In(c)ights | Why Philanthropy Is So Much More Than Just Giving Money Away
The news that students in Cornell University’s Leadership in Non-profit Environments class had doled out $10,000 in grants to four local organizations was hardly earth-shattering; after all, this kind of teaching by example has been done before. The funding for the philanthropy lesson came from Doris Buffett’s Sunshine Lady Foundation (she’s Warren Buffett’s sister), and the United Way of Tompkins County helped the class to administer the proposal and granting process. A pretty picture, but one that’s been painted already. No, what caught my eye was how the students went about completing the project, so I called up Joanne Florino, executive director of the Triad Foundation, who taught the course, and asked her about it.
"They agreed early on they were very interested in looking at grants that were for low-income or otherwise marginalized communities," she told me. "One of the factors they were looking for in these grant proposals was sustainability. They wanted to be sure this wasn’t just a one shot deal because of the $10,000. They were looking for collaboration. And the they outlined specific areas: They were very concerned about issues of poverty, underemployment, and education."
The class received two dozen proposals seeking a total of $125,000 in funding. Based on the criteria they had agreed to, the students awarded four grants, reported the Ithaca Journal:
- $2,200 for the Ithaca Health Alliance’s Free Clinic to develop information-collection tools that will improve interactions with patients.
- $1,500 for Finger Lakes ReUse Inc. to build a materials tracking system. The not-for-profit aims to provide a centrally located retail outlet for existing local reuse programs with extended hours, warehouse space and streamlined administrative support.
- $4,800 for Alternatives Community Ventures, a not-for-profit development corporation affiliated with Alternatives Federal Credit Union, to fund a community tax education program for low-income households and to educate participants about reducing debt.
- $1,500 to Challenge Industries to offer computer access and literacy and skills training for job seekers with disabilities.
"I was very proud of them," Florino said to me. "One of the things we talked about in the course was nonprofits developing their own capacity. We talked about not falling into the trap that funders often fall into — only funding new programs — and understanding that nonprofits themselves need to be sustainable and sufficiently funded. …
"They were very consistent in their grantmaking, which frankly, some big foundations are not. They had guidelines and they duly stuck with them. It was fascinating to see students become champions of one requestor or another. You saw a lot of leadership develop among the students as they argued among their peers on behalf of one organization or another. I got way more out of this course than I gave."
It’s a lesson for all funders, not just those sitting in a classroom in upstate New York. | 501(c)
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