The Daily Tell

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced more than $1.5 million in grants for 41 film schools and other nonprofits.

The grants – which total $1,541,000 – were announced during the association’s annual Installation Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The grants were announced by HFPA president Phillip Berk, with help from Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker. The star-studded event included acceptance speeches by Nicole Kidman, Aaron Sorkin, Ryan Phillippe and Matthew Fox, among others, speaking on behalf on organizations including American Cinemathetique, The Film Foundation, Higher Education Fellowships & Institutional Support Grants and FilmAid International.

Among the 12 schools receiving grants, the University of California at Los Angeles received a $110,000 fellowship, New York University received a $36,000 fellowship and Chapman University received a $7,500 fellowship.

Many other nonprofit organizations – such as the Tribeca Film Institute, the Sundance Film Institute, Inner City Filmmakers, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Media Arts Center – will also receive grants.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association was founded in 1944, consisting originally of a small corps of overseas journalists seeking to bridge Hollywood to the international community and to provide some relief from the hardships of World War II through film. Today, the organization hosts the Golden Globes, the third most-watched awards program on television.

The 2010 grants represent a new philanthrophic record for the HFPA, which donated $1.2 million in 2009. The charitable amount donated by the organization over the last 15 years now totals nearly $12 million.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has announced $3.2 million in grants to be used for bettering the arts community in Flint, Michigan.

The city is perhaps most famous for being the hometown of controversial filmmaker Michael Moore, who frequently shoots pieces of his documentaries there. The town’s history has been a checkered one, with the city reaching a peak population of approximately 200,000 in 1960 thanks to its location near the then-booming General Motors factory. It was then that the Flint Cultural Center, the benefactor of the Mott Foundation’s grant, was founded.

Since the 1960s, Flint has suffered from depopulation as the American auto industry has dwindled, only recently beginning to recover – but the city’s cultural and artistic touchstones have weathered every difficulty. Now, thanks to the Mott Foundation’s generous grants, as well as recent investments in Flint’s institutions of higher learning and three major GM facilities, the arts scene will continue to thrive.

The Flint Cultural Center was built entirely with private funds and draws visitors from more than half of Michigan’s 83 counties. It encompasses the Flint Institute of Arts and the Flint Institute of Music, which will receive Portions of the Mott Foundation’s $3.2 million in grants. The FIA will receive $1.25 million, and the FIM, including the Flint School of Performing Arts, the Flint Youth Orchestra and the Flint Youth Theatre, will receive $650,000.

The remaining $1.35 million will go to the Flint Cultural Center Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1992, which supports more than half a dozen independent Cultural Center partners.

"Mott’s funding for the various institutions that make up the Flint Cultural Center is part of a larger foundation effort to support Flint’s assets as the city continues to pursue its promise as a healthy, vital place to live and do business," said William S. White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has launched its Social Innovation Fund, starting the program off with inaugural grants that will direct millions in private and public funds toward 11 different nonprofits.

The corporation is dedicated to addressing increasing healthcare needs, closing the gap in achievement for low-income children and taking on economic challenges. To that end, the new SIF fund will be awarding money to a portfolio of organizations who were selected through a rigorous process that demonstrate the desire and ability to find solutions for problems in heathcare, education, youth development and personal financial management. The portfolio’s efforts will reach across 20 states.

"This portfolio is a collection of extraordinary organizations with an unparalleled body of knowledge and expertise on growing what works," said Patrick Corvington, the corporation’s CEO. "They are all driven by the search for bold solutions and recognize that we must use evidence to target limited resources where they will have the greatest impact."

The grants include $74 million in private donations, which, when combined with federal funds, total $123 million.

Of that prodigious sum, $7.7 million will go to Jobs for the Future, an organization that provides training and technical education to unemployed adults to provide them with marketable job skills. The two-year grant will be used to expand the organization’s operation, allowing it to work with more than 23,000 low-income individuals while addressing the skill needs of more than 1,000 employers.

Other organizations receiving grants include the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which will receive $5.7 million; the National AIDS Fund, which will receive $3.6 million; and the Edna McDonnell Clark Foundation, which will receive $10 million.

Of the 11 organizations receiving funds, eight will be selecting subgrantees.

Paul Carttar, Director of the Social Innovation Fund, said the program "offers an avenue for community-driven solutions to grow and demonstrate their value."

The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to meet the needs of the United States’ most vulnerable citizens. It works to connect individuals from all backgrounds with opportunities to get involved in bettering their communities and their nation.

New York City’s performing arts will be getting a much-needed financial boost from the Open Society Foundations, which announced $11 million in grants for several area music, dance and theater groups.

"This initiative is part of our wide-ranging, ongoing work to address the economic crisis nationwide," said Ann Beeson, executive director of U.S. Programs at the Open Society Institute, who helped managed the program. "We’re not an arts foundation, but we know the central role arts and culture play in economic stability and social change."

Ms. Beeson added that nonprofit arts groups employ three times as many people in New York City as law firms do.

