Foundation Annual Reports

JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION
1 Market, Steuart Tower, Suite 2500
San Francisco, Calif. 94105
(415) 777-2244
http://www.irvine.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 2002.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was created in 1937 by James Irvine, a native Californian who had business interests in San Francisco and managed a 110,000-acre ranch in Orange County that he had inherited from his father.

As stipulated by Mr. Irvine, the foundation limits its grant making to organizations and programs that benefit California residents. In addition to its headquarters in San Francisco, the foundation maintains offices in Los Angeles and Fresno.

The foundation has been refining its grant-making priorities, and has identified three areas of emphasis: youths, the arts, and the California Perspectives program, which will support research and education about significant issues facing the state. Geographically, the foundation will focus on California’s Central Valley and Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties — all regions that have experienced major demographic shifts and rapid population growth, and have a disproportionate number of low-income residents. The fund will phase in these new grant-making priorities gradually, and expects to devote most of its 2004 grants budget to them.

In 2002, the foundation allocated grants totaling $65,789,014 under its existing program areas: children, youth, and families, which received $13,889,738, or 21.1 percent of grant dollars; the arts, $12,083,942, or 18.3 percent; sustainable communities, $10,-899,686, or 16.6 percent; civic culture, $10,270,020, or 15.6 percent; higher education, $9,845,509, or 15.0 percent; and special projects, $8,800,119, or 13.4 percent.

The largest grant was a two-year, $4-million award to New Vision Partners, in Pasadena, to continue the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) Initiative in that city.

Other grants included $200,000 over three years to La Pena Cultural Center, in Berkeley, to expand its arts programs for youths and to document the process, and $110,000 over two years to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, in Los Angeles, to develop a program on land-use and urban-policy issues that affect Latinos in California.

The foundation underwent significant leadership changes in mid-2003. In May, James E. Can-ales, vice president and corporate secretary, was named to succeed Mary G.F. Bitterman as president and chief executive officer. Ms. Bitterman, former president and chief executive of KQED, in San Francisco, had served as the foundation’s head since February 2002. In addition, in June, James C. Gaither concluded a six-and-a-half-year stint as board chairman. He was succeeded by Peter W. Stanley, president emeritus of Pomona College.

Application procedure: The foundation primarily supports organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation encourages all potential applicants to first review its Web site, which offers up-to-date information about current priorities and grant making, as well as directions for submitting letters of inquiry.

Key officials: James E. Canales, president and chief executive officer; Martha S. Campbell, vice president for programs; John R. Jenks, chief investment officer, treasurer, and corporate secretary; David Shaw, director of communications and community relations; Anne B. Stanton, program director; Ann L. Clarke, director of administration; Kelly Martin, grants manager; Peter W. Stanley, chairman of the Board of Directors.

MEADOWS FOUNDATION
Wilson Historic District
3003 Swiss Avenue
Dallas, Tex. 75204-6049
(214) 826-9431 or (800) 826-9431
http://www.mfi.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 2002.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was endowed in 1948 by Algur H. Meadows, founder of the General American Oil Company of Texas, and his wife, Virginia. In accordance with its charter, the foundation makes grants only to qualified public entities and tax-exempt charities that serve residents of Texas. It generally allocates between one-third and one-half of its grants budget to organizations that benefit residents of the Dallas area.

In 2002, the foundation awarded 280 grants totaling $28,343,780 in its five program areas: human services, which received $8,354,800, or 30 percent of grant dollars; health, $6,628,150, or 23 percent; education, $5,439,090, or 19 percent; civic and public affairs and the environment, $4,218,730, or 15 percent; and arts and culture, $3,703,010, or 13 percent.

Approximately a quarter of all grant dollars were awarded in the form of emergency grants, to assist organizations adversely affected by the economic downturn and other financial factors. For example, Bryan’s House, in Dallas, received $265,500 for operating support needed to continue services to children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS.

