Success Stories

Issues: Safe & Stable Families

A FEW WORDS WITH Shannon McNeely Whitaker, McNeely Foundation

In this A Few Words With, SmartLink speaks with Shannon McNeely Whitaker about strategic giving. McNeely Whitaker is the Chairperson of the McNeely Foundation, founded in the early 1960s by Harry G. McNeely, Sr. and his wife, Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. Over the years, the Foundation has supported a broad range of giving throughout the Twin Cities (MN): education, neighborhood development, environment, community institutions, the arts and individual and family sustainability. Harry's company, St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company, a pioneering warehousing, logistics and real estate business, provided initial funding for the foundation; today, the family business is known as Meritex Enterprises. In 2002, the Foundation began to focus on strategic giving with a concentration on the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota, a culturally diverse neighborhood where, historically, new immigrants came to learn a trade, get a job in one of the many booming manufacturing and industrial corporations, and make new lives for themselves and their families.

Hugh J. Andersen Foundation: quiet philanthropy bucks trends and credit

Created in 1962 “to better people's lives and strengthen communities”, the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation does pretty much the opposite of what many foundations do. “The Hugh J. Andersen Foundation is not about making a huge, immediate impact and leveraging big dollars; we’re about doing many small, good things in our area,” says program director Brad Kruse.

Created by Andersen Family members, founders and owners of the Bayport, Minnesota-based Andersen Corporation, the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation's primary geographic area of focus is the St. Croix Valley, a mix of rural, suburban and urban communities that span the Minnesota/Wisconsin border just east of the Twin Cities. The Foundation primarily supports nonprofits in Washington County in Minnesota, and Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.

A FEW WORDS WITH: Ashley Snowdon Blanchard

Each month, we spend a few minutes with a leader in a particular field, foundation or issue area, to seek their thoughts about how donors can best make a difference in low-income communities.  In keeping with this month’s focus on collaboration, we catch up with the President of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation Board, Ashley Snowdon Blanchard. 

Seacoast Women's Giving Circle: a wave of philanthropy washes over New Hampshire's Seacoast

When Anne Rouse Sudduth gathered 12 women in her living room in April 2006, it wasn't to discuss the latest novel on Oprah's book club list over cheesecake. Determined to pool their skills, energy and financial resources, the women formed the Seacoast Women's Giving Circle to make a difference in southern New Hampshire's Seacoast region. Not content to simply write a check for a local charity, giving circle members become engaged in emerging community issues through collective giving and grassroots action.  Most importantly, notes founder Rouse Sudduth, giving circle members want to connect with like-minded people to practice community leadership.

A Few Words with Regina McGraw - March 2009

Each month, SmartLink introduces a leader from a SmartLink issue or foundation.  In this series of brief, candid interviews, the leader offers his or her advice for donors looking to make a difference in a particular field or in response to a particular circumstance.

This A Few Words With offers reflections and advice from Regina McGraw, executive director of the Wieboldt Foundation in Chicago.  Among other things, SmartLink asked Regina:  How do donors and foundation leaders, especially those committed to working in low-income communities, regroup after their own philanthropic dollars are dramatically reduced?

The Lenny Zakim Fund: a legacy of building bridges

Most people facing cancer wouldn’t dream of embarking on an ambitious new project to aggressively promote social justice. But then, human rights hero Lenny Zakim was not like most people.  When he dreamed, he dreamed big. When Lenny was diagnosed in 1995 with multiple myeloma, a rare bone marrow cancer, he called upon his many friends and supporters to help establish The Lenny Zakim Fund.  The Fund’s mission is to reach out to groups “below the radar screen” of large charitable foundations and government, and to provide financial support, technical assistance and networking opportunities.  Focused on individuals and grassroots organizations within a 50-mile radius of Boston, the Fund is especially supportive of programs that build alliances across racial, religious and ethnic lines.

