Quick tour

Automated guide to a few favorite features


Issues

Break down the issues here

Strategies

Learn ways to take action here

Donor Link

Join the community here

Getting started

New to giving? Start here.

Donors Making a Difference

Print this page
David and Sandy Perloff put passion for public education on a fast track

Making a Difference

David and Sandy Perloff put passion for public education on a fast track

An engineer in Silicon Valley, David Perloff found himself on the winning end of a high tech merger a number of years ago. The couple decided they would use some of their earnings to create a charitable fund.  The Perloff Family Foundation was the result.  “We both got incredible benefits from public education,” says David's wife Sandy, “and we wanted to return the favor.” Read More…

Search donor stories

BY ISSUE

Drill down into topics of interest

BY STRATEGY

Review specific approaches

BY REGION

See what’s happening by region
Northwest Southwest Midwest Northeast Southeast United States Map

Welcome to SmartLink!
A program of the Neighborhood Funders Group

SmartLink is your one-stop-shop for free and useful ideas and insights, created just for donors, foundation trustees and others who give locally, to neighborhoods and communities.

SmartLink solves your toughest giving problem: it helps you learn who is building strong communities, what is working to make a difference, and how to connect your giving (whether modest or substantial) to the most effective ideas and projects. Connect, with just a few clicks! Among the treasures you will find here are candid profiles of donors and small foundations from all over the country, making a difference on a range of issues in their communities. With a few clicks on the left navigation menu, you can search briefs and tools focused on six key issues.

Don't stop there, drill deeper to explore action- and results-oriented topics and strategies. We won't tell you where to give; instead, SmartLink makes your giving smarter and more focused on making a difference. Please note: SmartLink is not a grantmaker.

In the News

  • 2009 Poverty Rates Rise for First Time Since 2004 Read More...
  • Discover the latest information, facts, figures and maps from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.  Read More...
  • Increase in minimum wage to $7.25 an hour would affect 7.3 million workers Read More...

Facts & Figures

  • More than 30 percent of adults in the United States report some cost-related barrier to needed care. If the person has a chronic disease, the percentage increases to 42 percent. This is nearly five times higher than in the United Kingdom.
  • Nearly 47 million Americans lack any health insurance and millions more have inadequate coverage.
  • 75% of the world's energy is consumed in urban areas
  • From 1994 to 2004, the median amount that retirees ages 55 to 63 paid in premiums for employer-provided health insurance more than quadrupled, after adjusting for inflation