Philanthropic Ventures Foundation

February 2011

progress

a newsletter for our donors and colleagues  

Bringing Young People into Philanthropy 

 

Call it continuing the legacy, the legacy of giving. Most donors would like to see their grown children continue the legacy of giving. Towards this end, PVF has a standing offer to donors to orient, train, and expose sons and daughters to what philanthropy is all about. In a sense it is a course which gives young people a full rich experience in philanthropy and creative grantmaking.

 

PVF has gone further regarding young people, initiating two philanthropy fellowship programs at Stanford University. Through the Sand Hill Fellowship, five undergraduate students are selected for full time summer placements in a Bay Area

 Joy Zhang, Angie McPhaul and Taylor Ray
2010-2011 Tom Ford Fellows

foundation and they are each given a $5,000 stipend. In

addition, through the Tom Ford Fellowship, three Stanford graduates are placed in a national foundation of their choice for 11 months full time for which they each receive a $30,000 stipend. Interestingly, many of the students were offered full time jobs at the foundation after the internship. In over 10 years 92 students have received fellowships, and some foundations have established a continuing fellowship, piggy-backing on the Stanford program.

 

PVF has always been interested in bringing young people into philanthropy. PVF staff have:

  • Taught courses at Stanford on philanthropy
  • Been a visiting lecturer on philanthropy at UC Berkeley
  • Taught students from Brigham Young University about grassroots grantmaking
  • Been a financial supporter of the Emerging Professionals in Philanthropy (EPIP), as well as a speaker at their events
  • Taken students as interns, as well as conducted individualized training for young people wanting to enter the field.

PVF always stands ready to counsel, advise, and train young people about professional philanthropy.

 

Our next move is to see if a philanthropy fellowship program can be established at UC Berkeley. We would welcome people's ideas on this.

Join Us

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation has come to depict exciting philanthropy - grassroots giving that is born out of creative thinking. If readers would like to explore new possibilities in their giving, we are ready to meet at your convenience. We believe your giving should be fun, satisfying and significant.


We can be reached at (510) 645-1890.

About the Editor

Bill Somerville has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for 50 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

Law Offices of Catherine Fisher

 

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

Board of Advisors

Janet Camarena

Director, San Francisco Office,

The Foundation Center


Leonard Edwards

Judge-in-Residence, California Administrative Office of the Courts


Sean Stannard-Stockton

CEO

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors

 

Dien Yuen

Director of Philanthopy,

Give2Asia

Read a Post from Our Guest Blogger! 

Shannon Burns served as a PVF Intern in November/December 2010. Read our latest blog post to see what she had to say about her experience:  

Shannon spent time with Street Level Health, which has served over 3,200 meals in their weekly lunch program.

 


"It's official. I have entered the 'Odyssey Years.' David Brooks penned this term generation's human development as, "the decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood," when we are desperately trying to cross that bridge between financial dependence and independence, and ideally, find our calling in a fulfilling career. Graduating from college with a broad degree in the social sciences, a classic English major, leaves me without a clear trajectory for my future. Recently I met Bill Somerville, and the rut of my quarter-life crisis took a new direction..." Click here to read more...  

Want to Know More?

  PVF Twitter YouTube

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, 1222 Preservation Park Way, Oakland CA 94612-1201

Telephone: (510) 645-1890  Fax: (510) 645-1892

www.venturesfoundation.org