Connections Fair Funder Roundtables
BILL and MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.
Washington is the only state in the U.S. where all our domestic initiatives are actively engaged together. Here, in our home state, we’re working to prepare children for kindergarten, reduce family homelessness, provide greater opportunities for students to graduate from high school and earn a postsecondary (college) degree, ensure that libraries maintain quality access to technology, and help at-risk families, children, and communities.
We take a simple approach to grantmaking through our Pacific Northwest initiative’s Community Grants program: We listen, learn, and respond to the local needs of communities in Washington state and in the greater Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area.
To improve the lives of vulnerable children and families—as well as the nonprofits, tribes, and government agencies that serve them—our Pacific Northwest Community Grants program works to impact the lives of people with few resources and great needs. The majority of our Community Grants investments support three core objectives:
• Connecting families to government support.
• Supporting evidence-based and promising approaches to preventing and reducing violence in our communities.
• Enhancing academic success through community and school collaboration.
Find out more at www.gatesfoundation.org.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION for SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
Overview: The Community Foundation helps a broad cross section of citizens build stronger communities through effective philanthropy. One of the nation’s 700 community foundations, it is a tax-exempt, public charity that primarily serves southwest Washington. The Foundation holds more than 240 distinct Funds, ranging in size from $10,000 to over $3 million, that are pooled, managed and invested to generate growth and income for granting and inflation purposes. Governed by a volunteer Board of local leaders, the Foundation offers services to donors and nonprofit organizations and a wide range of benefits to the community. In total, the Community Foundation has infused more than $87 million into the community since it was established in 1984.
Giving Criteria: The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington awards grants and scholarships primarily, but not limited, to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in Southwest Washington.
Grants awarded to nonprofit organizations fall into two categories:
Competitive Grants. Nonprofit organizations may apply for funding through our Community Giving Fund, Children’s Trust Fund, and La Center Casinos Charitable Fund.
Funds Established by Individuals and Families: Through Donor Advised Funds, individuals select nonprofits to receive grants from their Funds. Donors who establish Field of Interest Funds use this vehicle to support specified areas of interest, such as conservation, the arts, or medical research. Designated Funds allow donors to support specific organizations, such as their alma mater, place of worship, or an organization that has benefitted from their volunteer commitment. The founders of these Funds determine the organizations that will benefit.
Scholarships are also offered through the Community Foundation. Students are invited to apply.
For all grant and scholarship information, please visit our website at http://www.cfsww.org.
NORTHWEST HEALTH FOUNDATION
The mission of the Northwest Health Foundation is to advance, support and promote the health of the people in Oregon and southwest Washington. The Foundation invests in efforts that address the root causes of health through community-driven solutions and seeks to ensure that the voices of all people are represented in health policy discussions. Northwest Health Foundation focuses its work in three areas: public health, health care reform, and health workforce.
Northwest Health Foundation focuses its work in three areas: public health, health care reform, and health workforce. In addition, the foundation’s donor advised Kaiser Permanente Community Fund addresses the social determinants of health. A new fund, the Convergence Partnership Fund, strives to achieve a vision of healthy people in healthy places by contributing to the development of a better resourced, more effective, and better networked cohort of advocacy organizations representing communities of color.
ROTARY FOUNDATION OF VANCOUVER
The Vancouver Rotary Foundation’s mission is to foster, promote, and encourage the health, education, and general welfare of the residents of SW Washington. Our funding priorities are scholarships, families in need, youth development, and public service. Since 1972, the Foundation has distributed over $2 million to exemplary students and organizations throughout our area and globally. The dollars we raise throughout the year and at our primary fundraiser, the Festival of Trees, go directly back into our community, to causes that are important to our residents. We are neighbors helping neighbors build an even stronger base for the future in this area that we know and love. http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/home/homeG.asp?cid=2802
SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS
Making a donation feels good. But really giving back feels great. We’re called Social Venture Partners because we are just that–partners. We put our collective personal and professional resources to work in building a better Portland.
SVP Partners do more than write checks. We roll up our sleeves and get involved.
Qualities of an SVPP Investee
Nonprofits that become SVPP Investees are at a crossroads of sorts. They have proven, effective programs but also a vision for their next-stage of development and impact.
