Donor Advised Fund Grantees
2012 Year End Grant Making Activity
March 4, 2013
By Ellie Lanphier
As we barrel full speed ahead into 2013, we wanted to take a moment to recognize all of the giving that took place within our wonderful donor community at the end of 2012.
In November and December of 2012 we made 127 grants, totaling $1,859,345; processed 103 gifts (including 10 stock gifts) totaling $9,373,839; and opened 6 new Donor Advised Funds!
During this giving spree, Global Citizen Year (GCY), a San Francisco based non-profit, received a grant from one of our donor advised funds in December of 2012. GCY promotes the global Bridge Year, a year of service and learning for graduated high school seniors before they begin college. Through facilitating this experience, GCY hopes to help create the next generation of global leaders by encouraging them to reimagine their own role in the world.
GCY recruits and trains high performing high school seniors to become Global Citizen Year Fellows, who then dedicate their Bridge Year to highly immersive apprenticeships in areas such as education, public health, or microfinance in communities throughout the developing world. The 2012 class of Fellows completed their apprenticeships in Brazil, Senegal and Ecuador. You can read about their experiences on their blog From the Field. Program fees for the experience are determined on a sliding scale, based on the ability of the Fellow and the Fellow’s family to contribute, and are capped at a tuition ceiling.
Quite a few colleges in the US are beginning to encourage college freshman to defer enrollment for one year, and spend that year learning outside the classroom. These colleges have noticed more maturity, focus and perspective in students who have taken a Bridge Year. You can read Harvard’s view on the Bridge Year, or Gap Year, on their website.
The CEO and founder of Global Citizen Year, Abigail Falik, announced a goal to facilitate a global Bridge Year for 10,000 American students by the year 2020. With a great start and a goal like that, we at RSF look forward to following their exciting story.
Ellie Lanphier is Program Assistant, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
2012 May and June Grantmaking Activity: Global Greengrants
August 16, 2012
By Catherine Covington
Many of our donor advised fund clients recommend grants to domestic organizations that they have a close connection to. Perhaps they have volunteered with the organization, know someone on the staff or board, have seen the impact of the organization’s work in their own community, or are passionate about an issue or problem the organization is tackling. However, what does one do if you are passionate about supporting causes outside the U.S. but don’t know where to get started or what support is needed and where?
One of donor advisors recently recommended a grant to Global Greengrants, a domestic non-profit with international grantmaking expertise. The mission of Global Greengrants is to mobilize resources for global environmental sustainability and social justice. It does so by raising money from individuals, foundations and corporations then donating those funds to worthy charitable causes around the world. One might ponder the direct impact a gift to a regranting organization but Greengrants is able to add tremendous value to its donors’ gifts through its unique grantmaking model—small grants recommended by local experts.
Bidhichandrapur Chetana (BCC) is a community organization in West Bengal, India. The group has used 4 small grants from Greengrants to spread organic farming in their community. Photo by Tamsin Green.
Greengrants acts as a bridge between donors and local groups on the ground, and it does so through a model of activist-led grantmaking. Greengrants has strong, local connections with extraordinary community leaders and activists around the world. Journalists, lawyers, scientists, academics and a variety of other individuals act as advisors on nearly 20 advisory boards. The advisors provide local knowledge and on-the-ground details, which are two key ingredients for making impactful grants at the grassroots level. These advisors are often on the front lines enabling Greengrants to find promising grantees and ensure success through active monitoring and mentoring. To learn more about Greengrants’ grantmaking model and the important challenges it is confronting in areas such as biodiversity conservation, climate justice, and food and agriculture, please check out its website. My favorite page is the grantee highlights section!
During the months of March and April, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 66 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $1,002,334! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investing Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Catherine Covington is Senior Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance
Education & the Arts
Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gessellschaft
Inquiring Systems, Inc.
Villa Esperanza Services
Global Citizen Year
GreatNonProfits
Democracy Now!
Global Purpose
Duke University
Community School for Creative Education
Camphill Soltane
Tides Foundation
Collective Heritage Institute
Awakening Entelechy
Ecole Rudolf Steiner-Montreal
Marion Institute
Center for Biography and Social Art
Rose Rock School Foundation
Women’s Resource Center
Charter Foundation
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Truthout
Maine People’s Resource Center
The University of Maine System, Inc.
