News about grants, gifts

IBC Hotels has partnered with EC Suites to launch IBC Cares which will contribute a percentage of each hotel booking to selected non-profits. St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Pencils of Promise and Charity Water have been chosen for the program due to their outstanding support of the local and global communities each affects.

Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, partnered with country music star Randy Houser and Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame relief pitcher Jeff Montgomery to honor a Lawrence, Kansas military family with multiple surprises over two days. The gift of groceries and the opportunity to meet Montgomery and Houser are part of the commitment by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national non-profit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich, in its fourth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has already donated more than $750,000 to the charity since 2012.

The Woodbridge Structured Funding Foundation contributed $5,000 to the Aspen Glen Scholarship for Business Administration. This scholarship was created by members of the Aspen Glen Club to assist students that are preparing for the bachelor’s degree program at Colorado Mountain College.

Dedicated Computing is donating of over 100 foreign language USB keyboards to Victory K-8 School, Milwaukee French Immersion School, and Allen-Field Elementary School. Keyboards are primarily designed for typing text in natural languages, and for the students in these immersion programs, it is imperative that they have access to the keyboards in the languages they are learning in order to succeed.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese has enlisted the help of celebrity chef Art Smith, to work to connect more kids with more meals by supporting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign. As part of the brand’s national partnership with No Kid Hungry and in appreciation of the chef’s support, Philadelphia Cream Cheese has made a $150,000 donation to No Kid Hungry, which is helping to end childhood hunger in America by connecting kids to the healthy food they need, every day, through essential nutrition programs such as school breakfast.

The Women Donors Network announced the Reflective Democracy Innovators program, awarding $425,000 in grants to six projects aimed at dismantling the structural barriers that perpetuate an imbalance between the race and gender of the American people and their elected leaders.

City Year, an education-focused nonprofit organization that helps students to stay in school and on track to graduation, announced today that it will standardize and scale its After-School middle school program with the support of a three-year $2.5 million grant from the New York Life Foundation.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan selected HAVEN of Bingham Farms, Michigan as the recipient of the 2015 Richard F. Huegli Award for Program Excellence. As part of the award, HAVEN will receive a one-time grant of $5,000 to support general operations.

The Otto Bremer Foundation has awarded $12 million in grants and program-related investments as part of its most recent grantmaking cycle.

Meritor, Inc., which has a 100-year tradition of supporting the U.S. military, is partnering with the Boise, Idaho-based Wyakin Warrior Foundation to help severely wounded veterans achieve professional and personal success. Meritor made a $50,000 contribution to the foundation, which mentors and gives financial assistance to veterans who are pursuing degrees in many areas, including engineering, business, law, criminal justice, education and computer science.

News about people, groups

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced that Roger L. Myers, president and CEO of Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Mariam C. Noland Award for Nonprofit Leadership. The award recipient receives a grant of $10,000 from the Community Foundation, with the preference that it be used for executive leadership development opportunities.

Grammy-Award winning producer, recording artist and global entrepreneur Kasseem ‘Swizz Beatz’ Dean has joined the board of directors of national non-profit Children’s Rights (CR). Dean’s commitment to CR began almost four years ago, when Board Chair Alan C. Myers introduced him to the organization’s advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children. Immediately attracted to the CR mission, Dean has since used his profile to raise awareness about the plight of children in U.S. foster care, and in 2012 received the Children’s Rights Champion Award for his involvement with multiple organizations for at-risk kids.

The Noel Pointer Foundation (NPF) celebrated its 20^th Anniversary at a gala ceremony on June 23^rd. All proceeds from the gala will be used to benefit the mission of NPF, which honors the legacy of Grammy-nominated jazz violinist and arts education advocate Noel W. Pointer, by providing string music instruction to pre-k through high school students in New York City public schools, and through after school, Saturday and Summer Music Programs.

Rocketship Education, a nonprofit network of elementary schools dedicated to eliminating the achievement gap, is opening a new elementary school in the Monument Corridor. Rocketship schools serve primarily low-income students in neighborhoods where access to excellent schools is limited.