Our Investees are organizations committed to outcomes measurement and meeting goals and objectives. They have a long-term perspective on their impact and a bold vision. They are led by social entrepreneurs–innovative, passionate leaders who eagerly employ traditional business principles to achieve their goals and make creative use of limited resources in pursuit of their organization’s mission.
Our Investees are committed to receiving an infusion of high-level volunteer support from our Partners in areas such as strategic planning, operations, information technology design, marketing, communications, financial planning and analysis, outcomes tracking and measurement, among others.
Investment Focus Area
SVPP seeks to be a catalyst for effective, enduring investment in the well being of children, youth and families in greater Portland, including:
•Economic, social, health and environmental risk factors
•Early learning, development and education of children and youth
Two Investment Funds
•The Social Venture Fund offers SVPP lead investments in a new idea or start-up nonprofit organization that offers systemic, measureable solutions to important community needs. These typically require a strategic combination of funding and expertise in order to come to fruition and achieve sustainability. Learn more about the fund here.
•The Capacity Building Fund offers investments in existing nonprofit organizations that have effective programs and strong leadership, but which could advance to a higher level of impact and effectiveness by strengthening the underlying organization.
THE COLUMBIAN
The Columbian
P. O. Box 180, Vancouver, Washington 98666
www.columbian.com
Contact: Rhona Sen Hoss, Community Partnerships Manager, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Columbian, the community’s source of information, is the leading online and print media in Southwest Washington. We continue to reach 64% of the adults in Clark County through print and online. This translates into reaching more than 198,000 adults with your organization’s message. In addition, research shows that columbian.com visitor, with a median household income of $68,500, is the most visited local site in Clark County. Our highly popular site has over 2.3 million page views and nearly 32,000 local, Clark County unique visitors each month.
The Columbian believes in supporting community organizations through the donation of online and print advertising space and cash. Resources are focused on groups or organizations that help people in unfortunate circumstances, and on programs that positively impact the 100-year Clark County landscape to preserve and enhance the livability and character of the community.
We have found that most organizations benefit more from a gift of advertising space than of cash. This space may be used to call attention to a community need, an upcoming event, or raise funds. (We prefer “informational/promotional” ads rather than after-event “thank you ads.”)
Due to the considerable number of donation requests received each year, we have established priorities as indicated in our philosophy statement. Although a substantial portion of our annual revenue is set aside to fulfill our donations philosophy, the needs of the community vastly outweigh the available resources.
We are less inclined to donate to causes that benefit designated individuals, or that serve a small number of people such as athletic teams, bands, scout troops, and church groups. We do not donate to political candidates or any organization that practices discrimination by race, color, creed, sex, religion or national origin.
TOD & MAXINE McCLASKEY FOUNDATION
We are proactive, meaning we do not accept unsolicited proposals. We currently use an RFP process. Our main area of interest is health care and education. We fund primarily in the greater Vancouver area.
Contact: Nancy Hales, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
UNION PACIFIC FOUNDATION
Union Pacific Corporation
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) is one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is North America’s premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States.
Union Pacific Foundation
The Union Pacific Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Union Pacific Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific believes that the quality of life in the communities in which its employees live and work is an integral part of its own success. To better support this mission, the Foundation administers two programs:
• The Principals’ Partnership, and our
• Community-Based Grant Program
Who Can Apply
The Foundation requires that an organization be located in a community served by Union Pacific Railroad, is a 501(c)(3) public charity as identified by the IRS and falls within one of the three areas of interest outlined below.
1. Union Pacific Community: The community where the organization is based must be served by Union Pacific Railroad. (View a map showing where Union Pacific Railroad operates in the United States.) Your community must be located on these railroad lines. The Foundation does not accept applications from organizations located outside the Union Pacific served area even though the intent may be to operate a program in a Union Pacific community.
2. Public Charity or Municipality: The organization must possess a current 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS stating that the organization has been classified as an organization described in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(ii-vi) of the Internal Revenue Code. Municipalities located on Union Pacific lines may apply for one-time programs/projects provided the program/project benefits the entire community. Applications for services for which the municipality has taxing authority, i.e. fire department, police department, etc., will not be considered.