Christian Community in New England
Christian Community – New York City
Consumers for Dental Choice
Pacific Zen Institute
Ecological Stewardship
Daily Acts
Science House Foundation
Bikes Not Bombs
Tengri School for Spiritual Ecology
The Cultural Conservancy
Georges River Land Trust
Amazon Conservation Team
Global Greengrants Fund
Food & Agriculture
New World Foundation
Filmmakers Collaborative
Dancers’ Group
stone circles
Trust for Conservation Innovation
Adelante Mujeres
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Creative Visions
Oakland Institute
Waldo Community Action Partners
Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association
Spikenard Farm
Michael Fields Agricultural
Rockland Farm Alliance
Social Finance
Villgro Innovations Foundation
Commercial Fisherman of Santa Barbara
Other
Mali Health Organizing Project
Stanford University
Camphill Communities California
National Peace Corps
Southern Poverty Law Center
American Himalayan Foundation
2012 March and April Grantmaking Activity: Wholesome Wave
May 24, 2012
By Catherine Covington
Living in San Francisco, I often take for granted the access I have to locally-grown produce through the myriad of farmer’s markets and local food retailers we have here in our city. When facilitating a grant to a recent grantee, Wholesome Wave, I was reminded just how widespread the lack of access to healthy and nutritious food is across our country, particularly in low-income communities.
Wholesome Wave, located in Bridgeport, CT, exists to foster strong linkages between local and regional agriculture and under-served communities with a mission to improve access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally-grown produce and a vision to develop a more vibrant and equitable food system. It is dedicated to supporting small and midsize farms and has programming in 26 states and the District of Columbia. At the core of its operations are partnerships with more than 50 community-embedded organizations that allow Wholesome Wave to implement its programs, including the Double Value Coupon Program, the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, and the Health Food Commerce Initiative. It is estimated that through these community-based partnerships, Wholesome Wave’s programs impact over 2,300 farms.
The grant from RSF was to specifically support the Double Value Coupon Program (DVCP), an innovative program that increases the value of federal nutrition benefits, including benefits provided to people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program). When a DVCP program participant shops at a participating farm-to-retail venue, they receive an incentive that matches the amount spent in federal nutrition benefits towards the purchase of locally grown fruit and vegetables. Not only does this generate economic stimulus by keeping federal nutrition benefit funds within local and regional communities, it also increases the viability of small and midsize farms by creating new revenue streams. The DVCP program was launched in 2008 and has expanded to over 200 markets in 23 states. In 2010, it is estimated that Wholesome Wave’s national network of farmers markets, farm stands and CSA programs increased farmers’ revenue by about $1 million through a combination of federal food benefit redemptions and DVCP incentives.
photo courtesy of Wholesome Wave
During the months of March and April, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 75 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $1,676,917! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Education & the Arts
ABC No Rio
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute
Arriba Juntos
Artemisia
Aspen Waldorf Foundation, Inc.
BAIF Research Development Foundation
Center for Contextual Studies
Charter Foundation
Christian Community – New York City
Community Foundation of Tompkins County
Community School for Creative Education
Consorcio Internacional Arte y Escuela- ConArte
Cooperative Development Institute
CREA Comunidades de Emprendedores Sociales, A.C.
Cross-Cultural Thresholds
Dancers’ Group
Eurythmy Spring Valley
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Friends of Jefferson Public Library
Global Citizen Year
GreatNonProfits
IDEAS Comunitarias
International Funders for Indigenous People
Interspecies Communication
iOnPoverty
La Arenera
Naropa University
Noraz Poets
Pacific Zen Institute
Philanthropy Workshop West
Rudolf Steiner School, NY
San Francisco Mime Troupe
Santa Rosa Symphony
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
ShadeTree Multicultural Foundation
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs
Sonoma County Synagogue Center
Tara Institute of the Performing Arts
Threshold Foundation
Villanova University
Washington Waldorf School
Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
Ecological Stewardship
Ashden
Biosphere Foundation
Collective Heritage Institute
Conservation Strategy Fund
Marion Institute
Tebtebba Foundation
The Gaia Foundation
Food & Agriculture
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association
Center for Mind Body Medicine
Coros Institute
Foundation for National Progress
Heifer International
Maine Farm Bureau Disaster Relief Fund
Michael Fields Agricultural
Smallholders Foundation
Spikenard Farm
Washington Hancock Community Agency
Wholesome Wave
Social Finance
Buckminster Fuller Institute
Impact Assets
Other
Doctors Without Borders
Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
J/P Haitian Relief Organization
Marin City Community Development Corporation
National Lawyers Guild Foundation
National MS Society
Rudolf Steiner Fellowship
Catherine Covington is Senior Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance
Winter 2012 Grant Making: The Ceres Community Project
April 12, 2012
By Catherine Covington
When you are ill, one of the last things you feel like doing is cooking a healthy meal for yourself, even though you know that it is part of what your body needs to heal and recover. When the majority of us get sick, it is usually only for a few days, maybe a week, but imagine how debilitating it could be to have an illness for an extended period of time. What would you do? Who could you depend on during such a time?
