The Daily Tell

In an effort to combat the number of Americans who experience food insecurity nationwide, Bank of America has extended a $1.5 million endowment to to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Feeding America via the bank's "Gift for Opportunity" fund. Consumers and associates made charitable contributions to the fund for six weeks, beginning December 2010, to aid more than 40 million children, individuals and families throughout the nation.

The fund is a new program that nationally aims to encourage charitable giving among the bank's customers and associates, which it will then double with a corporate match. Gift for Opportunity will be activated periodically throughout the year to support a variety of community needs that are important to the bank and its customers.

One of the most important components of the program is volunteerism. More than 1 million volunteer hours were donated by Bank of America associates in an effort to support community and civic organizations and causes, including food insecurity. They supported more than 50 events focused on alleviating hunger in December 2010.

"The issue of food insecurity really motivated our customers and associates to give generously of their money and time," said Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

"The money we give in terms of charitable grants is extremely important, but it's also our associates who give their time and their talents to provide opportunities for the families and children in the communities we serve."

In the first use of its funding, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation supported Feeding America with $1 million.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has teamed up with the UK's Department for International Development, announcing a $102 million, five-year initiative to combat hunger and poverty within developing countries. The partnership will support agricultural research projects, aiming to help boost the profit and yield of small farms within regions that receive funding. It will address the threats that are most serious to the areas, such as food production, crop disease, pests, poor soil quality and extreme weather.

"For many of the poorest people in Africa and Southern Asia, the crops they grow not only provide most of their food but also an important source of income. It’s these people who are hit hardest by food price spikes," said Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s International Development Minister.

"Working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we can drive new ways to make direct improvements in people’s lives, whether by making disease-resistant crops more widely available so that small-scale farmers can grow and sell more, or by developing crops with added nutritional benefits that will give their families a better diet," she said.

In its first round of funding, a $40 million award will go to the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project at Cornell University, which is working to create varieties of wheat that are resistant to strains of stem rust disease. This disease has been running rampant throughout East Africa, threatening the world's wheat supply. In addition, $3 million will be awarded to Diagnostics for All to develop inexpensive testing for small farmers to use to improve milk quality and quantity produced by their cows. It will also benefit the safety of cereal grains.

In the wake of General Motors' collapse, the auto industry pulled its funding to arts institutions via its charitable General Motors Foundation. However, now that the industry is back on its feet again, it has resumed giving, recently extending grants to artistic organizations, including $125,000 to Michigan Opera Theatre, $75,000 to Mosaic Youth Theatre and $25,000 to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

These groups have faced challenges such as increasing deficits, layoffs and artistic cuts throughout the recession. Several Detroit-based artistic organizations, including the Michigan Opera Theatre, almost had to close their doors due to declines in charitable donations, ticket sales and support.

"It's a huge deal for us [to receive the funding," said Rick Sperling, Mosaic founder and CEO at the Detroit Free Press.

"Ford, GM and Chrysler were our largest annual corporate sponsors, and we lost GM and Chrysler in the last few years. To get GM back will make a huge difference in our ability to break even," he added.

According to the general director of the Michigan Opera Theatre, the funding will help it recover from the worst economic climate that its director, David DiChiera, has ever seen. The funding is almost half of what GM used to give the organization, but DiChiera said he is willing to work with all support systems in whatever way he can.

Prior to the economic downturn, GM gave more than $1 million annually to Detroit-based artistic organizations. The Chrysler Foundation, which also dropped its funding to arts organizations during the recession, gave $2 million before the recession hit. It has yet to begin giving again.

Thanks to recent economic improvements, many foundations within Ohio's Miami Valley region have upped their charitable giving, with many more expecting to do so within the year. This is good news for local agencies and nonprofit organizations, which have relied on these grantmaking foundations to survive, the Dayton Daily News reported.

The recession played a major role in these foundation's ability to give over the past several years. The Kettering Family Foundation, based in Dayton, saw its assets and revenue dip between 2007 and 2008 – falling from $22.6 million to $15.7 million. Its grantmaking abilities fell below $1 million during the same period of time, according to the source.

Another organization, The Dayton Foundation, serves as one of the region's largest foundations. It has fared better than others, bouncing back faster from the economic downturn. Its charitable grants dropped to $36.6 million during the fiscal year enduing June 30, 2010, down from $37.8 million in 2009 and $40.8 million in 2008. Its assets also dropped from $286 in 2009 to $334 million in 2008. Over the last year, however, they have climbed – jumping back up to $340 million last year, due largely in part to donors.

