Foundation Annual Reports

ROBERT R. McCORMICK TRIBUNE FOUNDATION
435 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 770
Chicago 60611-4041
(312) 222-3512
World-Wide Web: http://www.rrmtf.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955 upon the death of Robert R. McCormick, longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. It allocates grants in four program areas: communities, journalism, education, and citizenship.

The foundation completed the fifth year of its communities program, through which it has developed partnerships with 37 newspapers, broadcast stations, and sports teams to improve the social and economic conditions in 18 geographic areas nationwide. Each partner organization uses its access to the public to promote increased charitable giving; the foundation provides matching grants to supplement funds raised by the partners. The partnerships operate in these communities: Anaheim, Cal.; Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Denver; El Paso; Escondido, Cal.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Houston; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Manhattan, Kan.; Newport News, Va.; New Orleans; New York; Orlando, Fla.; and Phoenix. Partners include the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the Chicago Cubs, KVIA-TV in El Paso, the Denver Post, and the Indianapolis Star-News.

The journalism program focuses on effective leadership at news organizations, diversity of news staffs and content, coverage of national-security issues, and freedom of expression, with a special emphasis on Latin America. Grants included $189,000 to Investigative Reporters and Editors, in Columbia, Mo., which created Periodistas de Investigacion, a group in Mexico dedicated to teaching computer-assisted reporting techniques and to developing a network of Mexican investigative journalists.

The education program awards grants in the Chicago metropolitan area to increase the number of accredited preschool programs, to improve the early-childhood-education system, to strengthen the skills of preschool educators, and to heighten public understanding of the importance of quality education for young children.

The foundation made a grant to WTTW in Chicago to produce Ten Things Every Child Needs, a one-hour documentary for parents and others that explores how even the earliest interactions with adults affect a baby’s developing brain. The program was initially shown on public television in Chicago and has subsequently been broadcast on television stations in other areas.

The citizenship program “promotes patriotism and service to country and encourages effective philanthropy and volunteerism.” Awards included $50,000 to the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, in Washington, to conduct a series of workshops for non-profit board members nationwide, and $25,000 to the Community Media Workshop, in Chicago, for its work to help grassroots groups get their messages out to the local news media.

Application procedure: Guidelines for grant applications under the communities program may be obtained from the foundation or from local participating broadcasting, newspaper, and sports groups. To initiate a grant request for the journalism, education, or citizenship programs, send a short letter describing the proposal. The foundation’s annual report and World-Wide Web page provide details and examples of current grant-making priorities. The foundation may also be contacted via e-mail at rrmadmin1@aol.com.

Key officials: Neal Creighton, president and chief executive officer; Richard A. Behrenhausen, vice-president, chief operating officer, and secretary; Nicholas Goodban, vice-president of philanthropy; Louis J. Marsico, Jr., treasurer; Catherine Brown, director of communities programs; Denise Carter-Blank, director of education programs; Vivian Vahlberg, director of journalism programs; John W. Madigan, chairman of the Board of Directors.

PENINSULA COMMUNITYFOUNDATION

1700 South El Camino Real, Suite 300
San Mateo, Cal. 94402-3049
(650) 358-9369
World-Wide Web: http://www.pcf.org

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: This community foundation was established in 1964; it makes both discretionary and donor-advised grants to benefit residents of California’s San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

In 1997, grants totaling $26.6-million were allocated in the following areas: civic and public benefit, which received $10.8-million, or 41 per cent; children, youths, and families, which received $10.4-million, or 39 per cent; adult services, which received $3.6-million, or 13 per cent; and homelessness and housing, which received $1.8-million, or 7 per cent.

Awards included $104,702 to the San Mateo County Health Services Agency for the Prenatal to Three Initiative; that project sends nurses and community workers to the homes of parents who receive Medi-Cal benefits to help them learn the necessary skills to insure that their babies and young children receive proper care, nutrition, and brain stimulation.

The foundation’s board has established the following categories for 1998 grant making: early childhood, youths, adult services, homelessness, welfare reform, civic and public benefit, and strengthening non-profit organizations.

The Peninsula Partnership for Children, Youth and Families is a foundation-sponsored program that promotes collaborative projects that involve non-profit and neighborhood groups, government agencies, schools, and other constituents. The program operates in Daly City, East Palo Alto, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Mateo, and the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park.

The Peninsula Nonprofit Center, which provides various services and resources for local non-profit groups, is located at the foundation’s offices and is supported by an annual grant from the foundation.

Application procedure: Contact the foundation to receive a copy of its publication Program Guidelines and Application Procedures. The applicant organization must exhibit current evidence of its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or comparable status. The program or project for which the grant is sought must serve residents of California’s San Mateo County or Santa Clara County, or both. New applicants are encouraged to attend one of the monthly orientation sessions on grantsmanship held at the Peninsula Nonprofit Center, which can be reached at (650) 358-9392.

Key officials: Sterling K. Speirn, president; Vera Bennett, director of finance and administration; Jeanne Friedman, director of development; Christina Sutherland, senior program officer; Lynn Alvarez, Ellen Clear, and Mario Paz, program officers; Rebecca Arno, communications manager; Regina Argueta-Misra, grants administrator; Ruth Holton, director of the Peninsula Partnership for Children, Youth and Families; Georgia McDaniel, Nonprofit Center coordinator; Thomas Bailard, chair of the Board of Directors.

CORPORATIONS

NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY FOUNDATION
229 West 43rd Street
New York 10036-3959
(212) 556-1091

Period covered: Year ending December 31, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation makes grants in five major areas: community services, cultural affairs, education, the environment, and journalism. The majority of grants are made for projects in the New York area and in localities served by affiliates of the New York Times Company.

The foundation awarded 440 grants in 1997. The cultural-affairs program received a total of $1,929,485, the largest percentage of any program area. Allocations included $10,000 to the Dance Theatre of Harlem for educational programs for disadvantaged children.

Grants in other areas included $20,000 to the Arthur Ashe Athletic Association for a mentoring program for high-school athletes, and $5,000 to the Juilliard School for a classical-music program for minority children.

The fund’s matching-gifts program contributes $1.50 for each dollar contributed by any active or retired employee of the New York Times Company to non-profit cultural and environmental organizations, schools, and colleges, up to an annual total of $3,000 per individual. Matching contributions in 1997 totaled $1,057,693.

Application procedure: Initial inquiries should consist of a letter describing the purpose for which funds are requested and how those funds will be appropriated for the specific project. A list of other potential sources of support, a financial report of the organization, and a copy of the letter from the Internal Revenue Service determining the organization’s tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code must also be included. If a grant is awarded, an accounting of the expenditures must be submitted at the end of the award year, as well as a one-page summary of the progress of the project for which the funds were appropriated. The foundation’s Board of Directors meets at least twice annually, usually within the first and third quarter of the calendar year, to authorize grants.

Key officials: Arthur Gelb, president; Russell T. Lewis, executive vice-president; Michael Golden, John M. O’Brien, and Solomon B. Watson IV, senior vice-presidents; Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr., chairman of the Board of Directors.