The Ceres Community Project in Sebastopol, CA, one of RSF’s recent grantees, provides those facing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses with nourishing meals and educates the larger community about the connection between food, healing, and wellness. Its mission is to restore locally-grown, organic whole food to its place as the foundation of health for people, communities and the planet. Ceres has been serving the local community for over five years and recently delivered its 100,000th meal. Having just moved into a brand new kitchen with increased capacity, Ceres plans to provide 45,000 free meals in 2012, a 50% increase over last year!
Ceres Kitchen
One of the beautiful things about the Ceres model is that the majority of its chefs are teen volunteers from over 35 different middle and high schools. As many as ten teens a day prepare, cook, and package the meals that are delivered each week to Ceres clients. They work with professional chef mentors and learn how to cook healthy meals using fresh, local ingredients. While volunteering, teens not only develop culinary and leadership skills; they are given the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to their community. Teens are the backbone of the Ceres Community Project, and many become frequent and long-term volunteers.
Ceres Delivery
To learn more about the Ceres Community Project and how to become a volunteer (they take adult volunteers too!), please visit their website.
During the months of January and February, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 71 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $1,430,321.43! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Education & the Arts
Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice
Boulder Institute
Center for Ecoliteracy
Centro de Negocios Sustentables, A.C.
Charter Foundation
Children of Nepal
Circus Amok
Collective Heritage Institute
Common Fire Foundation
Fielding Graduate University
FJC- A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds
Foundation for the People of Burma
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Fund for Idaho
Global Citizen Year
Global Rites of Passage
Grammar School
Helen Lubin
Housatonic Valley Waldorf
Institute of International Education
Journey Waldorf School
Lawrence Academy
Marin Waldorf School
Marion Institute
Monadnock Waldorf School
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Pacifica Foundation
Rudolf Steiner College
Sanderling Waldorf School
ShadeTree Multicultural Fnd.
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs
Steiner Books
Sunbridge College
Teen Talking Circle Project
The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival
The University of Maine System
Tides Center
Tides Foundation
Tucson Waldorf Education Association
University of the Pacific
Vivekananda Sevakendra-O-Sishu Uddyan (VSSU)
Ecological Stewardship
Leadership Institute for Ecology and Economy
Food & Agriculture
Androscoggin Valley Council of Government
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association
Ceres Community Project
Cobscook Bay Resource Center
Family Farm Defenders, Inc.
Food Project, Inc.
Global Exchange
Green Belt Movement International
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Pie Ranch
Spikenard Farm
WhyHunger
Social Finance
Hawthorne Valley Association
Social Venture Network
Other
Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
Brattleboro Area Drop In Center
Emergency Family Assistance Association
Paint Lick Family Clinic
Catherine Covington is Senior Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance
December 2011 Grant Making Activity with a Spotlight on B Lab and Pachamama Alliance
January 19, 2012
By Catherine Covington
So, you might know that RSF provides investing, lending, and giving services, but did you know that those services sometimes overlap, that a single organization and relationship can represent all three? We here at RSF are thrilled when such intersections present themselves in our day-to-day work as it helps us validate that our service areas are in alignment, making our goal to transform the way the world works with money that much more powerful. In December, we were reminded of the ability of different parts of our organization to work together when our RSF donor advisors chose to make grants to two RSF borrowers – B Lab and Pachamama Alliance.
