News about grants, gifts
Thanks to the generosity of ACE Cash Express, Inc. employees and customers, the $447,478 raised during the Give A Little Campaign, ACE’s annual in-store fundraiser, will be donated to chapters of AdoptAClassroom.org, Autism Speaks, Back on My Feet, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, National Down Syndrome Society, Providence House and the Stars Scholarship Fund.
8.3.15-FEATURE-IMAGE-REVISED-create-program-2.jpgAmeriCares donated medical supplies to keep athletes healthy throughout nine days of competition at the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015. AmeriCares, a champion-level supporter of the games, supplied pain relief cream to soothe sore muscles, thermal blankets, antibiotic ointment and bandages, among other supplies.
Autobytel Inc., a leading provider of online automotive services connecting consumers with dealers, provided Working Wardrobes with a $50,000 corporate sponsorship to help the unemployed find jobs, and to help the underemployed earn a better living.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) will host its annual Grants Banquet on Thursday, August 13 to present more than $2 million dollars in funds to non-profit entertainment related organizations and scholarship programs. Contributions made by the HFPA will help aid a wide range of projects, including the preservation of films, higher education, training and mentoring and the promotion of cultural exchange through cinema.
For the third year in a row, the Robin Hood Foundation has awarded Services for the UnderServed (SUS) a $250,000 grant. SUS will use the grant to connect 260 veterans and their family members to services, including primary care, legal services, employment and housing; to improve coordination among various veteran service programs both within SUS and New York City. Previous grants have resulted in similar services for over 1,000 veterans and their families.
Points of Light, a program that aims to provide 25,000 young adults with skills necessary to enter college and the workforce, is the recipient of the Citi Foundation‘s largest ever philanthropic donation. This $10 million initiative directly aligns with President Obama’s call to create new public-private partnerships that use national service to help solve our nation’s most pressing challenges.
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation has awarded $401,000 in scholarships to 122 Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members and their children through its John L. Dales Scholarship Fund. Awards ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 and were granted to eligible SAG-AFTRA members and their dependents for study at accredited institutions of higher education for the 2015-2016 school year.
Southern California Gas Co. sponsored the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, donating more than $100,000 as well as providing clean and efficient natural gas fuel for 300 buses that transported athletes and their coaches to the different sporting venues.
Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, Arizona Council on Economic Education, Futures and Options, Junior Achievement USA, Captain Planet Foundation, and AmeriCares received grants in the second quarter of 2015 from The Voya Foundation.
Yale School of Medicine researchers will lead a national multi-center study of preschool and school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to identify non-invasive biological markers that could help physicians diagnose, track, and assess treatments in autism patients. The study is part of a new four-year, public-private collaboration between the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), and multiple partners and stakeholders. Supported by a $2 million grant from SFARI and managed under the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, this project is part of a $28 million NIH initiative.
News about people, groups
America’s Promise Alliance has elected Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, 21, to its Board of Directors and Zartashia Javid, 20, to its Alliance Trustees. They will each serve a two-year term. America’s Promise models youth involvement by having two youth leaders on both its Board of Directors and Alliance Trustees. Each youth is considered a full voting member of the leadership body and plays a valuable role in the strategic direction of the organization.
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, announced the beta launch of its PEPFAR Country/Regional Operational Plan (COP/ROP) database, a comprehensive, navigable database of PEPFAR’s planned funding of HIV/AIDS activities from 2007 to 2014. The database enables users to analyze planned funding data extracted from PEPFAR’s publicly released COP/ROP documents. It’s designed to help civil society organizations, ministries of health and finance, researchers, and other stakeholders to access and understand PEPFAR’s programs and priorities at a deeper level than is currently possible using other platforms.
BoardSource released a new edition of its iconic resource, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, reinforcing the expectation that nonprofit board leaders step outside the boardroom and advocate for their missions.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls will welcome their 12th class of the Girls Advisory Board. The class is comprised of 20 girls, 9 returning and 11 new, from 12 different schools across Chester County, PA. Each girl brings a passion for philanthropy, diverse perspective, and eagerness to learn about the needs in their communities.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls has added four new members to their Board of Directors this year: Mary Chan, Tricia Lefkof, Mary Beth Morrissey, and Christina Shipe. All four women have been involved with Chester County Fund in the past and have unique professional and philanthropic perspectives.
DMW Fundraising promoted two long-time members of the management team to larger roles: Hilary Garrity, a member of the DMW Fundraising team since 2005, has been promoted to Director of Agency Services; Dave Goff, who joined DMW Fundraising 15 years ago, will now serve as Manager of Creative & Production Services.
Fairtrade America appointed Rodney North as the Director of Marketing and External Relations. North has worked in the fair trade foods movement longer than all but a handful of individuals in the nation and has been deeply involved in communicating the fair trade story to diverse constituencies.
The Fund for American Studies and its Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service honored DonorsTrust President Whitney L. Ball as the 2015 David R. Jones Leadership in Philanthropy Award recipient during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 21st.
Garden of Life has joined the ranks of the best companies in the world by becoming a Certified B Corporation, certified by nonprofit B Lab. To become certified, Garden of Life has met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
A new campaign, #NPVotesCount, aims to encourage nonprofit staff, board members and other volunteers to get registered and to vote. This nonpartisan voter engagement campaign – spearheaded by Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, Nonprofit VOTE, and United Way Worldwide – provides resources for nonprofits to ensure all the people connected to their work are registered and ready to vote.
