigns. 

When you’re with friends this month raise a glass to great Arab Americans, and afterwards when you’re driving home, give a thought to Ralph Nader’s role in giving you a safer car.

SO, WHAT EXACTLY DOES ACCESS PHILANTHROPY

DO FOR A LIVING? 

THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US.

Need some ideas, someone to talk to about fundraising, or just a fabulous listener/chatter?

4info@accessphilanthropy.com