Benefit corporations, or B Corps, are a new class of corporation that are required to create a material positive impact on society and the environment as well as meet higher standards of accountability and transparency. There has been lots of press about B corps in the news lately, particularly here in California, which became the sixth state to pass benefit corporation legislation in October of last year. What is not widely known is that there is a non-profit behind all of that work and positive press. That non-profit is called B Lab and they are a RSF borrower and grantee. B Lab has staff in Pennsylvania, New York, and San Francisco and is dedicated to effecting systemic change through three interrelated initiatives that not only includes promoting benefit corporation legislation, but building a community around Certified B Corporations and accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of the GIIRS Ratings and Analytics. RSF has had a longstanding relationship with B Lab, not to mention that our very own Don Shaffer was given a B Corp MVP award in 2010 for his significant support of B Lab initiatives.
Another borrower, investor, and grantee (we should have a special award for being all three!) is Pachamama Alliance, one of our fellow neighbors here in the Presidio. Founded in 1995, Pachamama is dedicated to protecting the Earth’s rain forests and the indigenous people who live within them. They seek to accomplish their mission by delivering educational experiences that are designed to inspire and educate individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world. The grant from RSF was specifically to support Pachamama’s Rights of Nature program, an innovative initiative focused on establishing a legal basis for protecting our planet. Building upon success in Ecuador, the first country in history to include Rights of Nature in its constitution in 2008, Pachamama helped form the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, a group of internationally recognized experts and leaders working for the universal adoption and implementation of Rights of Nature.
During the month of December, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 78 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $902,578! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
December 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
American Himalayan Foundation
Earthfire Institute
Institut fur Stromungswissenschaften
Marion Institute
Ojai Foundation
Pachamama Alliance
Transportation Alternatives
Wildlife Conservation Network
World Wildlife Fund
Education & the Arts
Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gessellschaft
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute
Anthroposophical Society in America
Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
Berkeley Public Library Foundation
Camphill Foundation
Center for Anthroposophy
Charter Foundation
Collective Heritage Institute
Cross-Cultural Thresholds
Detroit Waldorf School
Earth Island Institute
Family Planning Association
Fistula Foundation
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Golden Courage International
GreatNonprofits
Homeless Children’s Network
Indiana University Foundation
International Media Project
J Street Education Fund
KQED
KRCB
Lionheart Foundation
Meadowbrook Waldorf Association
Mission Possible Kids
Muse Elementary School
Native American Community Board
Oberlin College
Pacific Institute
Peace Development Fund
Pine Hill Waldorf School
Proxy Democracy, Inc.
READ Global
Right to Dream
Rudolf Steiner College
School of Eurythmy
Seminary of the Christian Community
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation
Threefold Educational Foundation
Triskeles Foundation
Trustees of Brantwood Camp
Union of Concerned Scientists
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Colorado Foundation
Waldorf Early Childhood Association
Walking the Dog Theater
Food & Agriculture
Growing Gardens
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Michael Fields Agricultural
Yggdrasil Land Foundation
Social Finance
Ashoka
B Lab
Other
Guide Dogs of America
STC Education and Leadership Fund
Catherine Covington is Senior Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
RSF Grantee Investigates Growth Structures for Social Enterprise
December 29, 2011
By Catherine Covington
There has been lots of buzz lately, on our blog and in many other places, about seeking alternatives to big banking. Amidst the activity that resulted from the Move Your Money campaign, including lots of new RSF Social Investment Fund accounts, I was excited to witness one of our donor advised fund clients take action to support the growth and development of community development finance institutions (CDFI’s) by making a grant to Southern Bancorp Capital Partners.
Southern Bancorp Capital Partners (SBCP) is a non-profit affiliate of Southern Bancorp America’s largest rural development bank (RSF has an existing relationship with Southern Bancorp, having made an investment in this CDFI from our Liquidity Portfolio some years ago). Southern operates community banks and development organizations that work together to promote comprehensive development in the Delta region of Arkansas and Mississippi. SBCP is a 501(c)(3) organization and a U.S. Treasury certified CDFI providing development lending services and technical assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners and facilitating strategic community planning and development in selected communities. The mission of SBCP is to revitalize struggling rural communities by promoting comprehensive development. It does this by supporting quality educational opportunities for residents of all ages, restarting the local economy, rebuilding the civic infrastructure, fostering the emergence of new leadership, addressing health care needs, and creating new homeownership and affordable housing opportunities. SBCP has created and saved thousands of jobs and generated millions of dollars of investments in the communities it serves.