3. Areas of Interest: The Foundation has a strong interest in promoting organizational effectiveness among nonprofits. To that end, the Foundation will dedicate the majority of these grants to help nonprofit organizations build their capacity, increase their impact, and operate more efficiently and effectively. The Foundation will be particularly receptive to proposals that fall within the following categories:
• Community and Civic: To assist community-based organizations and related activities that improve and enrich the general quality of life in the community. This category includes organizations such as aquariums, botanical gardens, children’s museums, history/science museums, public libraries, public television and radio, zoos, etc.
• Fine Arts: To create a wider opportunity for the enjoyment of and participation in the visual and performing arts. A limited amount of funding is available for this category. Preference will be given to those organizations with whom the Foundation has an established relationship.
• Health and Human Services: To assist organizations dedicated to improving the level of health care or providing human services in the community. The Foundation is proud to support the United Ways in numerous Union Pacific communities. Applications will not be accepted from United Ways as funding is awarded annually at the Foundation’s discretion. Applications from member agencies of United Ways already supported by Union Pacific Foundation, are limited to capital requests only.
Please Note: Unsolicited requests from formal educational institutions such as colleges and universities are not accepted.
http://www.up.com/found/grants.shtml
UNITED WAY OF THE COLUMBIA WILLAMETTE
Together We Can Make a Difference!
Everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. By improving people’s lives we change our communities
for the better. That’s why United Way of the Columbia-Willamette is so important. We bring people, resources and ideas together to create opportunities and advance the common good.Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. It’s the idea that we are all connected and interdependent; the idea that we all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and people are healthy.Your gift to United Way helps families and individuals with basics needs while also creating long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of problems. United Way focuses on the
building blocks we all need to succeed:
l EDUCATION – Preparing children to succeed in school and life
l INCOME – Moving families from poverty to financial stability
l HEALTH – Ensuring people have access to basic healthcare
It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED. One of the easiest ways to give is through the United Way Community Giving Campaign and payroll deductions. Employees at companies like Comcast and others, large and small, throughout Oregon are making a difference. Join us in becoming part of the solution.
Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Find out how you can LIVE
UNITED at http://www.unitedway-pdx.org.
United Way
of the Columbia-Willamette
619 SW 11th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97205
Contact:
Howard Klink,
Vice President for
Community Investment
503-228-9131
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.unitedway-pdx.org/
US BANK CORPORATION
Charitable Giving
Through the U.S. Bancorp Foundation, we provide cash contributions to nonprofit organizations in our priority areas of affordable housing and economic opportunity, education and artistic and cultural enrichment. Total charitable contributions from the U.S. Bancorp Foundation topped $20.6 million in 2009.U.S. Bancorp supports United Way each year with an employee campaign. Our company supplements these donations with significant charitable contributions through the U.S. Bancorp Foundation, all of which address human services needs in our communities. In 2009, pledges by employees and contributions by the Foundation to United Way totaled more than $9.7 million.
The U.S. Bancorp Foundation giving program is designed to respect the diversity of our communities. We are actively involved in our communities, partnering with local nonprofits to meet specific needs within each community.
Within our funding guidelines, we consider grant requests without regard to race, gender, disability, religion, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation. While The U.S. Bancorp Foundation generously funds many nonprofit organizations in our communities, it is impossible to fund every request received.
Mission: U.S. Bancorp contributes to the strength and vitality of our communities through the Foundation charitable contributions program. We seek to build strong partnerships and lasting value in our communities by supporting organizations that:improve the educational and economic opportunities of low- and moderate-income individuals and families enhance the cultural and artistic life of the communities in which we live and work
When people work together, great things happen!
All across U.S. Bancorp, our employees and our company share a strong tradition of joining forces to build great places that we call home.
You can count on us to help meet community needs in many ways, including providing cash grants, loan assistance, in-kind donations, sponsorship of not-for-profit organizations, and volunteering our time and expertise.
David Wynde, Vice President & Manager, Community Relations
U.S. Bank
111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 400
Portland, OR 97204
503-275-5776
