APPENDICES
For
Foundation Funding of Grassroots Organizations, by Robert O. Bothwell
ACADEMIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
AND OTHER CONTACTS WHO IDENTIFIED
"AUTHENTIC GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS"
INVOLVED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE
OR PROGRESSIVE PUBLIC INTEREST ACTIVITIES
*Academic Advisory Committee for the study project:
Louis Delgado, Instructor, Loyola U., Chicago.
Prof. Craig Jenkins, Ohio State U., Columbus, OH.**
Prof. Susan Ostrander, Tufts U., Boston.
Prof. David Horton Smith, formerly Boston College, Bradenton, FL.
Prof. Jon Van Til, Rutgers U., Camden, NJ.
Community Consultants Advisory Panel:
Dan Delaney, Second Harvest, Chicago.
Pablo Eisenberg, former executive director, Center for Community Change, Washington, DC.
Joan Flanagan, well-known author of books on grassroots fund-raising, Chicago.
Art Himmelman, nonprofit consultant, Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Steve Holmer, Campaign Coordinator, American Lands, Washington, DC.
Eleanor LeCain, consultant on strategic planning and organizational development, Boston.
Valentin Mitev, consultant, Kosovo civil society; Founding Director, Civil Society Development Foundation, Sofia, Bulgaria.**
Larry Parachini, nonprofit consultant, Silver Spring, MD.
Cynthia Smith, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Washington, DC.
______________________________
* Provided methodological advice and critical comments on draft report.
**Did not provide grassroots contact information, but provided data and/or advice/comments.
EXAMPLES OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS INTERVIEWED
Community Organization and Leadership Training: 17 organizations.
Educational programs: 16 organizations.
- Newsletter (2)
- On specific health issues (2)
- For child welfare workers (both public and private agencies)
- Computer classes
- Job club
- Role playing regarding jobs
- Teaching people to buy homes (2)
- Home maintenance
- Parenting training
- Teaching families about college prep
- Bachelors in Arts degree
- Immigrant rights workshops
- Training attorneys on immigrant rights
- Training immigrants to make naturalization applications
- Training ground for area law school students in immigration and domestic violence
- Making/displaying silhouettes of victims of family violence
- With police department
- Monthly seminars (CPR, flower arranging, plastic surgery)
- Campus involved with universities, after school education and cultural programs
- English proficiency classes
- Child support training programs for social workers, government employees and low income single moms
Public Policy Advocacy: 15 organizations.
- Lobbying for administrative and legislative changes
- Public education for administrative and legislative changes
Public Education through the Media, Other Public Communications: 14 organizations.
Other Community Services: 13 organizations.
- Human services: job training and counseling (2)
- Career closet (clothes for those seeking new jobs)
- Business incubator
- Develop large shopping center
- Housing rehab
- Clean-ups
- Home ownership opportunities
- Develop low income and affordable housing
- Develop and manage rental housing
- Social services
- Emergency food bank
- Day care centers (2)
- Recruitment of foster parents
- Foster care, adoption, counseling
- Three support groups for self-esteem, tough love for parents, drug and alcoholic children
- Referrals to medical and social services, including medical evaluation and some treatment
- Referrals by health team network, and obtaining access to services
- Health care clinics
- Transportation to medical appointments
- Collect donations for women in need
- Women's leadership
- Student community research
- Youth program cultural development
- Providing general cultural sensitivity for Native American families
- Recreational-educational services
Research and Policy Development: 9 organizations.
Legal Services and Litigation: 5 organizations.
Other: 3 organizations.
