Foundation Annual Reports

COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF TEXAS
4605 Live Oak
Dallas 75204
(214) 826-5231
Period covered: Year ending June 30, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation’s forerunner, the Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund, was created in 1953 by a group of Dallas businessmen. Although its name was changed in 1981 to reflect the foundation’s commitment to projects throughout Texas, its grant making continues to emphasize the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

The foundation comprises approximately 650 funds. In 1996-97, grants totaling $25,559,834 were distributed in the following program areas: education, which received 26 per cent of grant dollars; social services, 18 per cent; health, 16 per cent; cultural and historical projects, 16 per cent; religion, 13 per cent; inner-city and community projects, 6 per cent; and youths, 5 per cent.

Organizations receiving education-related grants included St. Philip’s School, which received a grant to provide tuition assistance for black students.

Recipients in other areas included the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas, the Dallas Bach Society, and the Dallas Zoo.

The foundation administers the W.W. Caruth, Jr., Foundation, which was established in 1974 by the Dallas real-estate developer W.W. (Will) Caruth, Jr. It has assets of approximately $80-million. Awards from its funds included $5-million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, to recruit and support 20 medical researchers.

The foundation also maintains nine area funds that concentrate on grant making in specific Texas communities.

Application procedure: The foundation welcomes grant requests throughout the year from non-profit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Grant-request guidelines that provide details on grant-making policies and deadlines for submission are available from the foundation’s grant department, and potential applicants are encouraged to discuss the feasibility of requests with the department prior to submission. Requests for general operating support are usually not considered, and capital improvements are generally given priority over program requests.

Key officials: Edward M. Fjordbak, president; Gerald G. Carlton, executive vice-president and chief operating officer; J. Michael Redfearn, vice-president for finance and chief financial officer; Jeverley R. Cook, vice-president for programs; Marcia Williams Godwin, vice-president for administration; Ruth Sharp Altshuler, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
17 East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Suite 200
Larkspur, Cal. 94939-1727
(415) 461-3333
World-Wide Web: http://www.marincf.org
Period covered: Year ending June 30, 1997.

Note: Except for grants paid, figures do not include the Buck Trust, which had assets of approximately $748-million as of June 30, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: The Marin Community Foundation was created in 1986; it distributes the majority of income from the Leonard and Beryl H. Buck Foundation, known as the Buck Trust, and administers more than 100 other endowments and donor-advised funds. Its grant making supports projects that benefit residents of Marin County, Cal., and the San Francisco Bay area.

In 1996-97, the foundation allocated $30.6-million in grants and loans. Of that, $22.3-million came from the Buck Trust, which supports the foundation’s competitive grant and loan programs, which emphasized six program areas: human needs, education and training, community development, the arts, the environment, and religion.

Grants to meet the basic human needs of low-income people totaled $10,509,918, or 38 per cent of grants awarded. Emphasis was placed on projects related to hunger and homelessness, school-linked health services, elderly and disabled people, child care, mental health, legal services, health care, immigrants, and substance abuse.

In the area of education, a $7,830,000 grant went to the San Rafael-based Marin Education Fund to increase educational opportunities for low-income people by providing them with information, referrals, and financial aid.

Grants in other programs included $195,370 to Fair Housing of Marin, an organization in San Rafael, for technical assistance and support of its programs to counter housing discrimination.

The foundation also supports three research and educational institutions in Marin County: the Buck Center for Research in Aging, the Beryl Buck Institute for Education, and the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems. The three institutions receive 20 per cent of the Buck Trust’s allocable income, which totaled approximately $6.6-million in 1997.

Application procedure: Potential applicants should contact a program officer to determine if a proposed program is consistent with foundation goals. Following that discussion, applicants may submit a letter of two to four pages that includes the name and mission of the applicant organization; the name, address, and phone number of a contact person; a brief description of the program, including its objectives, expected outcome, methods to be used to achieve them, and how achievements will be measured and evaluated; a brief narrative describing the problem or issue to be taken up, a statement of need for the program, the population to be served, and how the program corresponds to the foundation’s goals; the proposed starting date and duration of the program; estimated total cost of the program, including amounts requested and secured from the foundation and other grant makers; and background information on the organization, including the year of its incorporation and experience in the program area. Applicants should also include the letter from the Internal Revenue Service certifying the organization’s tax-exempt status; a list of board members, including professional affiliations and identification of board officers; evidence that the proposal has the approval of the governing body; an organizational profile; and budget information for both the organization and the program. Proposals are accepted and reviewed year round, with the exception of the community-development program, which has the following deadlines: February 15, June 15, and October 15.

Key officials: Stephen M. Dobbs, president and chief executive officer; Sid Hartman, vice-president for administration and chief investment officer; Ste phen M. Jackson, vice-president for fund development; Michael Groza, vice-president for community programs; Lisa Lacey, director of communications; Ross Dizon, grants manager; David Werdegar, chair of the Board of Trustees.

Program officers: Steven Barton, Linda Compton, Carolyn Evans, Bettie Hodges, Donald Jen, Lourdes Martinez, and Sallyanne Wilson.

JOHN & MARY R. MARKLE FOUNDATION
75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York 10019-6908
(212) 489-6655
World-Wide Web: http://www.markle.org
Period covered: Two years ending June 30, 1997.

Purpose and areas of support: The foundation was created in 1927 by John Markle, a coal-mine operator and financier. Since 1969, it has focused on the role of “mass communications in a democratic society.” Grants and research currently focus on these program areas: the role of the news media and technology in encouraging political participation, the expanding use of interactive communications, and the development of telecommunications policy that is in the public interest.

During 1996-97, the foundation allocated 57 grants, program-related investments, and other appropriations that totaled just over $6-million.

The foundation spent $450,000 to extend its Commission on the Media and the Electorate, which analyzes the interaction between the news media, politicians, and the public during campaigns. In 1996, the commission was renamed the Markle Presidential Election Watch; it conducted a study of the Presidential election that began with the New Hampshire primary and ran through Election Day.

Grants related to interactive communications technology focused on using new technologies to develop high-quality educational products and services for at-home use.

In the area of communications policy, the foundation is working with business and governmental entities to promote “universal” access to electronic mail and the Internet at public and private locations nationwide.

Application procedure: There is no formal procedure for submitting a request. The foundation prefers, however, that a brief letter of inquiry precede a full proposal in order to permit an early judgment about the possibility of support. The letter should include the amount requested, along with a brief outline of the proposed project: its purpose, expected outcomes, plan of action, and principal staff members. It should be sent to Tracie L. Sullivan, Grants Manager, at the address above. Letters and proposals must be submitted on institutional letterhead, and electronic transmissions are not accepted. The Board of Directors approves grants at its meetings in November, March, and July.

Key officials: Zoe Baird, president; Edith C. Bjornson, vice-president and senior program officer; Karen D. Byers, vice-president and treasurer; Catherine H. Clark, program manager; Tracie L. Sullivan, grants manager; Lewis W. Bernard, chairman of the Board of Directors.