The grant from RSF was directed to a research project focused on exploring capital markets for CDFI banks and other social enterprises, which have historically faced growth and social impact restrictions due to the limited liquidity of their capital. While socially motivated investors may be willing and able to give up some financial returns on their capital, they are rarely eager to give up the return of their capital. This perceived and oftentimes real lack of liquidity related to CDFI’s can be a huge barrier for prospective investors, thus preventing the capital infusions and equity needed for anything beyond organic growth. The goal of the research project is to engage one or more experts with extensive experience in financial analysis of community banks and traditional capital markets to explore possible exit options for investors in CDFI’s and other social enterprises that can be offered without diminishing the organization’s social impact. Key topics to be addressed include maintaining control over social mission while broadening ownership structure, appropriate capital structure and blend of financial returns, the suitability of traditional markets for hybrid enterprises, implications for the entire field of social finance, etc. The goal for the research project is to devise a successful capital structure strategy that will further enable and allow organizations like Southern Bancorp to grow, further their impact, and act as model social enterprises.
This grant to Southern Bancorp was one of 59 recommended by RSF’s donor advisors from their Donor Advised Funds during the months of October and November for a total disbursement amount of $959,352.43!
Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified non-profit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
October and November 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Nature Conservancy
Times Up
Triskeles Foundation
Education & the Arts
Artemisia Associate (AAMTA)
American Society for Technion
AnewAmerica Community Corporation
Aspen Waldorf Foundation, Inc.
Association of Waldorf Schools, North America
Austin Eurythmy Ensemble
Camphill Special Schools – Beaver Run
Camphill Village Copake Foundation, Inc.
Center for Anthroposophy
Charter Foundation
Community Supported Anthroposophical Medicine
Crosspulse
Daily Acts
eLib, Inc.
EPHAS Productions
Fielding Graduate University
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Green Mountain Branch of the ASA
Hawthorne Valley Association
Heartbeet Lifesharing Corporation
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
LifeLong Medical Care
Maine People’s Resource Center
Marin Community Foundation
Marion Institute
Pacific Zen Institute
President and Fellows of Harvard College
Room to Read
Rudolf Steiner Fellowship
Rudolf Steiner Press
Shade Tree Multicultural Foundation
Sound Circle Eurythmy
Southeastern Branch of Anthroposophical Society
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Suncoast Waldorf Association
The Nature Institute
Food & Agriculture
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Open Space Institute
Slow Food U.S.A.
Spikenard Farm
Sustainable Connections
Sustainable Harvest International
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Worldwatch Institute
Social Finance
Eyebeam Atelier
Root Capital
Southern Bancorp Capital Partners
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
June & July Grantmaking Activity
August 25, 2011
By Catherine Covington
During the months of June and July, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 46 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $536,211.69! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Tunis, Jacob, and Katahdin sheep are raised at Hidden Villa as a part of their animal husbandry program. Photo courtesy of Hidden Villa
Spotlight on Hidden Villa
Hidden Villa is a non-profit education organization that stretches over 1600 beautiful acres of open space in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains about 40 miles south of San Francisco. With a mission to inspire a just and sustainable future through its programs, lands and legacy, it uses an organic farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to learn about the environment and social justice. It was founded by Frank and Josephine Duveneck, who purchased the land in 1924 and were determined to be the best stewards of the land possible. Over the following decades, the Duvenecks established the first Hostel on the Pacific Coast (1937), the first multiracial summer camp (1945), and Hidden Villa’s Environmental Education Program (1970). The Trust for Hidden Villa was established as a non-profit in 1960.
Every year 30,000 people participate in one of Hidden Valley’s formal programs which consist of school programs, summer camps, individual programs available to the public, and sustainable agriculture programs. An additional 20,000 visitors come to the preserve annually to explore the farm and gardens or to hike on the eight miles of trails. Its constituents cover a wide spectrum of age, physical ability, geography, ethnicity, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and its organic farm, rustic barns, newer sustainable structures and pristine riparian, woodland and chaparral wilderness provide opportunities to experience the beauty of our environment on a first hand basis.