- Economic development
- Developing collaborations between the faith community and community development organizations
- Housing and small business development
GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS INTERVIEWED BY % FOUNDATION INCOME
% Income from Foundations | Name of Grassroots Organization and Interviewee | State | Local, State, Nat'l | % Income from Government | Number of Members | Number of Volunteers per Month | Primary Constituencies |
0% | Growth Restraint
Environmental Organization,
Dan Lobeck, President |
FL | L | 0% | 255 | 0 | Environmentalists |
0% | Faith Access to Community Economic Development, Yvonne Lewis, Prog. Admin. | MI | L | 99% | 12 | 30-35 | Low income, women, children, African-Americans |
0% | Coalition to Stop Family Violence, Bernie Shaffer, Chair | FL | L | 0% | 9 on Board
+ 7-8 orgs. |
0 | Women |
0% | Native Amer. Foster Parents Association, Lawrence DeBenito, Associate Director | IL | L | 98% | 9 | 5-10 | Native Americans |
3% | Manatee Women's Resource Center, Mona Upp, Exec. Dir. | FL | L | 20% | 516 | 2 | Low income, women, children, families |
5% | Center for New Horizons, Sokoni Karanja, Pres. & CEO | IL | L | 90% | 22 | 100+ | Low income public housing residents, African-Americans |
8% | Concerned Citizens of North Camden, Tom Knoche, Volunteer Staff Supervisor | NJ | L | 0% | 7 | 5-200 | Low income and other neighborhood residents, African-Americans, Latinos |
10% | Community Health Academy, Ben Fraticelli, Exec. Dir. | CA | L | 67% | 18 | 0 | Low income and other neighborhood residents, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian/ Pacific Americans, women |
23% | Fairview Historical Society, Terry Armbruster, Director | NJ | L | 77% | 209 | 15 | Low income, children, elderly |
26% | South Bend Heritage Foundation, Jeff Gibney, Executive Director | IN | L | 18% | 25 | 10 | Low income, African- Americans, women |
30% | Native American Educational Service, Faith Smith, President | IL | N | 19% | 10 | 5-10 | Native Americans |
31% | Northwest Neighborhood Federation, Gabriel Gonzalez, Exec. Dir. | IL | L | 27% | 16 on Board + 7 orgs. | 50 | Moderate income Latinos and whites |
36% | Mid-Bronx Desperadoes,
Ralph Porter, President |
NY | L | 2% ? | 13 | 10-15 | Low income Latinos and African-Americans |
45% | Association for Children for Enforcement of Support-ACES, Gerri Jensen, President | OH | N | 0% | 45,021 | 0 | Low income, African- Americans, Latinos, women, children |
49% | Iowa Citizens for Community
Improvement, Joe Fagan,
Staff Director |
IA | S | 15% | 1310 | 0 | Low income, small farmers, rural townspeople, African-Americans |
50% | Pilsen Resurrection Project, Raul Raymundo, Exec. Dir. | IL | L | 30% | 36 on Board + 14 orgs. | 140 | Working class Latinos, especially Mexican-Americans |
51% | Tahirih Justice Center,
Justin Greene Roesel, Treasurer |
DC | L | 0% | 12 | 20-30 | Foreign born, Middle Eastern, African-Americans, Asian/ Pacific Americans, women |
57% | California Wilderness Coalition Paul Spitler, Exec. Dir. | CA | S | 0% | 1524 | 50 | Environmentalists |
59% | Save Our Cumberland Mountains, Maureen O'Connell | TN | S | 0% | 3019 | 0 | Appalachian white rural, low income and working class, some middle class, African-Americans, Latinos |
67% | Sacramento Valley Organizing Community, Larry Ferlazzo, Lead Organizer | CA | L | 0% | 19 on Board
+ 40 orgs. |
0 | Catholics, African- Americans, Latinos |
77% | Capital Area Immigrants Rights, Coalition (CAIR), Deborah Sanders, Exec. Director | DC | L | 0% | 9 | 100 | Low income, Latinos, African-Americans, Asian/ Pacific Americans, women, children |
77% | AYUDA, Yvonne Martinez Vega, Executive Director | DC | L | 5% | 16 | 25-30 | Low income, Latinos, foreign born |
80% | Michigan Organizing Project, John Musick, Lead Organizer | MI | S | 0% | 7 on Board
+ 35 orgs. |
3 | Church members, low wage workers, low income, African-Americans, Latinos, children |
80% | Southwest Organizing Project, Jeanne Gauna, Co-Director | NM | S | 0% | 205 | 50 | Communities of color, esp. Latinos, immigrants |
92% | San Francisco Organizing Project, Denise Collazo, Dir. | CA | L | 0% | 50 on Board
+ 40 congregations |
0 | Church members, low and moderate income, African- Americans, Latinos |
95% | American Lands Alliance,
Jim Jontz, Executive Director |
DC
OR |
N | 0% | 214 | 3300 | Environmentalists, grassroots groups and activists |
40% | AVERAGES | L | 22% | 2027(3) | 155 | ||
41% | MEDIANS | L | 1% | 34 | 11 |
3. The average # of members would be only 307 if the one organization with 45,021 members is excluded.
FOUNDATION FUNDERS OF INDIGENOUS SOCIAL MOVEMENT GROUPS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY
Top Foundation Funders of Indigenous Social Movement Groups, Based on 1990 Data,(4) |
|||
Foundation/Interviewee |
Grants $Millions |
Assets $Millions |
#Grants/ Year of Data |
Ford F.
