Awards, Mar 22, 2001

The following awards have been presented for work in fund raising, grant making, philanthropy, and volunteerism:

Corporate community service.

The Points of Light Foundation (Washington) has named six companies to receive the 2000 Awards for Excellence in Corporate Community Service for their employee-volunteering programs: Alibris (Emeryville, Calif.), Boeing (Seattle), Capital One (Falls Church, Va.), Holland & Knight (Tampa, Fla.), Petroleos de Venezuela (Caracas), and the Salt River Project (Phoenix).

Fund raising. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (Alexandria, Va.) has announced the 2001 Awards for Philanthropy. The recipients:

— AFP/Commerce One Award for Outstanding Achievement in Internet Fundraising: Catholic Relief Services (Baltimore), the first recipient of this award, for its interactive Web site and the way it teaches visitors about the organization’s activities and promotes fund raising, earning more than $1-million in online contributions since February 1999.

— AFP/Staley/Robeson/Ryan/St. Lawrence Prize for Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy: Marilyn R. Fischer, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Dayton (Ohio), for “Ethical Decision Making in Fund Raising,” a comprehensive guide to help fund raisers and officials cope with everyday dilemmas.

— Outstanding Corporation: Textron (Providence, R.I.), which donated more than $6.8-million in 2000, primarily for school programs or for programs helping welfare recipients become self-sufficient.

— Outstanding Foundation: The Muttart Foundation (Edmonton, Canada), which provides charities grants for accounting software and other means of improving their infrastructure and is advising the Canadian government on developing policies that will aid charities in fulfilling their missions.

— Outstanding Fund-Raising Executive: Daniel M. Meyers, president of the Al Sigl Center for Rehabilitation Agencies (Rochester, N.Y.), who has led the effort to increase the community’s awareness of his organization and helped bring in the center’s first $1-million endowment gift.

— Outstanding Philanthropist: Bill Daniels, who died on March 7, 2000. Mr. Daniels created the Young Americans Bank (Denver) to teach children about personal finances, and the Daniels Fund (Denver), which serves children and homeless people, the elderly, and physically disabled people. The Denver native also donated his house to the city for the use of the mayor and charities.

— Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raiser: Robert L. Thornton, who, as a board member with the Dallas County Community College District Foundation, worked to build a donor base to raise $10-million for a program to provide a two-year education to any young adult with financial need.

Grant making. The Council on Foundations (Washington) has named Anna Faith Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Boston Foundation, to receive its 2001 Distinguished Grantmaker Award. Ms. Jones, who will retire in June, helped the foundation’s asset base grow tenfold during her 27-year tenure.

The council also has presented its 2001 Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking to Craig McGarvey, program director in civic culture at the James Irvine Foundation (San Francisco), for establishing the Central Valley Partnership for Citizenship program, which helps immigrants get involved in community activities and become naturalized.

Religion. Arthur Peacocke, a physical biochemist, a theology professor at Oxford U. (England), and an Anglican priest, has received the 2001 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. The award, which includes a prize of £700,000 (approximately $1,050,000) this year, recognizes work that advances understanding of God or spirituality. Mr. Peacocke founded the ecumenical and international Society of Ordained Scientists and the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology, and he has written many works on the distinct but complementary explorations of the universe found in religious and scientific endeavors.