The key activities within Hidden Villa’s focus on Sustainable Agriculture are the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and the animal husbandry program. Hidden Villa manages a small-scale, organic farm. The farming practices are driven by its agricultural mission to produce the best quality vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs for local markets and to support Hidden Villa’s educational programs by modeling sustainable, organic practices that minimize outside inputs, promote biodiversity, honor labor, value animal welfare, and respect the capacity and wildness of the land.
RSF is proud to support Hidden Villa. To learn more or to plan a visit, please check out their website.
June and July 2011 Grantees:
Education & the Arts
Alliance for Childhood, Inc.
Chengdu Waldorf School
Community for the Renewal of Education and Work
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Green America
GreatNonProfits
Global Citizen Year
Creative Works of Lancaster
Collective Heritage Institute
Dancers’ Group
Green Meadow Waldorf School
High Mowing School
Charter Foundation
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Friends of CRAFT, Inc.
Shade Tree Multicultural Foundation
Hidden Villa
Maine Initiatives
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Washington Waldorf School
Davis Waldorf School
Portland Waldorf School
Marin Waldorf School
Waldorf School of Orange County
Seattle Waldorf School
Hawthorne Valley School
Tucson Waldorf Education Association
Housatonic Valley School
Waldorf School of Atlanta
Charter Foundation
Waldorf School of Garden City
Westside Waldorf School
Honolulu Waldorf School
Pasadena Waldorf School
Cape Ann Waldorf School
Woodland Star Educational
Seminary of the Christian Community
International Community Foundation
American Hero Quilts
Food & Agriculture
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Other
National Peace Corps
Feeding America
Give2Asia
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
March Grant Making Activity and Spotlight on Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
May 2, 2011
by Catherine Covington
During the month of March, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 39 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $363,657. Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Spotlight on Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
One of March’s grantees was Women’s Initiative for Self Employment (www.womensinitiative.org), a Bay Area non-profit with a mission to build the entrepreneurial capacity of women to overcome economic and social barriers and achieve self-sufficiency. It provides high-potential, lower-income women the training, resources and on-going support to start and grow their business.
Women’s Initiative has been assisting women-owned businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area since 1988 and currently operates seven training sites. Women are empowered to start a new business or expand an existing business through an intensive 20-session program, taught in English or Spanish.
Graduates of the program have access to valuable one-on-one consultation and coaching sessions with expert trainers, monthly networking opportunities and ongoing training through its SuccessLink Program. Since inception, Women’s Initiative has served more than 22,000 women, helping them directly contribute to the health of their communities. Some examples of the program’s results include:
- Annual household income for participants entering the business training program is just $22,000. One year after training, it leaps to nearly $35,000.
- The women who participated in the training last year will bring in an estimated $18.8 million in 2011. Over the next five years, gross receipts for the class of 2010 will total an estimated $125.4 million.
- One year after training 90% of graduates reported being employed or self-employed.
- In 2011, recent graduates (classes of 2006-2010) will create an estimated 3,818 jobs.
- 57% of Women’s Initiative graduates have “green” businesses and sell products and services that are non-polluting and leave a small carbon footprint.
In 2009, Women’s Initiative hosted award ceremonies in all five Bay Area counties honoring trailblazing women entrepreneurs who have demonstrated leadership in their field and in the community. Enjoy the video below which highlights a woman from our very own San Francisco County!
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/7733758[/vimeo]
March 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
Conservation Strategy Fund
Education & the Arts
Youth for Environmental Sanity
Pomegranate Center
Sierra Nevada College
Center for Mind Body Medicine
Yuan Tze Ren Xue Center, Inc.
Collective Heritage Institute
Foundation for the People of Burma
Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
Duane Elgin
GreatNonProfits
Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
Associazione per la Pedagogia
Helen Lubin
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Summerfield Waldorf School
Seattle Waldorf School
Three Cedars School
Cedar Springs Waldorf School
Waldorf School of th Peninsula
Charter Foundation
Global Fund for Women
Community Services Agency
Homeboy Industries
The Art of Yoga Project
Maine People’s Resource Center
Cooperative Development Institute
Tucson Waldorf Education Associoation
Christian Community in North America Central Fund
American Red Cross
Threshold Foundation
Threshold Foundation
Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity
Pacific Zen Institute
Food & Agriculture
Navdanya
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
Spikenard Farm
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Social Finance
Slow Money
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
February Grant Making Activity and Spotlight on Sustain Dane
March 10, 2011
By Catherine Covington
During the month of February, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 33 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $262,054. Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Spotlight on Sustain Dane
One of February’s grantees was Sustain Dane, a non-profit organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, committed to creating a community that deeply enjoys, cares for, and is sustained by its unique environment. It seeks to establish such a community by staying in touch with what is happening locally and globally, identifying opportunities, building networks and relationships and acting as a catalyst for big ideas and partnerships in the region of South-Central Wisconsin. With a comprehensive approach to sustainability, Sustain Dane works with all the sectors that affect our daily lives, including school districts, municipal governments, business communities and neighborhoods.
