April 2011           A monthly e-newsletter for people interested in Florida philanthropy      Headlines      JPMorgan Chase Extends Facebook Giving Program JPMorgan Chase is adding $25 million and two years to its Facebook-powered Chase Community Giving program, where Facebook users vote for their favorite local charities to receive Chase's charitable dollars. Chase started the program in 2009 and has given away $10 million so far to 300 small and local charities. Starting April 21, Facebook users will be able to vote for local charities with yearly operating expenses of $1 million to $10 million through the Chase Community Giving page.  A second round of votes starts May 19.           Orlando Charity Finds New Life Through Recycling When charitable donations to The Mustard Seed plummeted during the recession, the 26-year-old furniture and clothing bank reinvented itself as a major recycling hub for Central Florida, with funding help from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation.     > Florida Bar Foundation Supports Legal Aid, Justice Projects The Florida Bar Foundation has awarded more than $4.2 million in grants for legal aid and justice-related programs. Funding included children's legal services and affordable housing grants to legal aid organizations around Florida, as well as a number of projects for law student assistance and improvements in the administration of justice.       > Knight Foundation Funds National Expansion of Women of Tomorrow's Mentor & Scholarship Program Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program, a unique, high-impact mentoring program, has announced plans for its national expansion with a $3 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The expansion will begin in Detroit, Philadelphia and Charlotte.     > Study Highlights "Collateral Damage" of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars on Florida Families A groundbreaking new study commissioned by Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice highlights the collateral damage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on Florida's veterans and military families. The study included a first-of-its-kind statewide survey of the problems faced by service personnel before, during and after deployment.      > Walt Disney Pavilion Opens at Florida Hospital for Children Featuring the latest in pediatric clinical technology and soothing, kid-friendly environments, the Walt Disney Pavilion opened on March 30 at Florida Hospital for Children. The state-of-the-art facility is part of a $10 million contribution that Disney made to Florida Hospital in 2007.     Perspectives From Florida Philanthropy Leaders   > Empowering New Generation of Leaders for Miami By Javier Alberto Soto, president & CEO, The Miami Foundation (The Miami Herald, March 12, 2011)     > One Year After Healthcare Reform By Steven Marcus, president & CEO, Health Foundation of South Florida (The Miami Herald, March 22, 2011)      Arts Funding News       Realize Bradenton's Project Art Connects Receives Support The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, through its donor advised fund and in partnership with the Manatee Community Foundation, has awarded $149,639 to Realize Bradenton to fund Project Art Connects. The grant is matched by $286,944 of local funds and in-kind donations. Project Art Connects will develop a core of young people who will inform and engage the community with downtown Bradenton's future by connecting art and history in public places and social media.     > Recovery Still Slow for the Arts  The recession was harder on arts groups than on many other organizations. Finally, though, there are signs that some of Central Florida's major arts organizations are headed toward good reviews on their balance sheets.      > Dennis Scholl Talks Knight Arts Challenge and Turning Money Into Art Dennis Scholl, vice president/arts for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, talks with the Miami New Times about how to continue making Miami a cultural force to be reckoned with.      Education Funding News        Community Foundation Poll Paints Picture of Jacksonville's Education Conundrum A recent poll of Jacksonville residents, commissioned by The Community Foundation in Jacksonville, illustrates the challenges facing the community as it seeks to improve the quality of public education. The poll showed that Jacksonville residents think education is the most critical issue facing the community, but the existing school system receives low ratings. The majority of residents believe it will take increased funding to improve the school system, but half of respondents feel their taxes are too high already.         AT&T Invests in Initiatives to Support High School Retention Goals of Grad Nation Campaign To help address the high school dropout crisis, AT&T is investing $2 million in initiatives that support the Grad Nation campaign goal of raising the graduation rate to 90% by 2020.  The company provided new funding to three initiatives that will better prepare students transitioning into high school and support the evolution of education into a more data-driven enterprise.    > USF Program to Train Migrants' Teachers Gets Boost From Helios  A University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee professor who is committed to making sure the children of migrant workers get proper care and an education just received a $1.2 million boost of support from the Helios Education Foundation.      > Gates Foundation Spurs Donations for Hillsborough School Projects  The Hillsborough School District has distributed gift cards to residents, and through Starbucks and Best Buy, to be used to support classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The district has raised nearly $500,000 for 1,200 projects.      FPN News       FPN Members Meet With Florida Legislators on Capitol Hill Florida Philanthropic Network led a team of 15 Florida grantmakers to Washington, D.C., on March 9 for visits with 25 members of Florida's congressional delegation and their staffs, as part of the annual Foundations on the Hill event, which was co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.      > FPN Resource Page: Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Response, Relief & Recovery  FPN has a new page on its website to provide resources & information on how people can help the people of Japan in response to the country's devastating earthquake & tsunami, plus a summary of how FPN members and other Florida grantmakers are responding to the disaster.      Community Indicators       New Report Offers Detailed Look at Well-Being of Children in Duval County A new report, "The Map of Child Well-Being in Duval County," looks at how two dozen different indicators affect children in Duval County, and then maps the results by neighborhood. The result is a graphic depiction of widely varying circumstances in which Duval County children live. The report is part of a groundbreaking study of children in Duval County conducted by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University on behalf of the Jacksonville Children's Commission.  The study was funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Download the report.      > New Study Estimates $1.36 Billion Food Budget Shortfall for Floridians at Risk of Hunger A landmark study by Feeding America, "Map the Meal Gap," reports that people struggling with hunger estimate that they would need about $56 more each month on average during the months that they are food insecure to address the shortages in their food budget, which represents an estimated $21.3 billion annually nationwide.  In Florida, there are more than 3.1 million people facing food insecurity, according to the report, and an additional $1.36 billion would be needed to meet the state's food needs.      People        Ashley Smith Juarez        Mayur Patel   > Ashley Smith Juarez named executive director of The Chartrand Foundation. She joined the foundation in 2008 as deputy director and has led the grant research, development, monitoring and evaluation efforts for the foundation, which has contributed more than $6 million to area youth-serving agencies since its inception.        > Eric Newton promoted to the new post of senior adviser to the president at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  In his new role, Newton will help pursue strategic partnerships and serve as a magnet for new ideas across all foundation programs.  He was previously journalism program vice president for the foundation.     > Mayur Patel promoted to vice president of strategy and assessment at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  His new position reflects Knight's continued emphasis on assessment as a powerful tool for strategy development, planning and improvement.  Patel joined the foundation in 2009 and was promoted to director of strategic assessment and assistant to the president in 2010.      Jobs Recent job postings on FPN's Jobs Board:      > Chief Financial Officer, Quantum Foundation.     > Director of Development, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.     > Director of Foundation Grants and Programs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation.     > Director of Gift Planning, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.      Funding Opportunities       > Allegany Franciscan Ministries 2011 Major Grants In 2011, Allegany Franciscan Ministries will provide one- and two-year grants to support organizations and projects that are strategically aligned with its mission and regional goals in three regions: Miami-Dade County; Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties; and the Tampa Bay area of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. With the goals of creating healthier communities, Allegany's 2011 Major Grants will support efforts that positively impact the health of individuals, families and communities, and improve access to health services and information for marginalized, vulnerable, underserved or economically disadvantaged residents. Deadline: April 21.     > Bank of America's Neighborhood Builders and Local Heroes Awards In Florida, the Neighborhood Builders awards will provide two outstanding nonprofits in each of Bank of America's seven Florida markets (Broward County, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach County, Pinellas County and Tampa) with $200,000 in general operating support and rigorous leadership training over two years.  The Local Heroes Awards will recognize five community heroes in each of the seven Florida markets, who can direct a $5,000 contribution to an eligible nonprofit of their choice.  Deadline: June 1.     > Walmart Foundation Annual State Giving Program The Walmart Foundation is accepting applications from Florida nonprofits for its annual State Giving Program, which focuses on addressing the educational needs of underserved young people; providing job readiness and skills training to workers; improving access to health care, reducing health care disparities and promoting nutrition; reducing waste, promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources; and hunger relief.  Deadline: April 22.      Honors       > FPN Members Honored for Excellence in Communications Two FPN members - the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation and The Community Foundation of Sarasota County - have been honored for excellence in communications as recipients of 2011 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards.  Presented by the Council on Foundations, the national awards recognize grantmaking foundations and corporate giving programs across the country for excellence in communication strategies and techniques that advance their grantmaking goals.  Both Florida organizations were recognized in the annual or biennial reports category.          Follow FPN on Twitter @flphilanthropy      Florida Philanthropic Network is a statewide association of grantmakers working to strengthen philanthropy through research, education and public policy.     Join Florida Philanthropic Network.   Not a Grantmaker?  Become a Friend of the Network.