International Civic Engagement

Knight Foundation's News Challenge - New Round of Funding

It's time to enter this year's Knight News Challenge, which awards big money for innovative ideas using digital experiments to transform community news.

The contest is run by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Last year's winners won awards ranging from $15K to $5 million.

Winning projects included:

* Open-source software that will let citizens find public information about their neighborhoods.

* Young journalists covering the 2008 presidential election on cell phones, for cell phones.

* Online games to inform and engage players about key issues confronting New York City.

* Digital newscasts for Philadelphia's immigrant community distributed through a new citywide wireless platform.

Anyone worldwide can apply at:  http://www.newschallenge.org

Conference Call on Case Foundation Grant Program

From Matt Leighninger of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium:

There has been a lot of interest in the Case Foundation's Make It Your Own Awards™, a new program to help grassroots leaders involve their fellow citizens in dialogue, deliberation, and action on community problems.

To answer questions about the application process, Case will be holding a conference call for people in our network. The call will take place at 3:00 Eastern on Monday, July 23. If you would like to participate, please RSVP to Kristen Cambell at kristenc@casefoundation.org. Kristen will then send you the necessary information to participate.

For more on the program, see www.casefoundation.org/make-it-your-own/awards.

UN Foundation Passes $1 Billion Mark in Funds Donated to Key Causes

Eight years after its launch, the United Nations Foundation (UNF) has surpassed the $1 billion mark in delivering funds to the UN and its causes, and aims to leverage another $1 billion in support of the same goals, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced.

UNF and its sister organization, the Better World Fund, have donated more than $600 million through its founder, the American businessman and philanthropist Ted Turner, according to a press release issued by the UN Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), which facilitates the Foundation’s work within the UN system.

Another $400 million has been provided by individuals, corporations, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to UN programmes in the following areas: children’s health, the environment, women and population, peace, security and human rights.

Announcing the milestone during a speech to the annual UN Association-USA dinner in New York, Mr. Annan called Mr. Turner’s 1997 pledge to donate $1 billion to the UN “a tremendous financial boost for our organization.

“More than that, it has helped the UN to change – to become a partnership organization, something that has been a top priority of mine… But Ted’s act was perhaps most important for the message it sent to his fellow Americans, his fellow businessmen and women, and to the world.

“Here was an iconic businessman standing up for the UN, and saying to the world that the UN and its work were worthy of support.”

The Foundation also announced it intends to use the remaining $400 million from Mr. Turner’s original gift to leverage another $1 billion.

UNF was created in 1998 with the aim of promoting a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world through the support of the UN. Through grant-making and building new and innovative public-private partnerships, it acts to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socio-economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Mr. Turner, who is chairman of the UNF’s board of directors, said: “As we are seeing all across the globe, the UN works – for the world’s poor, for peace, for progress and for human rights and justice. That’s why I’ve always believed in the UN. That’s why I’ve always supported the UN. And that’s why I set up the UN Foundation.”

Top Nonprofit Exec to Lead New Silicon Valley Community Foundation

One of the nation's leading nonprofit executives will lead the new Silicon Valley Community Foundation, created in the wake of the planned landmark merger of two of the Bay Area's largest foundations, Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley.

Emmett Carson, currently CEO and President of The Minneapolis Foundation and a nationally recognized leader in the field of philanthropy, was selected by the new foundation's board of directors after a nationwide search and announced in a news conference yesterday.

"I want to express my deep appreciation to the board for their confidence in me and for allowing me to play a leadership role in this historic undertaking," Carson said. "The decision to merge two well-run, successful, community foundations -- Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley -- with the hope of forming a truly outstanding organization is both innovative and unique."

"Emmett is uniquely qualified to lead the new Silicon Valley Community Foundation because, more than any other candidate, he brings expertise in every facet of the job," said Patricia Bresee, chair of Peninsula Community Foundation and vice chair of the board of the new foundation. "He combines the vision for an even better community foundation with the management skills to help create it."

"I've known Emmett for more than a decade and am delighted that he will be leading the new community foundation," said Peter Hero, the President of Community Foundation Silicon Valley who will continue as a senior adviser for the new foundation. "Emmett is a true leader in the philanthropic community. His outside perspective is exactly what's needed to build on the existing traditions of innovation. He can bring the two foundations together without bias, giving him free reign to capitalize on the great opportunities ahead."

Greg Avis, chair of Community Foundation Silicon Valley and the new foundation's board chair, said, "Emmett's track record in Minneapolis indicates he is the perfect person to build the new community foundation. He knows how to direct a complex organization and lead initiatives, and has run a community foundation that is similar in size and structure to both Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley."