Contorer Foundation stresses strategy and humility

When successful technology executive Aaron Contorer started his own family foundation, he was not simply trying to create a more meaningful life for himself. He felt compelled to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. He seeks to accelerate social change in his community.  A former Microsoft executive who helped build products including Windows and MSN, Aaron became inspired by his former boss’ philanthropy while working with him in Seattle in the late 1990s.  “Bill Gates was obviously an amazing role model regarding the importance of philanthropy and focusing on results,” recalls Aaron, 41. “He looks at philanthropy as real work to improve the world rather than just the opportunity to write checks and hope that it does something.”

The Discount Foundation: a small foundation focused on big impact

“What is special about Discount is that it believes that people in the community who are directly experiencing poverty have a fundamental insight into what’s happening in their lives, their families and their communities,” notes Henry Allen, executive director of the Discount Foundation, adding that the heart of Discount’s strategy is developing leaders from within. 

“Leadership development is all about drawing on people’s first-hand experiences, and trusting that they have the ability to work collectively to change the situations they confront. There’s nothing theoretical about it.”  Established in 1977, Discount supports community-based organizations striving to inspire and organize the working poor to improve their living conditions and economic opportunities.

Gina and Marty Richardson: Funding the Next Generation in Austin, Texas

Five years ago Gina Richardson began looking for something meaningful to which she could dedicate her time.  Her children were grown and out of the house.  The business she and her husband started twenty years before had truly taken off, allowing them time and resources to focus on other things in life.  And so, Gina put her ‘ear to the ground’ and searched for a project worthy of her energy and enthusiasm.

 

Inspired by an article in Newsweek about a certified public accountant (CPA) in Chicago who was helping low-income people file their tax returns, Gina—an accountant herself—was intrigued by the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and its positive impact on low-income households.  Gina began thinking about helping low-income people file tax returns in her hometown of Austin, Texas.

 

Gina and her husband, Marty, immediately embarked on an ambitious project targeting vulnerable populations in East Austin.  “We didn’t know what we were doing at the time,” laughs Gina. “Marty and I created fliers and dropped them off at local churches, calling ministers to follow up when we could.”

The New Mountain Climbers: African-American Giving Circle ascends new heights

Collective action, pooled resources and racial equality inspire the philanthropic activities of New Mountain Climbers.  A giving circle and donor advised fund, The New Mountain Climbers is a group of African American philanthropists who have joined forces to focus on the needs of present and future leaders in Montgomery County, Virginia. 

Through Multiple Generations: Rosenwald and Stern Families' Philanthropic Journey

When David Stern’s great-grandfather, Julius Rosenwald, established the Rosenwald Fund in 1917, he set a philanthropic precedent for the family. Rosenwald, who was instrumental in shaping the success of Sears and Roebuck Company, focused on philanthropy after resigning as president from Sears. When the Rosenwald Fund was initiated, he made the decision to use all his funds for philanthropic purposes, and to spend out the fund in 25 years. “He believed that foundations should not exist in perpetuity,” explains David Stern. “-- That all assets should be spent in one generation.  He believed philanthropic dollars should be used to bring about desired social outcomes, not to create a foundation interested in self-preservation.”

From this basis, succeeding generations would make decisions that embraced a variety of groundbreaking and creative grant-making strategies, influencing U.S. philanthropy and simultaneously facilitating social change.

Frances Hollis Brain Foundation provides for human needs, while bolstering family ties

When David Brain established the Frances Hollis Brain Foundation, his intention was to help people who had not been as lucky as he had.  He sought to help others get the “step-up” they needed to improve their own lives. Established after selling a company that provides dental care as an employee benefit, the founder's intentions were broad, but impassioned.

“My father spent his whole life in the insurance field, and late in his career, devised a means to provide low-cost quality dental care using a managed care model.  The company prospered; and by the time he sold it, managed care had become a very hot idea.” David's daughter Nancy explains.