Marsha Smith, Dep.Dir., Governance Section & Alan Jenkins, Prog.Officer |
387.6
|
9597
|
2552/97
|
Carnegie Corp. of New York
Geri Mannion, Chair, Democracy Program and Special Projects |
68.2 | 1543
|
458/97
|
Joyce F.
Rosanna Ander, Program Officer |
26.5 | 835 | 316/97 |
W. Alton Jones F.
Charley Moore, Program Dir. |
25.3 | 371 | 389/97 |
Joyce Mertz-Gilmore F.
Bob Crane, President |
12.7 | 103 | 330/97 |
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Margie Fine, Exec.Dir. |
8.6 |
na |
183/93 |
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Doug Lawson, Program Director |
7.4 | 38 | 225/96 |
Robert Sterling Clark F.
Peggy Ayers, Exec. Dir. |
4.1 | 113 | 126/97 |
Needmor Fund
Chuck Shuford, Exec. Dir. |
1.9 | 23 | 234/96 |
Wieboldt F.
Regina McGraw, Exec. Dir. |
.929 | 26 | 80/97 |
Haymarket People's Fund
Patricia Maher, Exec. Dir. |
.933 | 5 | na/96 |
Jewish Fund for Justice
Marlene Provisor, Exec. Dir. |
.600 | 0.8 | 72/97 |
Fund for Southern Communities.
Jack Beckford, Program Officer |
.352 | 1 | 112/96 |
Albert Kunstadter Family F.
Geraldine S. Kunstadter, Chair of the Board |
.250 | 3
|
83/96
|
Infrequent Funders of Indigenous Social Movement Groups, Based on 1990 Data,(5) |
|||
Foundation/Interviewee |
Grants
$Millions |
Assets
$Millions |
#Grants/ Year of Data |
Cummins Engine F.
Tracy Souza, Exec. Dir. |
4.7
|
3
|
na/98
|
Hyams F.
Beth Smith, Exec. Dir. |
3.4
|
128
|
220/97
|
Town Creek F.
Christine Shelton, Exec. Dir. |
1.8
|
48
|
91/97
|
Glickenhaus F.
Maddy Wehle, Administrator |
.995 | 2 | 246/96 |
Boehm F.
Judy Austermiller, Exec. Dir. |
.965 | 2 | 80/97 |
Harder F.
Del Langhauer, President |
.850 | 22 | 68/97 |
Wisconsin Community Fund
Steve Starkey, Exec. Dir. |
.090 | 0.1 | 35/97 |
FOUNDATIONS' INTERVIEWED BY ASSETS, COMPARED TO ALL FOUNDATIONS |
|||
Asset Category | % All Foundations (6) | % Fdns This Study | # Fdns This Study |
$50million and over | 1.8% | 35% | 7 |
$10m--Under $50m | 5.5% | 25% | 3 |
$1m-- Under $10m | 27 % | 30% | 6 |
Under $1million | 66% | 10% | 2 |
Totals | 100% | 100% | 20 |
Not Available | 1 |
FOUNDATIONS INTERVIEWED BY GRANTS, COMPARED TO ALL FOUNDATIONS |
|||
Grants Category | % All Foundations (7) | % Fdns This Study | # Fdns This Study |
$25million plus | 0.2 % | 19 % | 4 |
$10--25million | 0.4 % | 5 % | 1 |
$1--10million | 4.2 % | 33 % | 7 |
$100,000--$1million | 21.4 % | 38 % | 8 |
Under $100,000 | 73.9 % | 5 % | 1 |
Totals | 100 % | 100% | 21 |
4. From J. Craig Jenkins' study, "Grassrooting the System? The Development and Impact of Social Movement Philanthropy," the top 20 foundations who funded indigenous social movements in 1990 were contacted; 14 listed here agreed to interviews, 6 additional foundations either failed to respond to repeated telephone calls, or explicitly declined to be interviewed.