The hiring of Carson as the CEO and President followed a vote last month by the directors of the two community foundations to move forward in uniting their organizations to better serve both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and create positive social impact on a larger scale.

The unanimous approval in separate July 12 meetings of the boards of directors for Community Foundation Silicon Valley and Peninsula Community Foundation represents the next step in a unification process that started in January, but has been discussed frequently since 1991.

Established in 1954, Community Foundation Silicon Valley manages more than 650 charitable funds with total assets of $919 million. Peninsula Community Foundation was established in 1964 and manages assets of $612 million, including more than 750 charitable funds and a $125 million endowment. The newly integrated foundation would be among the largest community foundations in the nation, with more than $1.5 billion in assets under management and 1,400 philanthropic funds.

In a region known for innovation in business and technology as well as philanthropy, the new foundation will support and stimulate Silicon Valley's charitable giving to causes locally, nationally and around the globe. The integration marks the first merger of equals involving two of the country's leading community foundations and sets new precedent in the philanthropic sector.

Carson has built a high profile of innovation and success in the world of philanthropy and community foundations. He has repeatedly been named by NonProfit Times in its annual list as one of the Top 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the nation, and is the immediate past president of the national Council of Foundations. Since Carson's arrival in Minneapolis in 1994, that foundation's assets have more than tripled, increasing from $186 million to well over $600 million dollars. Previously, Carson was the first manager of the Ford Foundation's worldwide grantmaking program on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. He also has worked for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Congressional Research Service.

Carson, 46, received his Ph.D. and M.P.A. degrees in public and international affairs from Princeton University and his Bachelor's degree in economics from Morehouse College. He is married, with a teenage daughter.

Carson will be paid an annual base salary of $450,000, plus standard relocation, benefits, retirement and housing assistance. His compensation is commensurate with that of executives of similarly-sized foundations, according to data provided by a compensation consultant hired by the two foundations.

He starts work Nov. 1, but plans to visit the Peninsula and South Bay region several times before then to help with the transition.

Carson's hiring represents the most important step to date in the merger of the two foundations, Avis said. "The search to find Emmett was quite thorough, and after considering more than a 100 candidates, we found the ideal leader for the job," he added.

To help its new CEO and President succeed, Bresee added, both board members and staff of the new Silicon Valley Community Foundation will listen carefully to the input and guidance of the people and organizations affected by the merger of the two foundations.

"Implicit in our deliberations and decision to create a single, united community foundation is a commitment to make sure we keep the 'community' in the new foundation -- in practice, not just in name," said Bresee.

Pending legal review and an IRS ruling on tax exemption, Silicon Valley Community Foundation will replace Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley by the end of the year.

For more information, including the Vision for the New Community Foundation (which includes a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding approved on July 12 by the foundation boards), please visit: http://www.pcf.org or http://www.cfsv.org. Visitors to either site may also take an online survey to help shape the new community foundation.

Ford Foundation to Announce Africa Initiative

From The New York Times:

The Ford Foundation will announce today the creation of a new philanthropic venture, led by Africans and based in Dakar, Senegal. The project, Trust Africa, aims to strengthen an expanding network of nonprofit groups across the continent that seek to hold governments accountable, whether elected or dictatorships.

Ford has committed $30 million to this new foundation. Half the money will finance a permanent endowment, and the other half will be used to provide grants to many groups over the next five years.

Trust Africa's executive director, Akwasi Aidoo, a Ghanaian who formerly headed Ford's offices in Senegal and Nigeria, said it would strive to build links among civil society groups that could tackle regional problems of violent conflict, economic development and social justice.

The new foundation will bolster such groups, often vocal critics of those in power, in a period when Africa has been becoming more democratic. At the same time, some elected leaders — Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, for example — have become intolerant of dissent.

"Left to themselves, many of these countries fall back into old habits," Mr. Aidoo said in an interview. He added later, "The best antidote is to amplify the voices of those for peaceful change."

Thomas O. Melia, deputy director of Freedom House, a research group that monitors political liberty, said efforts like those of Trust Africa represent the next frontier in deepening democracy in Africa and elsewhere.

"What has been missing, even in places establishing electoral democracy, is independent voices — think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, university centers — able to monitor government performance," he said. "It is the next step."

Mr. Aidoo said credible local groups capable of attracting international attention are needed to check repression, corruption and other ills.

Groups in one country also should be connected to like-minded outfits in other countries.

If dissenters are intimidated in one place, those in neighboring nations can speak up.

In addition to providing grants, Trust Africa plans to hold a series of workshops in Africa in the coming year to bring together scholars, business people, artists, government officials and rights advocates.