Human-services grants are made in the following areas, in descending order of dollars awarded: essential human needs, housing, human development, community life, residential care, legal assistance and justice issues, employment and job training, family life, and child care.

Approximately half of the health-related grants supported mental-health or counseling services. The foundation also made grants in the areas of disease prevention, health education, health research, health-care services, physical rehabilitation, safety promotion, and substance-abuse prevention and treatment.

The education program places emphasis on projects that enhance the academic achievement of Texas schoolchildren. Grants included $22,000 to St. John Lutheran Church, in Grand Prairie, to create an after-school program for disadvantaged Hispanic children.

Grants made through the civic-affairs and environment program focus on the relationship between built and natural environments, economic and community development, the nonprofit sector, and energy, plant, water, and wildlife conservation and research.

More than half of arts and cultural grants went to support museums, collections, and exhibits.

Application procedure: The foundation accepts grant applications throughout the year and there are no formal application forms. Any given organization is limited to one application within a one-year period. Applications are usually processed within three to four months. Prospective applicants should review the foundation’s grant guidelines, which are available in both English and Spanish on its Web site.

Key officials: Linda P. Evans, president and chief executive officer; Bruce H. Esterline, vice president for grants; Michael E. Patrick, vice president, treasurer, and chief investment officer; Bob Weiss, vice president for administration; Emily J. Jones, assistant vice president and corporate secretary; Carol A. Stabler, director of communications; Steve Davidson, Michael K. McCoy, and Kathy Smith, senior program officers; Cindy M. Patrick and Adrianna Cuéllar Rojas, program officers; Cynthia Cass, grants operation manager; Robert A. Meadows, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Z. SMITH REYNOLDS FOUNDATION

147 South Cherry Street, Suite 200
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101-5287
(336) 725-7541 or (800) 443-8319
http://www.zsr.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 2002.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was established in 1936 as a memorial to Zachary Smith Reynolds (1911-32), the youngest son of the founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, by his brother and two sisters.

The foundation’s income is derived from two trusts — the W.N. Reynolds Trust and the Zachary Smith Reynolds Trust — that are controlled separately. While the foundation itself has no assets, the two trusts have approximately $400-million in assets. Per its charter, the foundation makes grants only to organizations that benefit residents of North Carolina.

Following a yearlong strategic-planning process, the foundation defined five priority areas for future grant making. To its existing program areas, the environment and precollegiate education, the foundation added three new areas: community building and economic development; governance, public policy, and civic engagement; and social justice and equity.

Community-building and economic-development grants focus on community-led efforts to expand the participation of poor and traditionally excluded people in reducing economic disparities, improving race relations, and spur-ring community development. For example, the Bridge Jobs Program, in Charlotte, received $20,-000 for a job-training program for local Latino residents.

The governance and public-policy program supports efforts to promote civic engagement, systemic change, and responsive governance. Allocations included $400,000 to the North Carolina Good Government Fund, in Carrboro, to build public support for comprehensive campaign-finance reform in the state.

The social justice and equity program focuses on empowering women and girls, promoting racial and ethnic equality, reducing poverty through economic opportunities, and seeking greater equity in the criminal-justice system. Awards included $75,000 to the Financial Protection Law Center, in Wilmington, to provide litigation assistance to victims of predatory lending.

Application procedure: The foundation makes grants only to nonprofit, charitable organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and to government units. Organizations that operate both within and outside North Carolina may be eligible for consideration for programs operating within the state. The foundation accepts proposals twice a year: by February 1 for consideration at its May board meeting and by August 1 for consideration at its November board meeting. Proposals may be sent by mail or via the foundation’s Web site, but not by fax or e-mail. Detailed information on grant-making guidelines and the application process is available on the foundation’s Web site.

Key officials: Thomas W. Ross, executive director; Martha H. Pridgen, consultant and former director of administration; Mary Fant Donnan, Barbara Roole, Monteic Sizer, and Joy Vermillion, program officers; Patricia B. Williamson, executive assistant and office manager; Mary Mountcastle, president of the Board of Trustees.