One example of Sustain Dane’s commitment to generating ideas and connecting people around the issue of sustainability in the workplace in particular is its Mpower Business ChaMpions program. Over the course of a year, Sustain Dane works with participating businesses to help them develop and advance a sustainability strategy that will lead to measurable results. This strategy can include such measures as energy and water efficiency, alternative transportation, and changes to business culture. Key aspects of the program are connecting businesses with relevant resources, the management of an online discussion platform, and monthly meetings that support networking and idea sharing. The eight businesses that participated in the 2010 Mpower ChaMpion program expect to save over $2.4 million dollars over the next 5 years from the projects they implemented. Each business selected at least 5 energy efficiency or sustainability projects to implement, resulting in a collective annual reduction of over 10,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide!
February 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
Sustain Dane
Education & the Arts
Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
Charter Foundation
Community Foundation of Tompkins County
Dharma Seed
Eurythmy Spring Valley
Hawthorne Valley Association
Himalayan Youth Foundation
Kwan Um School of Zen
Lawrence Academy
Muse Elementary School
Noraz Poets
Project South
READ Global
Rudolf Steiner College
Rudolf Steiner Fellowship
Rudolf Steiner School, NY
Running Strong for American Indian Youth
San Francisco Waldorf School
Sophia Foundation North America
Stone Bridge School
Sunbridge College
The Dhana Trust
Tides Foundation
Food & Agriculture
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
Marin Organic
Movement Strategy Center
Navdanya
Partners for Sustainable Pollination
People’s Grocery
Pie Ranch
San Francisco Parks Trust
San Francisco Waldorf School
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
January Grant Making Activity and Spotlight on Teachers Without Borders
February 14, 2011
By Catherine Covington
During the month of January, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 23 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $564,902. Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
Spotlight on Teachers Without Borders
In January, one of RSF’s Donor Advised Funds recommended a grant to Teachers Without Borders (http://www.teacherswithoutborders.org/) to support relief work in Pakistan. The mission of Teachers Without Borders is to advance human welfare through professional development on a global scale. It first began its work in Pakistan in 2003 in response to an appeal from a few dozen mentor teachers in Sailkot and Rawalpindi. Since that time, Teachers Without Borders has offered continued support to the Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) , a grassroots organization in Pakistan that has transformed the lives of women through education and public advocacy.
Over the past several months, Teachers Without Borders has been working closely with local organizations in Pakistan to lend support to those affected by the 2010 floods, which devastated the country and left millions of people in need of food, shelter, medical attention, and psychosocial support. Together with PODA and other local partners, Teachers Without Borders has established a number of critically needed resource centers in the Kemari Internally Displaced Persons Camp near the city of Karachi, where about 10,000 people live in 1,000 tents. These new services include a counseling center, and women and child-friendly spaces providing physical and psychological treatment.
Watch the following video to learn more about Teachers Without Borders’s work in Pakistan:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANaJOpU9dzA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
January 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
Green Belt Movement
Education & the Arts
Aspen Grove Project
Aspen Waldorf Foundation
Austin Eurythmy Ensemble
Boulder Institute
Center for Ecoliteracy
Colin Young
Collective Heritage Institute
Global Exchange
Marion Institute
On the Commons
Proxy Democracy, Inc.
Shade Tree Multicultural Fnd.
Suncoast Waldorf Association
Teachers Without Borders
Teen Talking Circle Project
Tucson Waldorf Ed. Assoc.
Visual Thinking Strategies
Food & Agriculture
Family Farm Defenders, Inc.
Maitreya Institute
Restaurant Opportunities Center
Social Finance
Time Dollar Institute
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
Donor Advised Fund Grantees
