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Resources for Grantmakers - February 2013 
In This Issue
Featured Article
General Philanthropy
Education
Education
Corporate Philanthropy
Evaluation
Impact Investing
Impact Investing


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March 28
The Build Initiative and Opportunities for Funders

General Philanthropy

AGF just released this report summarizing the results of in-depth interviews and focus group sessions conducted in 2012 as part of the AGF Engagement Initiative. The research was conducted by Carolyn A. Holmes, MScN, PhD, Holmes Research & Consulting, LLC on behalf of Arizona Grantmakers Forum.

This report, sponsored by The Philanthropic Collaborative, assesses the economic impacts of 2010 Foundation Grantmaking on the domestic economy. 

Written by leading philanthropy scholar Lucy Bernholz, captures the changing landscape of what it means to use private resources for the public good. No longer the purview of foundations and nonprofits alone, philanthropy is now defined by an array of increasingly diverse activities, such as impact investing, social businesses, peer networks, and crowdfunding. The Blueprint outlines how these and other innovations are transforming the "social economy."

A panel discussed the potential of SIBs and the concerns that they raise. The distinguished panel included Nirav Shah, Director of Social Finance US; Jon Pratt from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Partner in The Bridgespan Group's San Francisco Office Daniel Stid; and Vice President of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs Andrea Phillips. Hudson Institute Senior Fellow William Schambra moderated the discussion.

This is an edited and abridged version of a memo, titled "Sweet Grapes," to the board of the Public Welfare Foundation (PWF) from Thomas Scanlon on the occasion of his leaving the board after 40 years of service, including 12 years as board chair. 

Aaron Dorfman, executive director at NCRP explores how can we in the philanthropic sector contribute to expanding American democracy to include everyone? What can we do to address inequality and make a meaningful contribution to a changing nation? Foundations and other institutional grantmakers have a unique opportunity to make a difference, to be relevant in this moment. 
 
A live stream broadcast recording of the San Diego Grantmakers program "Civil Discourse? Progressive vs. Conservative Philanthropy" featuring speakers Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and William Schambra, director of the Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. Moderated by Sid Voorakkara of Ten Page Memo consulting. Presented in partnership with Northern California Grantmakers and Southern California Grantmakers.

Public Policy

"...the healthcare reform legislation was simply the starting point of a long, hard slog of implementation that nonprofits have to be prepared to address. It's time for nonprofits and their foundation backers to redouble their efforts in order to focus on implementation of national health insurance reform. We must not drop the ball now that we come to the tedious but ultimately crucial tasks involved in translating a piece of legislation into a workable program."  

Education

According to their analysis, Arizona ranked 7th out of 50 states in terms of establishing education laws and policies that they believe will improve the nation's public education system so that it serves all students well and puts each and every one of them on a path toward success.

Quality Counts 2013 State Highlights Report 

The Quality Counts 2013 Highlights Reports capture all of the data you need to assess your state's performance in key areas. The information is presented in a series of charts and graphs, and includes comparisons to national averages. 

Replicating Latino college success, one program at a time  

A new report from Excelencia in Education finds that even modestly-funded small programs in colleges across the country can do a very good job of helping Latinos gain access to college, stay in college and transfer from 2-year to 4-year institutions.  

Corporate Philanthropy

The State of Corporate Citizenship
The fifth biennial survey of the attitudes and commitments of business executives toward corporate citizenship. Executives surveyed issue a clear verdict - corporate citizenship delivers real business results. Read the highlights in this Denver Post article, Corporate Citizenship Pays Off.  

Evaluation

The William & Flora Hewlet Foundation has released an Internal Working Paper on their standing principles and practices on Evaluation. The purpose is "to advance the Foundation's existing work so that our evaluation practices become more consistent across the organization. With more consistency and shared understanding, we expect less wheel re-creation across program areas, greater learning from each other's efforts, and faster progress in designing meaningful evaluations and applying the results."

Impact Investing

Impact Investors Report Satisfaction-and Cite Challenges
Most foundations and other institutions that make investments that seek both social and financial returns say the approach is meeting their expectations on both counts, according to this new report published by JPMorgan and the Global Impact Investing Network.
Nonprofit
This newly released study reveals that many nonprofits are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed. A joint project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the report explores various causes of organizational instability.