Awards, Mar 18, 2004

The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas.

Fund raising. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (Alexandria, Va.) has announced the following recipients of its 2004 Awards for Philanthropy:

— Excellence in fund raising. Kent State U. (Ohio), which raised more than $120-million in its first comprehensive fund-raising campaign.

— Outstanding achievement in Internet fund raising. Heifer International (Little Rock, Ark.), which gives animals to poor families in developing countries. In its fiscal year 2003, its Web site raised more than $8-million — nearly 15 percent of the charity’s total donations.

— Outstanding foundation. The Gill Foundation (Denver), which provides financial support and training to nonprofit organizations, with a focus on HIV/AIDS and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues.

— Outstanding fund-raising professional. Joseph (Jay) Maloney, president of Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado Foundation (Colorado Springs), which raises money for hospitals, residential facilities for elderly people, and a hospice.

The association also has announced several awards to its chapters:

— The AFP Chicago Chapter has received the Charles R. Stephens Excellence in Diversity Award, which honors creativity and leadership in increasing diversity among a chapter’s members and in its programs.

— The AFP Mid-America Chapter (Kansas City, Mo.) has received the Abel Hanson Award, in recognition of its communication projects.

— The AFP Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter has received the Founders’ Award for Public Service.

In addition, AFP has awarded its Skystone Ryan Research Prize to Lawrence J. Friedman, a professor of history and philanthropic studies at Indiana U. (Indianapolis), and Mark McGarvie, a fellow in legal history at New York U. School of Law, for their book, Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History.

Grant making. The Council on Foundations (Washington) has awarded its 2004 Distinguished Grantmaker Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in philanthropy, to Charles Benton and Marjorie Craig Benton of the Benton Foundation (Washington). Mr. Benton, who serves as the chair of the foundation’s Board of Directors, has helped the foundation to evolve from a grant-making organization to an operating foundation specializing in communications and media policy. He has also served as a board member and adviser to numerous arts, communications, and education groups, and as chairman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science under President Carter. Ms. Benton, who serves as a trustee of the foundation, co-founded the Chicago Foundation for Women and the Peace Museum (Chicago) and has served as U.S. ambassador to Unicef and board chair of Save the Children (Westport, Conn.).

The council has presented its 2004 Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking to Chet Tchozewski, the founder and executive director of the Global Greengrants Fund (Boulder, Colo.). Since 1993, the fund has distributed money and engaged volunteer advisers to create more than 1,000 local grass-roots organizations in nearly 80 countries.

The council gave its 2004 Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (New York), which was recognized for its efforts to encourage New York to enforce the cleanup of polluted and abandoned land in urban centers.