RESIZED-Lapels-BBBS-presentation-3.jpgNews about grants, gifts
Hyundai Motor America and its nonprofit, Hyundai Hope On Wheels, hosted an event at the Marconi Automotive Museum to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s. During the event, Hyundai presented CHOC Children’s with the final installment of a $10 million pediatric cancer research grant.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and The American College, the nation’s premier educator of financial services professionals, announced today the establishment of the MassMutual Center for Special Needs. The $2.5 million investment by MassMutual will establish the first academic center of its kind, serving as the nation’s leading authority on life care planning for a person with a disability or other special needs.
Building upon a partnership that has helped thousands of U.S. military veterans, The Home Depot® Foundation has pledged more than $1.6 million in new grants to Volunteers of America to address the critical housing needs of former service members.
Cargill was recognized at a grand opening ceremony of the Pork Education Center at Fair Oaks Farms on Sunday, June 28, 2015, for its $750,000 contribution that will enable Fair Oaks Farms’ non-profit arm to educate students and the general public on modern agriculture production practices that benefit the environment, use fewer natural resources, and improve sustainability for crop and animal production.
The Daniels Fund, a Denver-based charitable foundation, has donated $1 million to advance National Jewish Health palliative care services. Palliative care is an important part of comprehensive patient care, providing physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual support for those who have serious illnesses.
LA’s BEST After School Program Family Dinner event
The LA’s BEST After School Program hosted its Family Dinner fundraising event on June 27th, raising $670,000 for the program and serving over 25,000 children across Los Angeles. LA’s BEST honored Candy Spelling, Albertsons & The Vons Foundation, William S. White & the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and So You Think You Can Dance for their support.
The University of Puget Sound is initiating strategies to ensure that every student has a well-integrated set of opportunities to apply their liberal arts learning to “real-world” experiences and hands-on projects during their four years of study. The efforts are being generously supported by a $250,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Willis Allen Real Estate, San Diego’s premier real estate firm, is partnering with GRID Alternatives San Diego to launch “Operation: Solar for San Diego Troops” in order to transition veterans to clean and renewable energy. Willis Allen Real Estate will donate time and monetary resources to help GRID Alternatives provide energy cost-savings and a source of clean local energy to local veterans’ homes, and hands-on experience for veteran volunteers. Four of the projects will be in partnership with the veterans’ program of Habitat for Humanity.
News about people, groups
Physicians for Human Rights announced the appointment of Kathleen M. Foley, MD, to its board of directors. Dr. Foley is an attending neurologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she has worked for more than four decades. She is also a professor of neurology, neuroscience, and clinical pharmacology at the Weill Cornell Medical College, and holds the Society of Sloan Kettering Chair in Pain Research.
Rare Genomics Institute (RG) announced that Jimmy Lin, RG President, has been appointed by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as a member of its Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement. Jimmy Lin will join other members of the panel in applying his experience and expertise to help PCORI refine and prioritize research funding priorities and ensure that the work PCORI supports centers on the outcomes that matter to patients and other healthcare decision makers.
The ASCAP Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators through music education, talent development and humanitarian initiatives, announced that Colleen McDonough has been promoted to Executive Director of the Foundation, effective July 1st. She succeeds Karen Sherry, who recently retired after 17 years in the role.
AmeriCares Chairman Elected
AmeriCares is pleased to announce former Deloitte Global Managing Director Jerry Leamon has been elected chairman of the AmeriCares Board of Directors. The AmeriCares Board of Directors oversees all aspects of the emergency response and global health organization’s humanitarian aid programs including its disaster response work and health programs in under-resourced countries.
OWL is excited to welcome Charlene Fike, entrepreneur extraordinaire, to its board of directors. Charlene has spent the last decade networking with women weavers primarily in Central America and Asia, creating marketing platforms, developing products to provide meaningful employment, and conducting business skills training.
Donors Forum, the Chicago-based nonprofit membership association of Illinois grantmakers, nonprofits, and their advisors, is pleased to announce five new Board Members: Brian Bannon, Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library; Arturo Bendixen, Executive Director of the Center for Housing and Health; Joshua Gibb, Executive Director of the Galesburg Community Foundation; Alison Ranney, Principal at Koya Leadership Partners; and Nareman Taha, Co-Founder and Director of Arab American Family Services. Donors Forum also welcomes Bill Cosper as Vice President, Development and Communications.
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council‘s (LMCC) current president, Sam Miller, will retire at the end of the year. Having taken the helm of the 42-year-old organization in 2010, Miller has led LMCC through notable expansions in free public programming highlighting a culturally vibrant Lower Manhattan that is inclusive of the East River Waterfront and Governors Island. Under Miller’s leadership, LMCC has grown its capital assets and diversified funding streams to include a robust network of supporters from the public and private sectors. A search committee has been organized to identify Miller’s successor.
The Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation has appointed Brian Rusch as the new Executive Director of the foundation. As Executive Director, Rusch will helm Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu’s only foundation based in the United States, whose mission is to inspire young people to build a world of peace within themselves, peace between people, and peace among nations.
Following successful regional “giving days” in 2014 and 2015, and in response to numerous requests from San Francisco-based nonprofit organizations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation announced that the 2016 Silicon Valley Gives event will expand to include all charities based in San Francisco. On Tuesday, May 3, 2016, Silicon Valley Gives will raise money for local nonprofits through a single online donation platform, providing a simple way to connect donors to the charitable causes they care about most and encouraging them to take action. For the first time, all 501(c)(3) public charities serving San Francisco residents will be eligible to participate.
Community First Fund, located in Central Pennsylvania, received a $30 million New Markets Tax Credits allocation from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. These funds are intended for use in low-income communities to stimulate growth and create and retain jobs. To date, Community First Fund has completed three projects in York, Lancaster, and Reading with the original New Markets Tax Credits allocation. Community First Fund anticipates another four to six projects will benefit from the latest $30 million allocation.
Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra
Esperanza Azteca, a network of youth orchestras, delivered an inspiring performance at the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival. In five years since its launch, Esperanza Azteca has created 82 orchestras in Mexico, El Salvador and in Los Angeles, with total participation of more than 16,000 youths. The program promotes active values like discipline, effort, teamwork and perseverance to build better citizens.
The Poetry Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Henry S. Bienen, president emeritus of Northwestern University, to the position of Poetry Foundation interim president.
Rasmuson Foundation has elected two new members to its Board of Directors. John A. “Jay” Gibbons III and Laura Emerson were elected to three-year terms at the Board meeting July 1, 2015.
Each year, Lapels Dry Cleaning stores across the country host clothing drives to benefit Big Brother/Big Sister organizations. With seven states participating in this year’s drive, held May 2 to May 17, customers donated 11,565 pounds of clothes. The clothes donated will be resold at various thrift shops and other second-hand clothing stores, helping to fund Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
On July 11th, Dean Starbuck Bragonier launched a new nonprofit organization by making the first ever 50-mile swim around Martha’s vineyard Island. Bragonier is the Founder and Executive Dyslexic of NoticeAbility, a nonprofit organization that creates strength-based experiential learning curricula for middle school students with dyslexia. Bragonier explains that this 50-mile swim was a memorable and metaphoric beginning to his nonprofit: “The challenge is significant, the conditions are perpetually changing and my success will hinge upon my tenacity and creativity.”
News about opportunities, initiatives
Kimono artisans and the art of kimono creation is on the verge of a crisis due to the reduction of kimono market, aging of artisans, and lack of their successors in Japan. To expand kimono markets, two non-profit organizations, Kimono Hiro Inc. and Kimono Artisan Kyoto, will demonstrate the great work of kimono artisans on stage at New York Fashion Week in February 2016. A Kickstarter campaign is ongoing to raise funds through July 31st.
For the sixth year, Mary Kay‘s Suits for Shelters is collecting women’s professional attire, shoes and accessories to benefit 12 Dallas-area organizations supporting survivors of domestic violence. From July 1st through August 1st, Tootsies, located in the Plaza at Preston Center, will host a community collection and in return provide benevolent shoppers with a $25 Tootsies gift card.
The 17th Annual V Wine Celebration will take place on August 6th through 9th in Napa Valley, CA. With an unprecedented $3 million matching grant from an anonymous donor, The V Wine Celebration is positioned to raise at least $6 million to support pediatric brain cancer research through The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
BoardSource is hosting a webinar series on Tuesdays from July 28th through August 11th concerning the lack of professional development for board chairs. Their three-part certificate program, “Leadership Certificate for Nonprofit Board Chairs”, will allow board chairs to connect with a governance expert as well as other board chairs to conquer the unique challenges and issues that encompass this position.
The Nonprofit Resource Group will host “What Social Good Organizations Need To Know About Equity Crowdfunding” on Tuesday July 28th. Find out how nonprofits with commercial ventures and social impact organizations can raise money from investors other than donors.
A Stanford Social Innovation Review webinar, “The Rise of Gender Capitalsim”, will give an overview of the gender lens framework and discuss how its application can allow cross-sector leaders to identify opportunities to further social impact.
Chicago Artists and Arts Organizations are invited to participate in Chicago Artists Month 2015, the 20th annual citywide celebration of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse arts community. This year’s theme The City as Studio invites artists to look at Chicago as a place for innovation and experimentation. Event proposals will be accepted online only, July 13-24, 2015.
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