What Is Cutting Edge Philanthropy?

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation

December 2009

progress
a newsletter for our donors
and colleagues

Let's take a look at some creative ways of using philanthropic money to have a positive impact.

Discretionary Grants - At PVF we don't talk about general operating support. We give discretionary grants to program directors. This is money they can use as they see fit. It means we trust the people we work with and respect their judgment. We have always tried to democratize the giving process and we believe it has paid off many times over, by allowing people to create new initiatives when they are needed.

First Seed Funding - Here's a person with an idea of working with young people 14-24 who are from challenging backgrounds, underemployed, but with a lot of potential. He wants to teach them media technology that will make them competitive for jobs, and the projects undertaken by the apprentices will benefit the surrounding community. The teens will make videos for the Health Department that teach kids about healthy living, they learn website design and the whole panoply of public relations work, for which they will get paid. He has his ducks in a line. All he needs is some money to get started and Philanthropic Ventures Foundation was his first funder. We try to specialize in first funding but you have got to be there at the right time and have the courage to take the leap. Our donors share that courage with us and we are proud of them for doing so.

Addressing Parent Involvement - Many Hispanic parents in low-income areas are not actively involved in the education of their children due to language barriers. A lot of these parents don't speak English and their children's teachers usually don't speak Spanish. To address this issue, we went to an adult ESL (English as a Second Language) program in East Palo Alto and interviewed their Hispanic graduates. We hired several graduates, and placed them in classrooms with elementary school teachers. We call them Parent Involvement Workers. They tutor in the classroom, call parents with concerns about their children's academic progress, and with praise for their achievements. The Parent Involvement Workers are valued by the teachers and attendance at parent night has gone from 10% to 100%. We have been doing this for 9 years, with the generous support of one PVF donor.

Visiting Programs - We drop in on people and programs all the time. Sometimes without an appointment. We were worried that some might feel we are spying on them until one such person said, "You are the only funder who takes that time to come and see us. Thank you." We take donors on field trips to see how their philanthropic dollar is spent. We never use the word 'tour' - these are opportunities to see people at work, to appreciate what they do and to understand how to evaluate impact. In evaluating our grantmaking, so we tend to stay way from metrics, numbers, instead we ask the people doing the work, "How do you evaluate your work?"

About the Editor

Bill with students at Holy Family School

Bill Somerville has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for 49 years. He was the director of a community foundation for 17 years, and in 1991 founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation where he serves as Executive Director. PVF is a demonstration foundation practicing unique forms of grantmaking and conducting innovative philanthropy. Bill has consulted at over 400 community foundations in the United States, Canada, and the U.K., on creative grantmaking and foundation operations. His primary interest is in the creative and significant use of the philanthropic dollar.

Board of Directors

John P. Carver, Chair
Retired Senior Vice-President
The Gap Inc.
Duncan Beardsley
Marketing Consultant
Howard H. Bell
Attorney
Bell, Rosenberg & Hughes, LLP
William E. Green
Attorney
William Green & Associates
Albert J. Horn
Attorney
Carr, McClellan, Ingersoll,
Thompson & Horn PC
Bill Somerville, President
Executive Director
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Jackie Speier
U.S. Representative
12th District of California
Moira C. Walsh
Attorney and
Philanthropic Advisor
Colburn S. Wilbur
Trustee and Former President
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

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What Goes Into a Site Visit - on a morning site visit to the St. Francis Center run by Sister Christina Heltsley, you would first notice a covey of women and children in front of the building, waiting for the program to open. There is a feeling of community as the women socialize in an area that has been made welcoming with benches and toys for the children. Inside, are volunteers filling bags with groceries. There are also volunteers arranging clothes on racks, to be given out - two bags of food and one bag of clothes per family. To the side, there is a washing machine and shower area, where people who are homeless can wash their clothes and take a shower. There is a food pantry storage area and a stockpile of presents for Christmas.

Upstairs there is a school for children who come from abject poverty. Sister Susan Ostrowski runs the school. The kids are full of spirit; they greet you and usually will ask if they can read one of their favorite books to you. There are classrooms for parents to learn English and computer use, and to prepare for GED testing (high school equivalency).

On the top floor there is housing for large families at a low rent. Next door is an apartment house bought with HUD money. It has been rehabilitated with volunteer labor, the rent cut in half, and families live there. Down the street is a construction site where a derelict building was demolished and a gym will be built with a sheriff's substation in the building to calm down the neighborhood. Saint Francis Center is a bee hive of activity. It is amazing to see and very compelling.

PVF staff regularly take donors on field trips to see programs and people at work.

If you would like to provide general support for PVF's work you can do so by clicking here. PVF is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Funds given to PVF qualify for the maximum tax deduction.

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, 1222 Preservation Park Way, Oakland CA 94612-1201
Telephone: 510-645-1890 Fax: 510-645-1892
www.venturesfoundation.org