Multifaceted actor and performer Jon Huertas is now Wildlands Network‘s National Celebrity Ambassador, a voice for the organization and the protection of nature. A firm believer that our youth hold the key to a future with wildlife in it, Huertas will promote outdoor adventure programs and other Wildlands Network advocacy and outreach to kids of all ages, including inner city and at-risk youth.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) announces the appointment of Wendy Kesser Yanowitch as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Yanowitch will begin her new role July 1, 2015. She has served on the Board of The CJM for four years and has been its Vice President since 2013.

Community volunteers from Current of Ohio and Fairlawn Mennonite Church joined forces to wash the clothes and linens of local, lower-income residents at two local laundromats simultaneously. The Laundry Project, which supports individuals and families by providing the funds and items necessary to wash and dry clothes, took place on June 20^th and served more than 70 families washing nearly 670 loads of laundry.

Benefunder, a foundation that connects philanthropists with top research causes across the nation, has added a new partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to its platform to support the next generation of leading researchers and to help move innovations forward. These researchers will gain access to Benefunder’s novel funding channel, which will connect them with philanthropists eager to build lasting relationships, and fund cutting-edge research in the sciences and the arts that is impacting and changing our world.

Help for Children/Hedge Funds Care (HFC) has appointed child abuse treatment and prevention expert Renee Skolaski as Executive Director and CEO effective on June 1, 2015. Ms. Skolaski succeeds Dr. Kathryn Conroy who retired this month after a seven year leadership tenure during which she helped HFC successfully navigate the financial crisis of 2009, double the number of charity events and development revenue, and expand the organization’s support of child welfare organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands.

Veteran political strategist, Maurice Daniel has joined Human Rights First as its new Senior Director of Government Relations. Daniel has extensive experience as a senior White House aide, congressional chief of staff, and campaign strategist. He will develop and lead the organization’s initiatives directed at Congress and the executive branch to advance American leadership on human rights.

Tania DiCostanzo of Woodbury, Rachel Tway-Grant of Torrington and Sandra Zielinski of Harwinton have been named to the executive committee of the Women & Girls Fund of The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut. The Women & Girls Fund annually awards grants to a diverse group of organizations whose programs improve the lives of women and girls and their families.

Blackbaud, Inc., a leading global provider of software and services for the nonprofit, charitable giving and education communities, released a #GivingTuesday Trends Report providing online giving trends from more than 4,300 nonprofit organizations representing $55.6 million in online fundraising since 2012 that took place on #GivingTuesday.

Dream Foundation—the only national dream-granting organization for adults and their families suffering life-threatening illness—is pleased that Carol Brown, Troy Cox and Christopher Lincoln have been appointed to the Board of Directors.

The Watermill Center, an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities, has established the Inga Maren Otto Fellowship to support an artist in the development of innovative art forms. Established with a $320K four-year grant from philanthropist Inga Maren Otto—well known for her support of the arts and culture throughout the United States and Germany—the fellowship will support one artist’s participation in The Watermill Center’s year-round residency program each year for the next four years. The fellowship’s inaugural artist will take up residence at The Watermill Center in 2016.

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has selected Meera Srinivasan, a senior assistant editor with The Hindu, as the 2015/16 IWMF Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow. Now in its 11th year, the fellowship provides a unique academic and professional opportunity for women journalists focusing on human rights and social justice reporting.

The EnCorps STEM Teachers Program announces the appointment of Dr. Joan S. Bissell to its Board of Directors.  Bissell brings extensive experience in educational administration and teacher training to the organization’s board, chaired by founder Sherry Lansing.

As part of Global Impact’s ongoing efforts to grow global philanthropy, and help the world’s most vulnerable people, the organization recently built and launched several new Signature Funds for Sisters Saving Africa, PartnerSHIP for Impact, Syria Refugee Fund, and Foundation for Total Recovery. These platforms allow corporations, individuals and collaborations to promote a specific international cause, and raise support and visibility for work to end poverty and suffering around the world.

The Poetry Foundation is pleased to announce that on June 9th, Richard P. Kiphart was appointed to the position of board chair, succeeding John J. Kenney. Kenney became a trustee in 2009 and served as chair since 2011, completing 2 two-year terms, the maximum number of terms the Foundation board of trustees allows.

BRIDGE Housing has appointed Chris Nicholson as Vice President of Resource Development, effective June 8th, 2015. In this position, Mr. Nicholson will lead the organization’s strategy to raise funds to expand the programs that serve residents in BRIDGE communities. BRIDGE is a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing in California, Oregon and Washington.

