Philanthropy and Positive Youth Development : Promoting Good Ideas in a Tough Environment

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Philanthropy and Positive Youth Development
Promoting Good Ideas in a Tough Environment

• May 19, 2003
• Debra Y. Delgado, Senior Associate
• Annie E. Casey Foundation

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Discussion Objectives

• Provide a brief overview of key trends shaping
  philanthropic giving in the past 5 years
• Describe implications for Grantmakers and
  Grantseekers and
• Develop recommendations on how to make the case
  for PYD and younger teens.

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Rapidly Changing Nature of Philanthropy

• Record-setting gains in the U.S. economy and
  stock market through the first half of the year,
  along with dramatic increases in funding by a few
  exceptionally large grantmakers, helped the
  nations foundations achieve unprecedented growth
  in 2000
• Foundation Giving Trends, 2001 edition

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Growth in Giving, 2000

• Approx. 48,000 organizations received 120,000
  grants
• Giving by 1,015 sampled foundations grew by 29.7
  to 15B between 1999 and 2000 and
• Number of grants rose by 10.7

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Growth in Giving

• Record 582 grants of 2.5M or more reported in
  2000
• Foundations reported a five-fold increase in the
  number of grants of 5Million between 1991 and
  2000 and
• Eleven-fold increase reported in 10million

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Giving by Subject Focus

• Health experienced fastest growth in grant s
  followed by the environment, animals and
  education and
• Roughly 9 out of 10 foundations gave for health,
  human services, arts culture and education.

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Giving by Types of Support

• Program support represented close to ½ of 2000
  grant s
• General operating support accounted for
  one-in-seven grant s and almost one-in-five
  grants and
• More than 1/5 of grant s provided capital
  support.

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Even in the Best of Times

• At least ½ of grants were for 50,000 or less in
  all subject areas except science and
• Over 90 of foundations have less than 3 FTEs.

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Minor Shifts in the Grantmaking Sand

• 142 foundations surveyed
• 15 reported giving would drop
• 64 predicted grantmaking would remain flat
• Council of Foundations, 2/01

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Survey Results

• Sharp drop in assets for some of the major
  players
• Packard plunged by 25
• Kellogg fell by 24
• These 2 combined with an additional 63
  foundations saw wealth decline by aggregate sum
  of 9B

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Emerging Changes in Practice

• Cash flow (change from annual or semiannual
  payments to quarterly or monthly) and
• Tighter scrutiny on requests for no-cost
  extensions.

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Summarizing the Trends

• In the late 1990s big, bold visionary thinking
  was spurred by unprecedented growth in assets
• Growth spurt reversed directions almost
  overnight and
• New primary order question for private funders
  How to do more with less?
• What are the best bets?
• Who are the strongest partners?
• How to maximize the return on investments?

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Implications for Grantmaking Practice AECF as
an example

• Maintain our grantmaking commitments
• Get more clear about desired results and the
  return on our investments
• Use results framework to evaluate new ideas and
• Seek funding partners.

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Implications for Grantseekers

• Homework is essential
• Information (research) about the foundation
  should be up-to-date. Double-check the facts
• Funding priorities
• Staff and
• Grant application procedures, etc.

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Making the Case for PYD and Younger Teens

• Challenges
• No current national funders Initiative focused
  exclusively on PYD practice
• Limited resources translate into more narrow but
  strategic targets e.g. geography, sector,
  population
• PYD framed within context of school reform,
  after-school programs, etc

• Opportunities
• Younger teens issues have to be addressed within
  the context of families and communities
• Prevention messages resonate with funders and
• Growing interest in key transition points for
  young people.

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Frame the Opportunities Name the Results for
Young Teens

• Name the problems/issues but also frame solutions
  in terms of results. For example
• Influence What knowledge, behaviors, practices,
  policies, etc will change as a result of this
  investment?
• Leverage What private/public will be
  leveraged?
• Impact How many families/young people will
  benefit?

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Framing the Opportunities

• Think nationally in terms of strong research
  data and seek funds locally
• Local/regional foundations continue to be keen
  on youth-related issues value partners who are
  conceptually strong, clear about best practices
  and positioned to demonstrate local impact.

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Reframing Perspective The Young Teens Advocate
as an Advisor

• Context content is increasingly valuable
• Key trends issues affecting young teens
• Knowledge of best practices and
• Whats the connection (to the funder, to the
  consumer, etc).

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Know What the Funders Know..

• Foundations and Funders Networks offer useful
  resources to track issues and trends (e.g., Kids
  Count)
• Networks also are designed to
• Accelerate the learning curve for funders
  grantees thru dissemination of emerging reports
  and
• Help surface opportunities for collaboration
  thru e-bulletins, etc.

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Information Resources A National Example

• Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing,
  www.fcyo.org
• Sample postings
• Current RFP
• 2001 and 2002 grants list
• Downloadable copies of current reports
• Strategies for Building Power and Youth
  Leadership
• Youth Organizing Expanding Possibilities for
  Youth Development
• An Annotated Bibliography on Youth Organizing
• Electronic newsletter sign up

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Summation

• Changes have been fast and furious over the past
  five years
• New ways of doing business are emerging
  (internet, networking and resource sharing) and
• Shifts open up the door for thinking differently
  about grantmaker/grantseeker relationships on
  emerging issues like PYD young teens.

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Information Resources National Examples

• Youth in Transition Funders Group
• Funders Concerned About AIDShttp//www.fcaaids.or
  g
• Grantmakers for Children, Youth
  Familieshttp//www.gcyf.org
• Grantmakers In Healthhttp//www.gih.org