5. From Jenkins' same study, the 20 foundations in 1990 who funded indigenous social movement groups the least -- but at least made one grant -- were identified and contacted; the seven listed here agreed to interviews, the other 13 either failed to respond to repeated phone calls or to letters; explicitly declined to be interviewed; were too small; or had no phone or otherwise were unreachable.
6. Data calculated from Renz and Lawrence (p.17 Table 13).
7. Ibid. (p.17 Table 14).
January 2000 (Aspen Research\Q.grassroots.wpd) Revised
FOUNDATION FUNDING OF GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS
Questionnaire for Structured Telephone Interviews of Grassroots Org. Leaders
Start interview: Time________Date________
A. Organizational Data:
1. Name/address/telephone of organization?:
1a. Name/title of interviewee?
2. What is the mission of the organization?
3. What are the major activities of the organization?
a. Legal services/litigation
b. Research/policy development
c. Public policy advocacy (incl. lobbying & public educ. for admin. & legislative chgs)
d. Public education through media, other public communications (no lobbying)
e. Educational programs
f. Other community services______________________________________
g. Community organization and leadership training
h. Other______________________________________________________
3i. Please identify the approximate % of the budget devoted to each major activity.
4. What are the major public issues on which your organization focuses its energies?
a. Racial/ethnic minorities
b. Urban/rural economic development/renewal
c. Women's rights, opportunities and services
d. Children's advocacy, especially low income children
e. Gay/lesbian rights and opportunities
f. Peace and world order
g. Consumer rights
h. Environmental
i. Other?_________________________________________________
5. What are your organization's primary constituencies?
a. Low income
b. Aftrican Amer.
c. Latino
d. Asian/Pacific Amer..
e. Native Amer.
f. Gay/lesbian
g. Women
h. Children
i. Disabled
j. Environment
k. Consumers
l. Other (what?)
6. What is your organization's primary geographical scope?
a. Local
b. State
c. Regional
d. National
e. Internat'l
7. Last year's total expenditures?
8. Last year's income?
8a. How much was from foundations?
8b. If foundation $ received, from how many different foundations?
b1. Which ones?
b2. Range of foundation grants?
b3. % for core support vs. program or project support?
b4. Has this % for core support been increasing or decreasing?
b5. Is this an appropriate % of foundation grants for core support?
b6. If not, why not?
8c. If zero foundation $, have you ever received grants from foundations?
c1. When was the last year?
c2. From which foundation(s)?
c3. How much total that year?
8d. What were the other sources of income last year?
1. Local government (including federal govt pass-through)
2. State government " " " "
3. Federal government direct funding
4. Workplace fund-raising from United Way allocation
5. " " " " " " donor choice/option
6 " " " " alternative fund allocation
7 " " " " " " donor choice
8. Individual donors
9. Memberships
10. Fees for services, sales of publications, etc.
11. Fund raising events
l2. Corporate foundations and other giving programs
8dd. How much from each source?
9. Unincorporated? 501c3? 501c4? Or what other IRS classification?
9a. Is the organization legally linked to another organization or not?
9b. If so, to what organization?
9c. Is that organization 501c3? 501c4? Or what other IRS classification?
10. Does your organization have members?
10a. How does one become a member?
10b. How many current members?
10c. How many pay dues?
10d. How much is dues?
10e. What is expected of a member?
11. Do non-member volunteers work for the organization?
11a. How many current volunteers (in a month)?
11b. What have they done for the organization?
12. Number of staff (full-time equivalents)?
12a. Racial/ethnic, gender, age and education composition?
13. Board of Directors: How many?
13a. Racial/ethnic, gender, age, profession and geographic composition?
14. What is the age of the organization?
B. Questions About Foundation Support:.
1. Does your organization receive an adequate level of support from foundations?
2. Why don't you get more money from foundations?
2a. What is the most important reason?
2b. The next most important reason?
2c. The third most important reason?
3. What could foundations do differently to expand money to grassroots organizations?
3a. What is the most important thing they could do?
3b. The next most important thing?
3c. The third most important thing?
4. What could you and your organization do differently to obtain more foundation money?
4a. What is the most important thing?
4b. The next most important thing?
4c. The third most important thing?
5. Do you have good communications and interaction with the foundations which fund you?
5a. If yes, explain.
5b. What kind of communications and interaction do you think would be optimal?