With budget cuts to public and charter schools throughout the country, new and relevant books have become a valuable and scarce commodity in classrooms and libraries. Connecting teachers, librarians, and students in need of books with donors supporting literacy, reading, and education, BookMentors uses micropatronage to solve book access problems in high-poverty schools. BookMentors allows teachers to ask for the particular book or books they really need, not just any donated old books that won’t meet the needs and preferences of individual students or teaching curriculum.

The Chicago Charity Challenge welcomes 23 new and returning Chicago-area businesses whose employees will compete in this unique citywide corporate giving competition. The 2015 Charity Challenge teams include many who participated in the 2014 inaugural competition in addition to new companies drawn to the Challenge’s innovative model that deepens relationships between businesses and their select charities.

News about opportunities, initiatives

Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago is launching Voices of Youth Count, a national, multi-year original research and policy effort designed to estimate the number of unaccompanied homeless and runaway youth there are in the United States, create a clear and full picture of what it means to be young and homeless in America, as well as find and widely share solutions to ending youth homelessness.

Armanino LLP, the largest independent accounting and business consulting firm based in California will be hosting its annual Nonprofit Symposium on July 15, 2015, at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Designed for finance executives of today’s leading, larger nonprofit organizations, the free, half-day forum offers education opportunities around today’s leading nonprofit finance issues, as well as three hours of continuing education (CE) credit for attendees.

The High Water Women Backpack Drive provides thousands of children living in poverty with new backpacks and supplies to start school each year. Since beginning the drive in 2005, HWW has provided over 68,000 school children with new backpacks. HWW 11^th annual Backpack Drive needs support to provide more than 15,000 children with backpacks and supplies before the start of school in September.

Disney and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates are hosting a complimentary workshop, the LGBT Equality Institute, on July 23rd designed to help companies create welcoming and inclusive workplaces for LGBT employees. Attendees will learn from global experts, LGBT subject matter experts and HR professionals as they share their experiences, best practices, and tips for achieving workplace equality and will come away with actionable plans for building inclusive policies and cultures in their own companies.

CYCLE Kids asks for community support in achieving their mission: helping kids focus on developing healthy habits by teaching them the lifelong skill of bicycling and how to make healthy food choices both at home and at school. Donations will help CYCLE Kids hire a writer, a designer, and an illustrator to produce our new curriculum and student textbooks. It will also help digitally print 5,000 student textbooks for every CYCLE Kid to learn from and keep as a lifelong resource for themselves and their family.

EILEEN FISHER, Inc. launched the Activating Leadership Grant Program in 2010; since the Activating Leadership Grant Program has donated close to two million dollars to over fifty-six organizations that accentuate innovative leadership initiatives that work with women and girls. This year, the brand invites applications on the topic, “Achieving Personal Transformation,” from organizations of all types and sizes. Applications will be accepted through the EILEEN FISHER website until noon E.D.T. on July 21^st.

Florida’s local, urban winery, Quantum Leap and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits have joined forces with Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando in search of the spokesdog or spokescat who will appear on the label of the 2015 My Best Friend “rescue red” wine. The blend will be available this fall from Quantum Leap Winery and in Orlando-area ABC Fine Wine & Spirits retail stores. Proceeds from voting in the contest and the sale of the wine benefit the programs and services of Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando to rescue pets in need.

The Public Media Development and Marketing Conference (PMDMC) 2015, Greater Public’s signature event, has added a Saturday SuperSession on “Women & Leadership – The Effect on Management & Philanthropy”. The PMDMC 2015 Conference will take place in Washington D.C. on July 9^th through the 11^th.

In its latest partnership, nu day jewelry co. joins with Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, internationally-recognized rescue which places giant mixed breed dogs in new homes, donating 10% of sales to the organization. Nu day jewelry co. brings social entrepreneurship to the jewelry industry, doing well by inspiring customers to do good and resonating with today’s consumers, especially millennials.

Everydayhero(TM), a Blackbaud, Inc. company and innovative online giving platform, will empower MapMyFitness users to make their workouts count for the charities or causes closest to their hearts by participating in the #iworkoutbeCAUSE 30-Day Charity Challenge which began on June 16^th. Major prizes will benefit both the winning participants and the causes they support with a first prize offering of a $2,000 charity donation and $500 Under Armour Gift Card.

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