According to a report released in May by the Alliance for the Arts, more than 60 percent of arts organizations in New York City reported significant budget cuts following the economic crisis. The lack of available funding has resulted in fewer jobs in the arts industry. Thanks to the generous gift from the foundations, a total of 79 nonprofit organizations dedicated to the fine arts will be receiving grants that will enable them to increase their public programming, retain jobs and even hire new performers.
The two-year operating grants, which range from $65,000 to $250,000, are made possible through the Performing Arts Recovery Initiative, a one-time grant program sponsored by the Open Society Foundations and managed by the Fund for the City of New York. The dance, music and theater organizations selected to receive grants operate on budgets between $75,000 and $7 million, and were selected for their commitment to artistry and their contribution to New York’s culture.

The organizations receiving grants include the Bronx Art Ensemble, Ballet Hispanico and the New York Youth Symphony.

"The arts and arts education are a vital part of the fabric of New York City," said George Soros, chairman of the Open Society Foundations. "This funding will help organizations that have been under severe strain because of the economic crisis."

The Open Society Institute and Soros Foundations were established by George Soros in 1993. Soros, a survivor of Nazi-occupied Hungary, has been involved in philanthropic pursuits for more than 40 years. To date, he has given away more than $7 billion for causes including domestic abuse prevention, HIV/AIDS testing, ending global poverty and rebuilding urban areas.

Philanthropist Lily Safra has donated $2.5 million to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to support the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative.

Safra is the widow of the banker and humanitarian Edward J. Safra, and has served as a board member for the Michael J. Fox Foundation as well as chairman of the Edward J. Safra Foundation, a principle partner of the former.

"My husband had a visionary belief in the power of human ingenuity to conquer disease," said Mrs. Safra.

Mrs. Safra’s gift will be used to fuel the foundation’s search for a biomarker of Parkinson’s disease progression. The PPMI study is aimed at discovering the indicators of Parkinson’s disease development so as to better diagnose, track and treat the disease, one day leading to a cure. The study will employ state-of-the-art neuroimaging, biomedical testing and careful subject observation to better understand the biomarkers of Parkinson’s development, helping to halt or even reverse the effects of the progressive neurological disorder.

Mrs. Safra added that during her husband’s lifetime, he was a prominent supporter of medical research and patient care.

"In his memory, it is my privilege to sponsor PPMI, a characteristically strategic effort by the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fill gaps in medical research in order to speed improved treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease," she said.

Mrs. Safra’s donation, along with a consortium of funding partners, have made the study possible. It is expected to cost $40 million over five years, and requires 400 newly-diagnosed Parkinson’s patients who are not yet taking medication and 200 controls to volunteer as subjects.

Michael J. Fox, a prominent actor, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, though he would not share the news with the public for seven years. Since then, he has been fighting to fund research to treat and cure the disease as well as ease the suffering of those affected by it. The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded nearly $196 million in research to date.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation will be donating more than $1.2 million dollars to charities in the San Mateo and Santa Clara valleys in Callifornia.

The eleven organizations receiving grants focus on helping more than 5,000 low- and moderate-income families learn how to save, gain access to money management programs and achieve financial independence.

The grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 per organization, and are intended to increase the number and availability of financial assistance programs that can provide adults with the incentive to save money and the tools to make financial decisions that will benefit them in the future.

"We need to help people learn to manage money, evaluate complex financial options and start setting aside something for emergencies," said SVCF president and CEO Emmett D. Carson. "These grants will help nonprofits provide and extend those services to immigrants, low-income families, students and others who are not part of the financial mainstream."

Organizations receiving grants from the foundation include the Earned Asset Resource Network, which was given $125,000 to expand its programs providing education on adopting new financial behaviors. Another grantee, Self-Help Economic Development, was awarded $150,000 to support a credit union in East San Jose, California, that provides capital and asset-building programs to immigrant families.

"Our goal is to increase the economic security of those in our region who are least secure," said Carson.

The SVCF was formed in 2006 with the merger of the Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, two philanthropic organizations focusing on the Silicon Valley region of Northern California.

As of 2009, the SVCF has awarded more than $250 million in 9,293 grants over its lifetime, including $8.5 million in international grants. It gives, on average, 70 gifts per week, and is ranked number 101 on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 400. It also ranks 14th among the nation’s largest foundations in terms of total giving.

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has announced plans to donate nearly $1.8 million to nonprofits in the state of Arizona.

"In response to these challenging times, the [trust] has remained steadfast in its outreach to and support of organizations on the front line, providing basic human services to families and individuals in the greatest need," said Pulliam Charitable Trust president and CEO Harriet M. Ivey.

The trust has stated that 86 percent of the $1.8-million sum will be directed toward human service providers. The grants include $715,000 to be distributed amongst 11 organizations that provide transition and permanent housing support, employment assistance, services to the elderly and healthcare; $368,000 to five organizations that provide child care services, youth education on dental and oral hygiene and summer youth programs; and $201,000 to four organizations working toward environmental protection and education programs.