6. Deleted.
7. To how many foundations did you submit proposals for funding last year?
7a. How many foundations funded you?
7b. Which ones?
7c. Why do you think you received this funding?
7d. Did you know of other foundations that might have funded you if you had submitted proposals?
7e. Which ones?
7f. Why did you not submit the proposals?
7g. Were you turned down by any foundations?
7h. Which ones?
7i. Why?
8. Describe your organization's best relationship with a foundation.
8a. Which foundation?
9. Describe your organization's worst or most disappointing relationship with a foundation.
9a. Which foundation?
10. Have foundations made any conditions on your grants which you think inappropriate?
10a. If so, what are they?
10b. What foundations made these conditions?
11. What level of responsibility should foundations shoulder to expand their funding of grassroots organizations, and what should you? Choose from one of the below:
11a. All foundation responsibility, none mine.
11b. 75% foundation responsibility, 25% mine.
11c. 50% each.
11d. 25% foundation responsibility, 75% mine.
11e. Zero foundation responsibility, 100% mine.
12. What kind of increase in foundation grant money would make a major positive impact on your organization?
12a. What would that impact be?
12b. What would be the impact if foundation money was cut in half?
End interview_________
January 2000 (Aspen Research\Q.foundations) Revision
FOUNDATION FUNDING OF GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS
Questionnaire for Structured Telephone Interviews of Foundation Leaders
Start interview: Time_________Date_______
A. Organizational Data:
1. Name/address/telephone of foundation?
1a. Name/title of interviewee?
2. 501c3 private foundation? 501c3 public foundation? Or what other IRS designation?
3. What is the age of the foundation?
B. Questions About Foundation Support of Grassroots Organizations:
1. Do you think your foundation provides adequate support to grassroots organizations?
1a. Do you make grants based to grassroots orgs because you have specific guidelines?
2. Why don't grassroots organizations get more money from foundations?
2a. What is the most important reason?
2b. Are there any other important reasons?
3. What could you and your foundation do differently to expand money to grassroots organizations?
3a. What is the most important thing you/your foundation could do?
3b. What else could you and your foundation do to expand money to grassroots groups?
4. What could grassroots organizations do differently to obtain more foundation money?
4a. What is the most important thing?
4b. What else could grassroots organizations do to obtain more foundation money?
5. Do you have good communications and interaction with the grassroots organizations you fund?
5a. If yes, explain.
5b. Do you have good communications with grassroots organizations you do NOT fund?
5c. If yes, explain.
5d. What kinds of communications and interaction do you think would be optimal?
6. Why did you fund your current grassroots grantees and not the others who submitted proposals to your foundation?
7. Do you know of other foundations which fund grassroots organizations?
7a. Which ones?
7b.. What foundations do you think do the best job of funding grassroots organizations?
7c. Why?
8. Describe your best relationship with a grassroots organization.
8a. Which one?
9. Describe your worst or most disappointing relationship with a grassroots organization.
9a. Which one?
10. What kinds of grassroots organizations do you mostly fund?
a. With professional staff?
b. With volunteer staff?
c. With mixed professional and volunteer staff?
d. With no staff, but just volunteer board of directors?
11. What responsibility should grassroots organizations shoulder to expand their funding by foundations, and what responsibility should you and your foundation assume? Choose below:
11a. All grassroots organizations responsibility, none mine.
11b. 75% grassroots organizations responsibility, 25% mine.
11c. 50% each.
11d. 25% grassroots organizations responsibility, 75% mine.
11e. Zero grassroots organizations responsibility, 100% mine.
12. To make a major positive impact on the grassroots organizations you know best, how much would you increase their foundation grant money?
12a. What impact would this increase make?
12b. If foundation money were cut in half for these organizations, what impact would this have?
13. WILL YOU PLEASE SEND ME YOUR LATEST ANNUAL REPORT AND GRANT GUIDELINES? 1st class mail, please. Thank you! My address is......
End interview_________
FOUNDATION DATA SHEET:
1. Donors
2. Foundation Type
3. Assets
4. Total Expenditures
5. Qualifying Distributions
6. Grant $
7. # Grants
8. Mission/Purpose and Activities
9. Fields of Interest/Major Programs
10. # Staff
11. # on Board of Directors/Trustees
12. Age of foundation
13. Sources of above data