KCETLink Media Group received two Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards for the 67th Annual Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The station’s awards include best “Feature Segment” and best “Information Segment” for its acclaimed news program SOCAL CONNECTED.
Les Couleurs Charity introduced its CREATE program in Haitian orphanages
Les Couleurs Charity introduced its CREATE program in Haitian orphanages, meant to educate, heal and inspire children through integrated education of arts and creativity. Originally launched in three Haitian orphanages and one school, the program will continue to be implemented in other orphanages and schools in Haiti depending on the funds that Les Couleurs Charity is able to collect. This year’s goal is to enroll 300 students, and in 5 years the charity’s goal is to be teaching arts to at least 10,000 underprivileged kids in Haiti.
The Military Officers Association of America Scholarship Fund recently earned recognition as a GuideStar Exchange gold participant for maintaining accurate and up-to-date information about the fund’s oversight, assets and impact.
The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications elected James L. Anderson, Senior Vice President of Communications for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. to its Board of Directors.
Papa Murphy’s Holdings, Inc. will participate in Clark County Connects‘ fourth annual Day of Service event on Saturday, September 12. The county-wide initiative is designed to bring communities together through service that fosters a sense of community pride and also provides non-perishable food donations to local food banks.
PCs for People recently distributed their 40,000th computer, helping communities throughout the Upper Midwest. Thousands of families have also been subscribed to low cost wireless Internet and millions of pounds of electronics have been responsibly recycled.
Services for the UnderServed recently graduated their first class of students from the new Food and Farms Employment Preparation Program
The inaugural San Francisco Red Star Gala benefiting American Friends of Magen David Adom will be held on August 30th and hosted by Emmy award-winning actor and singer Wayne Brady. The inaugural event will honor Magen David Adom’s (MDA) medics and prominent local activists Maurice Kanbar and Dr. Lior Tamir, while raising funds to help MDA build Israel’s new – and only – national blood center. Proceeds will also go toward MDA medical equipment, ambulances, and training.
Services for the UnderServed recently graduated their first class of students from the new Food and Farms Employment Preparation Program, funded by a Balancing Incentive Program grant. The program teaches practical, job-oriented skills to adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities while allowing participants to move through training modules and apprenticeship periods in real-world settings.
News about opportunities, initiatives
Alliance for Justice’s August 25th webinar “Maximizing the Power of Your 501(c)(4) Advocacy” will give a legal overview of the various advocacy activities permitted by 501(c)(4) organizations – including lobbying and election-related activities – as well as some tips for staying in compliance with your 501(c)(4) status.
Asking Matters is hosting the webinar “Fundraise as a kindred spirit: in-depth” on Tuesday, August 18th. Master asker Brian Saber will take you through the entire process from choosing the right prospects to following up after an ask in this exclusive web-training session.
Blackbaud, Inc. announced the general availability of its cloud-based fundraising and relationship management solution, Raiser’s Edge NXT.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls is seeking new volunteers. Chester County Fund engages volunteers on committees to lead and unite the community in philanthropy and advocacy to ensure that women and girls have resources and opportunities to thrive.
Forbes announced a $1 million global social impact Change-the-World Social Entrepreneurs Competition focusing on disruptive and scalable ideas with the potential to change the world. The Case Foundation, in partnership with the Schusterman Family Foundation, Pratt Foundation, Keywell Foundation and Bob Duggan, will fund this contest for young social entrepreneurs. Open to both for-profit and non-profit enterprises, submissions for the Forbes Under 30 Change the World Competition will be accepted from July 22 until August 26.
In 2015 the Gar LaSalle Award will recognize an outstanding literary artist working in fiction. The Gar LaSalle Storyteller Award is an unrestricted award of $10,000 given to a Washington State artist who is engaged in storytelling through their work in various artistic disciplines. Full guidelines for applying to the Gar LaSalle Award can be found on the Artist Trust website.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Philanthropy Southwest will host The Collaboration Conference, scheduled for November 16th-17th in Houston, TX.
The Africa Business Fellowship, a partnership of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Econet, The Milken Institute, and African Leadership Network, announced that the application for its inaugural class of Africa Business Fellows is now open. Through this highly competitive Fellowship, 10-15 professionals – US citizens and permanent residents – will gain unprecedented exposure and hands-on experience in the African business and investment landscape. Fellows will be placed in top African-led companies for 3-6 months beginning in June 2016, where they will have access to peer mentorship and a senior-level sponsor, participate in retreats, seminars, and social activities, and experience local culture.
New York Cares launched a major, cross-platform advertising campaign to recruit new volunteers. The “Be the Someone” campaign is a call to action to New Yorkers to shift from thinking that someone else will step up and to get them to be the person that actually does.
Nonprofit Tech for Good is hosting a free webinar on August 4th “On 10 Best Blogging Practices for Nonprofits”, beginning by discussing the importance of blogging as part of every nonprofits’ social media and content strategy.
If you are interested in having your organization’s news announced in the next News Bits, please send announcements or press releases to news@philanthropyjournal.com.