"Halfway through our new fiscal year, which would be Dec. 31, 2010, we are at $370 million, which is an all-time high for the community foundation," Mike Parks, president of The Dayton Foundation, told the source. "We’ve recovered and then some."

Although organizations such as The Dayton Foundation have witnessed recovery, some are still being cautious. The Victoria Theatre Association receives 17 percent of its funding from gifts, but foundations make up only 5 percent of that – explaining that seeking too much funding from a foundation could be dangerous.

The Salvation Army set a new record for the sixth year in a row with its Red Kettle Campaign, held during 2010's holiday season. The campaign raised $142 million, an increase of more than 2 percent over 2009's record.

The Salvation Army posted Red Kettles nationally in 25,000 locations. Additionally, it adopted new technology including credit card swiping machines, social media campaigns, mobile applications and virtual bell ringers – all tactics that likely helped the nonprofit organization see an increase in its donations. It also launched its first ever text-to-give initiative, which saw more than $25,000 in donations.

Annually, the Salvation Army raises funds for nearly 30 million Americans, and its Red Kettle Campaign – first initiated in 1891 – is the oldest annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the U.S.

"In the twenty-first century, people are looking for new ways to support and interact with the charities that are important to them. The Salvation Army is keeping pace so donors have a variety of options to give," said Salvation Army national commander William Roberts.

"The Red Kettle Campaign incorporated several aspects of the changing face of giving by raising awareness through social media and allowing the next generation of donors to give online or through their phones," he added.

In addition to the funding that the organization raised on its own, it saw a $1 million donation from the Walmart Foundation. The donation stems from the Foundation's effort to combat hunger within the U.S. and will support the nonprofit organization's food service organizations.

The United Nations has worked with the government of Zambia, the World Bank, UNICEF and the Stanbic Bank Zambia in order to distribute more than 800,000 anti-malaria bed nets three months earlier than anticipated – before the rainy season peaks.

Anti-malaria bed nets will be delivered to 1.6 million people in Zambia and will have the ability to stem thousands of malaria cases within the country thanks to $4.8 million from the groups. In addition, it may help thousands of children, who prove to be at greater risk of contracting malaria during the rainy season.

This deal marks the first use of the Pledge Guarantee for Health – a new financial tool developed by the UN Foundation via the Reproductive Health Supply Coalition and the Dalberg Global Development Advisors. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the initiative.

"The process is new, but the goal of Pledge Guarantee for Health is simple: to more quickly and effectively reduce childhood deaths from easily preventable diseases," said Kevin Starace, executive director of Global Health Innovation at the UN Foundation.

"The PGH helps streamline the flow of aid dollars, reducing inefficiencies and premiums that governments pay on health commodities due to bottlenecks in the grant disbursement process," he added.

PGH allows developing countries to avoid stock-outs, emergency shipments and the high costs that are often associated with waiting for funding for medications and medical supplies by guaranteeing bank loans. It took UNICEF and the Zambian government less than three weeks to deliver the bed nets once the guarantee was issued.

Recently, the percentage of Zambian households with at least one anti-malaria bed net has increased. In 2006, 38 percent of the population had bed nets, increasing to 64 percent in 2008. Additionally, bed nets help the country make strides towards its health-related Millennium Development Goals.

The United Nations has worked with the government of Zambia, the World Bank, UNICEF and the Stanbic Bank Zambia in order to distribute more than 800,000 anti-malaria bed nets three months earlier than anticipated – before the rainy season peaks.

Anti-malaria bed nets will be delivered to 1.6 million people in Zambia and will have the ability to stem thousands of malaria cases within the country thanks to $4.8 million from the groups. In addition, it may help thousands of children, who prove to be at greater risk of contracting malaria during the rainy season.

This deal marks the first use of the Pledge Guarantee for Health – a new financial tool developed by the UN Foundation via the Reproductive Health Supply Coalition and the Dalberg Global Development Advisors. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the initiative.

"The process is new, but the goal of Pledge Guarantee for Health is simple: to more quickly and effectively reduce childhood deaths from easily preventable diseases," said Kevin Starace, executive director of Global Health Innovation at the UN Foundation.

"The PGH helps streamline the flow of aid dollars, reducing inefficiencies and premiums that governments pay on health commodities due to bottlenecks in the grant disbursement process," he added.