Organizations such as Arizona PBS, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, the Healing Hearts Animal Rescue and Refuge, the Sun Sounds Foundation and the International Rescue Committee will also receive nearly $250,000 in grants.

The grants "represent the trust’s goal of responding to alleviate immediate human needs, collaborating to leverage organizational impact, and investing over the longer horizon to change lives, preserve the environments, and enrich community life in the Valley," Ivey continued.

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust was established in 1997 in tribute to the values of Nina Mason Pulliam, a journalist, businesswoman, humanitarian and native of Arizona and Indiana. The trust also supports the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars program, which supports such schools as Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Arizona State University and the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Walmart and Sam’s Club have raised $20 million for children’s hospitals across the United States.

The companies partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network, a charity dedicated to raising funds for pediatric hospitals, between May 1 and June 19 to reach a fundraising goal of $15 million. The companies’ associates, members and donors far outstripped that goal by raising $20 million – 33 percent more than the target.

During the six-week campaign, funds were raised by customers who were asked if they wished to donate $1, $2 or $5 to the Children’s Miracle Network while they went through the checkout.

Scott Burt, president and CEO of the Children’s Miracle Network, called the fundraising success a "significant achievement," especially given the short amount of time over which the campaign took place and the fact that the majority of donations came in the form of one or two dollars.

"We are also grateful to Walmart and Sam’s Club customers and members who responded to the task, choosing to support their local Children’s Miracle Network hospital," Burt said.

The two companies have been supporting the Children’s Miracle Network since 1987. In the 23 years since support began, the companies, along with their members and associates, have raised more than $530 million for the nonprofit.

The Children’s Miracle Network itself, founded in 1983, supports a network of more than 170 children’s hospitals across America. The organization has raised $3.4 billion to date, and saves and improves the lives of more than 17 million children every year.

Two nonprofits in the Morristown, New Jersey, area are set to receive more than $14,000 in grants from BJ’s Wholesale Club, reports the Daily Record.

The Community Soup Kitchen and Children on the Green, two local-area nonprofits, will receive grants from the retail giant totaling $14,200. Of that total, $10,000 will go to the Community Soup Kitchen and the other $4,200 will go to Children on the Green.

The nonprofits were chosen because their philosophies align with the BJ’s foundation’s focus on hunger prevention, self-sufficiency and healthcare. The grants are intended to serve the families living in the communities serviced by BJ’s Wholesale Club and to enrich the lives of low-income and homeless families across the state.

BJ’s Wholesale Club community relations manager Jessica Newman said that the store is "proud to give back to local nonprofits like Children on the Green Morristown and Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center that provide an array of vital meal services to children and families."

Children on the Green told the paper it intends to use the funds to provide nutritious snacks and lunches for the handful of homeless children who participate in its after-school and daycare programs each year. The Community Soup Kitchen will use its grant to purchase food for the lunches it provides for the homeless and the working poor.

Children on the Green serves children ranging in age from six weeks to six years old, and allots several slots each year for homeless children from three local shelters. The Community Soup Kitchen was founded in 1984 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and feeds up to 300 people per day.

These organizations represent just two of the 86 nonprofit groups that received part of the more than $579,000 in grants given by BJ’s Charitable Foundation so far this year. Others include the Convent to Care for Children, located in Bloomfield, Massachusetts; Community Smiles in Miami, Florida; Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut; and SCAN of Northern Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Board of Directors at the Boston Foundation has approved the distribution of nearly $30 million in grants that will be given to regional nonprofit organizations. The grants will go to organizations that fit the foundation’s four core areas of concentration: health reform, arts and culture, economic security and nonprofit management.

One thing that the Boston Foundation addressed with its grants is health reform. In an effort to encourage active habits and increase access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity, the foundation gave grants to Share our Strength, Playworks, Victory Programs ReVision Farm, Sportsmen’s Tennis Club and the Greater Boston Food Bank. The activities of these five organizations, which provide physical education and food to young people, will be boosted by grants worth between $30,000 and $300,000.

Boston is home to a broad number of cultures, and supporting the region’s diverse heritage is another goal of the Boston Foundation. Grants between $50,000 and $625,000 will be awarded to organizations such as the YMCA of Greater Boston and Arts Boston to fund performances as well as art education programs.

To promote the development of the region’s low-income individuals, the Boston Foundation also announced it would be supporting several employment services, such as Boston Employment Service/STRIVE and Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education. Grants worth $110,000 to $300,000 will be given to these organizations to help the city’s residents gain economic freedom.

Finally, the organization issued a one-year grant worth $40,000 to Third Sector New England, which will support its online Nonprofit Management 101 course.

The Foundation Center reported earlier this year that the Boston Foundation distributed nearly $3 million in grants in the first quarter of 2010. These grants comprised a mix of general operating and program-based support.