June 1994
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina • 7
Conference
Continued from page 6
tions, which make up more than a
quarter of its 1,300 members,
nationwide (see story on page 6).
• The use of public forums and
other outreach efforts to give citi
zens more of a voice in programs
supported by foundations.
• Growing concern about bow
to train the next generation of
philanthropic leaders who will be
the stewards of trillions of dollars
worth of new foundation giving.
In a workshop called
“Grantmaking that Changes the
Rules,” Mary Mountcastle, a
trustee of the Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation in Winston-Salem,
described a recent initiative in
which the foundation made chal
lenge grants to county govern
ments to improve services to poor
families in North Carolina.
The project, now in its third
year, has led to some small but
vital changes in attitudes among
social service providers and gov
ernment leaders.
“If you’re a foundation that’s
concerned about seeing some
impact, you have to be engaged in
public policy,” Mountcastle said.
“What we did was use big grants
as the carrot to bring people
together at the local level.”
Another example of Innovation
came from Boston, where the
Boston Foundation has been spon
soring media call-in shows and
focus group discussions in poor
neighborhoods.
“We’re beginning to look at the
foundation as a resource, an infor
mation link between programs,”
said Anna Faith Jones, president
and CEO of the community foun
dation.
“Just convening people to lis
ten to them is very simple but it’s
something we [foundations] don’t
do very much. We think we have to
have all the answers.”
Despite examples of collabora
tion between government agencies
and foundations, government lead
ers were criticized for viewing
foundations mainly as a source of
capital rather than as a source of
ideas for ways to improve commu
nity life.
Jonathan Silver, a Commerce
Department official who is head
ing President Clinton’s new non
profit liaison network, urged foun
dation leaders to get involved in
efforts to forge new links between
government and philanthropy.
“We don’t know what you want
unless you tell us,” he said. “We
really mean it when we say we’re
trying to build collaborative rela
tionships.”
In addition to external chal
lenges, foundations are facing
pressures from within.
Among the issues raised by
conference participants were the
need for stronger conflict-of-inter
est policies and strategies tor
making foundation boards more
representative of the communities
their institutions were set up to
serve.
While increased media atten
tion makes many foundation lead
ers uncomfortable, others see the
exposure as a necessary tact of
life for institutions operating in
the public trust.
“We’re in a period of greater
public speaking and accountabili
ty,” said Joyce Bove, vice presi
dent of programs and projects for
The New York Community Trust.
“We have to get ready for that and
respond. And we have to be more
rigorous about the outcomes of
our grantmaking.”
For information about the
foundation conference, contact the
Council on Foundations, (202)
466-6512.
Family
Continued from page 6
up with other suggestions, including;
• Offering a program on how to
continue the intent of original founda
tion donors.
• Sponsoring seminars on invest
ing.
• Studying the possibility of offer
ing group benefits to the staff of fami
ly foundations throng the Council or
regional grantmaking associations.
• Organizing regional meetings for
representatives of fanuly foimdations.
• EstabUshing a youth council to
train new family foundation mem
bers.
James Joseph, president of the
Council on Foundations, has recom
mended that the Advisory Committee
become a permanent committee of
the council’s board.
“Family foundations not only
reflect fundamental American values,
but the values of this council,” he
says. “They bring family values and
family assets together.”
For information on the council’s
initiative on family philanthropy, con
tact Lambeth at (910) 725-7541.
POVERTY
Continued from page 3
designed to encourage county gov
ernments to change the way social
services are provided to poor fami
lies. -
The report urges policymakers to
make social service reforms a top
priority for the future:
“Unless North Carolina acts soon
to change the way it provides assis
tance to its large number of poor, the
next generation will inherit a prob
lem of staggering social, economic,
fiscal and psychological dimensions.”
For copies of the reports, contact
The N.C. Institute of Minority
Economic Development, (919) 682-
1894, and the Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation, (910) 725-7541.
Barbara Solow
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