PGH allows developing countries to avoid stock-outs, emergency shipments and the high costs that are often associated with waiting for funding for medications and medical supplies by guaranteeing bank loans. It took UNICEF and the Zambian government less than three weeks to deliver the bed nets once the guarantee was issued.

Recently, the percentage of Zambian households with at least one anti-malaria bed net has increased. In 2006, 38 percent of the population had bed nets, increasing to 64 percent in 2008. Additionally, bed nets help the country make strides towards its health-related Millennium Development Goals.

Over the course of the next 10 years, Campbell Soup Company will spend $10 million in an effort to lower obesity and hunger rates among children in Campden, New Jersey, the brand's hometown. It aims to lower the obesity rate of the town's 23,000 children by 50 percent by focusing on providing access to healthy and affordable food, expanding the availability of physical activity and education, increasing participation in these programs and boosting nutrition and health education.

A large percentage of school-age children in Camden are enrolled in the town's free school breakfast and lunch program, the company said. For children between the ages of 3 and 19, the obesity rates are approximately 40 percent, a figure that is above the national average of 32 percent. Thirty five percent of Camden children between 3- and 5-years-old are overweight or obese, in comparison to the nation's average of 21 percent, and 44 percent of Hispanic children in the town are overweight or obese, compared to the national rate of 38 percent.

"We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a city-wide program in place," said Denise Morrison, Campbell's chief operating officer.

"We're excited about launching this important program, and, over time, we plan to extend it to other U.S. communities where we have operations," she added.

The company will partner with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to help reach its goals. It will add a second major grocery store in the city – currently, Camden has only one. It will also work with Food Trust to develop a Health Corner Store Network to bring fresh produce to independent stores and will fund the YMCA's Coordinated Approach to Child Health afterschool program. The initiative promotes healthy food choices and physical activity among children from preschool through the eighth grade.

Over the course of the next 10 years, Campbell Soup Company will spend $10 million in an effort to lower obesity and hunger rates among children in Campden, New Jersey, the brand's hometown. It aims to lower the obesity rate of the town's 23,000 children by 50 percent by focusing on providing access to healthy and affordable food, expanding the availability of physical activity and education, increasing participation in these programs and boosting nutrition and health education.

A large percentage of school-age children in Camden are enrolled in the town's free school breakfast and lunch program, the company said. For children between the ages of 3 and 19, the obesity rates are approximately 40 percent, a figure that is above the national average of 32 percent. Thirty five percent of Camden children between 3- and 5-years-old are overweight or obese, in comparison to the nation's average of 21 percent, and 44 percent of Hispanic children in the town are overweight or obese, compared to the national rate of 38 percent.

"We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a city-wide program in place," said Denise Morrison, Campbell's chief operating officer.

"We're excited about launching this important program, and, over time, we plan to extend it to other U.S. communities where we have operations," she added.

The company will partner with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to help reach its goals. It will add a second major grocery store in the city – currently, Camden has only one. It will also work with Food Trust to develop a Health Corner Store Network to bring fresh produce to independent stores and will fund the YMCA's Coordinated Approach to Child Health afterschool program. The initiative promotes healthy food choices and physical activity among children from preschool through the eighth grade.

Head of Global Health to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Tachi Yamada, signed on with the world's richest philanthropic organization in 2006 with the understanding that he would only stay for five years. In five years a person can be "energetic, enthusiatic, innovative and very, very engaged," Yamada said in an interview with The Seattle Times. However, the medical leader now believes that his time is up and the organization will benefit more from someone new. In June, someone else will fill his role.

His role as Head of Global Health has gained him a spot as one of Forbes magazine's most powerful figures in medicine. He helped grow the Gates Foundation, tripling its staff, and under his leadership, in 2009, its health programs accounted for $1.8 billion of its $3 billion in grants. Yamada also saw to it that the organization changed the way it approached diseases and public health conditions that affect the poor. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also honed its focus on vaccine development as a cost-efficient way to tackle diseases in developing countries, according to the newspaper.

"He came with a strong product development background at [GlaxoSmithKline], which made him think about outcomes and products and milestones … in a way that academics don't often think," said Dr. Roger Glass, director of the Fogarty International Center, a federal global health research center, to the source.

Yamada's departure from the Gates Foundation shouldn't negatively impact the organization. Currently, it is searching for eligible candidates to replace the Head of Global Health, who plans on doing something "substancial" in Japan, his native country.