Foundation Annual Reports

MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

17 East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Larkspur, Calif. 94939
(415) 461-3333
http://www.marincf.org

Period covered: Year ending June 30, 2000.

Note: Except for grants paid, figures do not include the Buck Trust, which had assets of approximately $1.0-billion as of June 30, 2000.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was established in 1986 with the assets of a trust created by Leonard and Beryl H. Buck, longtime residents of Marin County, Calif. The majority of the foundation’s discretionary funds are distributed through the Leonard and Beryl H. Buck Foundation, known as the Buck Trust, to benefit residents of Marin County and the San Francisco Bay area. The foundation also makes grants from approximately 200 advised and designated funds.

The foundation paid $51.8-million in grants in 2000, of which $32.6-million came from the Buck Trust. The trust supports the foundation’s competitive grant and loan programs and allocates grants in seven interest areas: human needs, community development, education and training, environment, the arts, community outreach, and religion, ethics, and conscience.

Programs in the human-needs category received $19,202,163, or 36 percent of total grant dollars. Grants focused on health and social services, the disabled and elderly, prevention programs for at-risk youths, and public-policy education.

Community-development programs received $16,460,509, or 31 percent of grant dollars. Grants emphasized community economic development, including housing for low-income families, job training and small-business development, and civic engagement. Allocations included $1,175,100 to Center Point to provide residential treatment and comprehensive vocational services for homeless or low-income individuals in Marin County.

Grants in the education and training program received 12 percent of grant dollars, or $6,326,737. Awards stressed the following areas: improving the academic performance of children and youths, especially those with special needs; postsecondary-school opportunities; and literacy and lifelong learning.

The foundation awarded $6,526,085, or 12 percent of grant dollars, to its environment program, which focuses on education, land conservation, and improved environmental quality.

Arts programs received 5 percent of grant dollars; allocations supported new and traditional arts and arts-education projects, particularly for school-aged children.

Community-outreach grants honor local groups, provide technical assistance, and encourage discussion of local issues. The religion, ethics, and conscience program emphasizes cooperation among different religious and cultural groups, leadership development, and efforts that strengthen spiritual life.

Application procedure: Proposed projects should fall within the foundation’s program areas and either be conducted in Marin County or benefit the residents of that county. Applicants should be public or nonprofit organizations as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Interested applicants should contact the relevant program officer. If the project or program matches the foundation’s goals and interests, the applicant will be asked to submit a letter of intent, using a form the foundation provides. More detailed instructions may be found on the foundation’s Web site.

Key officials: Thomas Peters, president and chief executive officer; Sid Hartman, vice president for finance and administration; Patrick Woods, vice president for fund development; Marsha E. Bonner, vice president for programs; Michael Groza, vice president for community outreach; Fred Silverman, director of communications; Christy Vorhis, grants manager; Kathleen Foote, chair of the Board of Trustees.

Program officers: Julie Absey, religion, ethics, and conscience and human needs; Carolyn Evans, arts; Donald Jen, education and training; Lourdes Martinez, human needs; Chantel Walker, community development; Sallyanne Wilson, environment.

NORD FAMILY FOUNDATION

347 Midway Boulevard
Suite 312
Elyria, Ohio 44035
(440) 324-2822
http://www.nordff.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 2000.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation is the successor to the Nordson Foundation, a charitable trust established in 1952 by the industrialist Walter G. Nord. It was reorganized under its current name in 1988 and primarily awards grants for projects that benefit the residents of Lorain County, Ohio.

Grant making focuses on four program areas: health and social services, which received 68 grants totaling $1,656,934; civic affairs, 39 grants totaling $1,075,843; arts and culture, 25 grants totaling $598,665; and education, 18 grants totaling $450,500. The foundation also made 13 miscellaneous grants totaling $408,437. All program areas emphasize programs that aid low-income families and tackle the root causes of persistent social problems.

Health and social-services grants support programs that serve at-risk or disadvantaged children, youths, and families. For example, a $71,797 grant went to the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, in Columbia, to finance training, technical assistance, educational materials, and increased public awareness of efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy.

Civic-affairs grants seek to advance public understanding of issues and practices that affect community growth and stability. Allocations included awards for crime prevention, housing and homelessness, job training, and recreation.

Arts and culture grants emphasize arts-education programs.

Education grants support projects that provide educational opportunities and increase the quality of educational systems. Grants included $25,000 to Family Star, in Denver, for the Great Start Early Literacy Program.

Application procedure: The foundation has no formal application form. Interested applicants should send one copy of a proposal with the following: a cover letter signed by the organization’s executive director or board president; a one-page abstract of the proposal; a detailed description of the proposed project with background information about the problem or need to be addressed, a clear statement of the project’s goals and objectives, a description of a plan to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the project, an organizational budget with anticipated income and expenditures, and a project budget; proof of the organization’s nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; a list of board members; and a copy of the organization’s most-recent financial statements. Deadlines for submitting proposals are April 1 for a June decision, August 1 for an October decision, and December 1 for a February decision.

Key officials: John Mullaney, executive director; Joy L. Anderson and Karen E. Cook, program officers; Sharon D. White, controller; Richard Nord, president of the Board of Trustees.

SKILLMAN FOUNDATION

600 Renaissance Center
Suite 1700
Detroit, Mich. 48243
(313) 393-1185
http://www.skillman.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 1999.

Purpose and areas of support: Rose Skillman endowed the foundation in 1960 with funds from the estate of her husband, Robert, a vice president and director of the 3M Company who died in 1945.

The foundation makes grants for programs that improve the lives of children and youths in southeastern Michigan, with an emphasis on the metropolitan Detroit area, which comprises Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties.

In 1999 the foundation paid out $26,273,030 through 156 grants and related contracts in four revised areas of interest: home and community, which received 49 percent of grant dollars; learning opportunities, 20 percent; children’s relationships, 17 percent; and other grant-making opportunities, 14 percent.

Programs located in Detroit received 56 percent of grant dollars awarded, for a total of approximately $13.7-million.

The home and community program makes grants to ensure safe and supportive homes and communities and to contribute to the cultural enrichment and full development of children.

For example, the foundation made a three-year, $720,000 grant to the Children’s Aid Society, in Detroit, to provide precinct-level and in-home comprehensive social-work services for delinquent youths. Other grants in this program area supported arts, educational, recreational, and social-service opportunities for children and youths.

Grants made through the learning opportunities program promote high-quality educational opportunities for children.

The children’s relationships program fosters positive and nurturing relationships between children and adults, particularly parents.

The grant-making opportunities program provides general operating support for programs that were of particular interest to the late Rose Skillman, including the arts, children, and education.

William J. Beckham Jr., the former president of New Detroit, joined the foundation as president in November 1999. Mr. Beckham died unexpectedly in April 2000, and a search for his replacement is underway.

Application procedure: The foundation accepts applications from organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that are not private foundations as defined by Section 509(a) of the code. It primarily awards grants to programs located in southeastern Michigan’s Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties. Potential applicants should review the foundation’s Grantmaking Policies and Procedures booklet, available at its Web site or by calling the foundation at the phone number above.

Key officials: Kari Schlachtenhaufen, interim president; Richard Connell, vice president, treasurer, and chief investment officer; Carol Goss, senior program officer; Jodee Fishman Raines, Rex Nelson, and Claudette Y. Smith, program officers; Suzanne Moran, grants manager; Walter E. Douglas, chair of the Board of Trustees.