May 5, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes
When foundations set out to diversify their board composition or grant-making efforts, they often focus on race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
But they often do not make those definitions based on geography. As a result, they limit their ability to become more equitable, Robert Ross. chief executive of the California Endowment, said in a session this morning at the Council on Foundations annual conference.
Dr. Ross, who oversees a foundation that has received national recognition for its work in helping close ethnic and racial gaps in health care, said the California Endowment has realized that it needs to expand its focus to also include largely white rural communities that have high poverty rates.
“There are a number of pockets of white rural poverty in California. Their face needs to be included in the photograph,” Dr. Ross said. “Poor rural white folks, they do exist. They have the same complaints as inner city Los Angeles in terms of the inaccessibility of foundations.”
He added that his foundation is also looking to broaden its efforts to promote diversity in other parts of its operations, such as contractors and consultants that are hired by the foundation.
That effort is sparking some intense debate on the California Endowment board, he said, particularly when the board discusses the diversity of its investment managers.
Dr. Ross will take questions from Chronicle readers this Tuesday at noon Eastern time during an online discussion on foundations and diversity.
The discussion, which will feature questions from Web site visitors world wide, will take place at the Chronicle’s booth at the Council on Foundations annual meeting. Joining Dr. Ross will be Mark Rosenman, director of Caring to Change, a project of the Union Institute & University, which has its headquarters in Cincinnati.
(Read opinion articles published in The Chronicle by Dr. Ross and Mr. Rosenman.)