Over the past five years, as this new, Africa-focused foundation was developed, it financed a variety of groups to test its approach. It provided small grants to dozens of groups to strengthen them institutionally. It also gave $200,000 to Urgent Action Fund, Africa, which supported women agitating for peace talks in Liberia, as well as an investigation into accusations that women were being detained at a prison in Cameroon without justification.

Trust Africa hopes to build a base of support that goes well beyond the Ford Foundation. It plans to raise donations from the African diaspora. Millions of African migrants live and work in Europe, the United States and Canada, sending home billions of dollars annually in remittances, Ford says.

The United States has sizable communities of African-born immigrants in New York, Washington, Boston, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"Typically, they're helping their families and hometowns, but they're interested in what's happening in the rest of the continent," Mr. Aidoo said. "They want an effective vehicle that's African." Asked how the new foundation would avoid being seen as an arm of the Ford Foundation, with its deep American roots, Mr. Aidoo and Ford's president, Susan V. Berresford, said in the interview that Trust Africa would be an independent foundation governed solely by Africans.

Mr. Aidoo said the new foundation would establish "the connections among actors who can carry the work forward on their own feet."

Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program

The Robert Bosch Stiftung and CDS International, Inc. invite US professionals to apply for the 2007-2008 Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program. Twenty Fellows will complete a nine-month program consisting of two high-level work phases in major German institutions and three European-wide seminars. Bosch Fellows meet with key decision-makers in the public and private sectors, and deepen their understanding of issues facing Germany, the EU and the transatlantic relationship today.

ROBERT BOSCH FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• High-level work experience in German institutions including the federal government & parliament, law firms, private corporations, major German media, associations, and cultural organizations
• Professional European-wide travel, seminars and networking events -- fellows gain a meaningful understanding of issues facing the European Union and Germany today
• Generous monthly stipend and compensation package including health, accident and liability insurance; additional funding for families
• Intensive German language training provided as needed in US and Germany prior to program start in September 2006. No German language skills required at time of application.
• Incredible networking opportunities with 350+ Robert Bosch Fellowship Alumni

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• US citizenship,
• age 23-34 (no younger than 23 or older than 34 at the time of application)
• 2+ years relevant work experience in proposed field of work in Germany
• Graduate degree completed or in progress in business administration, economics, journalism, mass communications, law, political science, public affairs/public policy. Applicants without Master degrees are encouraged to apply provided they have at least 2+ years of work experience in the respective field.

Applications must be received at CDS International no later than October 16, 2006 for the program beginning in September 2007. Application forms and instructions are available for download at www.cdsintl.org/fromusa/bosch.htm, or email bosch@cdsintl.org.

Laura Jane Musser Fund to Support Collaborative Process in Environmental Decision Making

Information courtesy of NCDD:

Laura Jane Musser Fund to Support Collaborative Process in Environmental Decision Making

Deadline: September 5, 2006

Through its Initiative to Promote Collaborative Process in  Environmental Decision Making, the Laura Jane Musser Fund  (http://www.musserfund.org/) will support projects by  public or not-for-profit entities that undertake consensus-based activities in environmental stewardship  or dispute resolution in rural areas.

Applications are accepted in following two funding areas:

1) The Environmental Stewardship Program will support  programs that work to manage resources (whether of  ecological, economic, or aesthetic values) where a broad  range of community members and stakeholders are involved  in both planning and implementation.

2) The Environmental Dispute Resolution Program will  support programs that engage in a collaborative process  that works to build consensus instead of confrontation,  particularly where both the environmental health and economic livelihood of a community are at stake.

The fund provides support for programs in their first  three years, as well as projects in the planning or implementation phase. The program does not support capital  expenses, general operating support for organizations, or ongoing program support.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, start-up organizations  with a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor, and units of government  at the local level are eligible to apply. Organizations  must be located in and serve the population of the United  States.

Up to six grants of up to $35,000 each will be made through the Environmental Initiative this year.

Visit the Laura Jane Musser Fund Web site for complete program information and application procedures.

RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10001908/musserfund

For additional RFPs in Environment, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml

Understanding Government

The executive branch is where policy is supposed to be turned into action; yet, the public knows little about what happens there – about which agencies are doing useful work and which are wasting the public money. Understanding Government is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving the performance of the executive branch by helping journalists do a better job of covering it.

Understanding Government raises funds from a variety of private sources in order to achieve its mission. These funds support the three major activities of the foundation: Understanding Govenrment: The Forum, an electronic facility that gives government employees an anonymous but public venue to discuss common concerns, debate issues of public interest and share information; a series of awards given to journalists who do extraordinary work covering the government; and finally, a system of training the next generation of journalists prepared to take on this difficult but important work.