Nonprofit Sector Research Fund Awards $225,000 in Grants to Study Community Foundations 4/27/2004
From: Winnifred Levy of the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program of The Aspen Institute, 202-736-5814 or winnifred.levy@aspeninstitute.org WASHINGTON, April 27 -- The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF) of the Aspen Institute recently awarded grants totaling $225,000 to three research projects under NSRF's Community Foundation Initiative. Community foundations represent a growing and influential component of the foundation universe. According to the Council on Foundations, over 700 community foundations are in operation in the Unites States today. Together, the foundations manage more than $34 billion in assets. In recent years, community foundations have been one of the fastest growing segments of philanthropy and, in many communities, have taken on increased responsibility for addressing a broad range of local issues. Unfortunately, research has failed to keep pace with the rapid, recent growth of the community foundation field. Despite the best efforts of foundation leaders, scholars, and others to promote new research, significant gaps in understanding of community foundations remain. By addressing these knowledge gaps, the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund's new Community Foundation Initiative will help these organizations improve their performance and assist policymakers in developing more informed public policy regarding these important institutions. The following three research projects have been awarded grants in 2004 under the Community Foundation Initiative: 1) Together is Better: Regional Alliances and Small Community Foundation Sustainability -- Robert Collier, Council of Michigan Foundations, and Lucy Bernholz, Blueprint Research and Design -- $85,000 The research will examine regional collaborations among small (i.e. under $20 million in assets), geographically-adjacent community foundations. The study seeks to determine the effects of collaborations on the operational, marketing, and financial sustainability of participating foundations. 2) Understanding the Decision-Making Behavior of Community Foundation Boards -- Judith Miller-Millesen, Ohio University, and Sandra Hughes, BoardSource -- $85,000 The goal of this project is to develop a research-based, empirical understanding of how community foundation boards balance their complex, and often competing roles as grantors, grantees, community representatives, and providers of fiduciary oversight. The research is designed to provide detailed information about the activities performed by community foundation boards, leading to improved skills training and development programs for community foundation board members. 3) Organizational Excellence and Sustainability in Community Foundations -- Francie Ostrower, The Urban Institute -- $55,000 The study is designed to understand what practices, organizational models, and collaborations are being used by community foundations to achieve organizational excellence and to determine how well these efforts are working. This project also will determine how "organizational excellence" for community foundations is defined by stakeholders (staff and board) of the foundations themselves. The challenges that arise as community foundations work toward excellence and sustainability will be highlighted as well. ------ The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund ( http://www.nonprofitresearch.org ) was established in 1991 to increase understanding of the nonprofit sector and philanthropy. Since its founding, the Fund has awarded a total of $10 million to support 400 research projects on a broad range of nonprofit topics. NSRF is currently focusing its work in three areas: nonprofits and public policy, nonprofit relations with business and government, and foundation policy and practice. NSRF's Community Foundation Initiative is supported by grants to NSRF from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The Aspen Institute is an international non-profit organization founded in 1950. Its mission is to foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote the pursuit of common ground and deeper understanding in a nonpartisan and non-ideological setting. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo and New Delhi, and leadership programs in Africa. |