“My father is a very hard worker, who feels there are a lot of people who work hard, but aren’t as fortunate as he was,” explains Nancy Brain, who with her sister, Diane Bryant, administers the family foundation.  Together, Nancy and Diane have translated their father’s desire to provide people with a “step up” to a giving strategy focused on organizations that provide for “basic human needs.” 

By focusing on human needs, the foundation's support has run the gamut from service organizations like Literacy Volunteers and Habitat for Humanity to making bets on new initiatives, aimed at helping disadvantaged people.

Friedman Family Foundation takes aim at poverty's root causes

When Friedman Family Foundation directors review requests for funding, they begin with a question: “Does this program have the potential to promote or create community change?”  Established in 1964, by Phyllis Koshland Friedman, a member of the Levi Strauss family, and her late husband, Howard, the Friedman Family Foundation seeks long-term, widespread solutions to poverty. Lisa Kawahara, Friedman Family Foundation staffer:  “The Friedman family has always had an interest in true equity. For them, grants are not a way to give back – but a way to create opportunity for people."

Ottinger Foundation: Strong Family Vision + Innovative Executive Directors = Success

Since the mid-1950s, the Ottinger Foundation has employed a variety of strategies to make an impact on issues the family cares passionately about, including the root causes of poverty. One key to the foundation's success has been selecting executive directors that are willing and able to take on the most challenging issues--collaboratively and ambitiously. Another has been finding courageous community leaders at the fore-front of innovation.

Needmor Fund: A Long-Term Commitment to Local Community Leadership

When they started their family foundation, Duane and Virginia Secor Stranahan drew upon their parents' legacy of community stewardship. In the late 19th century, the Secors were pivotal to Toledo, Ohio's economic, intellectual, and cultural formation. In 1910, Frank Stranahan and his brother Robert founded The Champion Spark Plug Company, which was to become a leader in corporate accountability and philanthropy.  Leadership and strategies change; yet the Needmor Fund remains faithful to one goal: to empower those individuals whose basic rights to justice and opportunity are systematically ignored or denied.

Helping donors achieve impact

You have questions, when it comes to your community giving.  All over the country, your fellow donors have similar goals and face similar challenges. Learn how other donors are navigating their way to effective, satisfying community giving.

From the Trenches: A Philanthropic Experience Following Katrina

At 11 p.m. on September 7, 2005, just as I was shutting down my computer, an e-mail arrived asking whether I would be willing to go to Louisiana to help create a foundation to receive and distribute private funds for disaster relief. 

Nine days after Hurricane Katrina had hit, and with flood waters still inundating New Orleans, the Kennedy School of Government had been approached by the governor's office to send a team to join with philanthropic professionals from around the nation to plan the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation.  I jumped at the opportunity to be helpful. 

Over the next day and a half, I found it difficult enough to get confirmation of our participation, clear schedules, and coordinate flights with other Kennedy School members (Baton Rouge via Detroit), let alone gather good information from Louisiana about the particulars of our assignment and the situation on the ground. 

I packed a pillow in case I ended up sleeping on the floor of a shelter.  One of my peers brought iodine tablets for purifying non-potable water.

The Gulf Coast: Lessons on Community Building and Re-building

Hurricanes and subsequent levy breaks and flooding devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  This natural and man-made disaster was particularly destructive in low-income communities.  Years later, communities continue to re-build and engage all residents in envisioning a new future for the region.  Donors like you, from the Gulf Coast region and around the country, have made a real difference in shaping a brighter, more equitable future for the Gulf Coast.  Along the way, lessons have been learned which can help instruct community building efforts all over the United States.

To Bill Zimmerman, giving is both professonal and personal priority

Bill Zimmerman's family instilled in him from a young age that giving back to one's community is a critical part of keeping one's self and one's community strong.  Today, as a resident of Peaks Island, Maine, and a principal owner of a successful computer technology business, Zimmerman puts this value into practice.  When a senior housing project came to his attention, Zimmerman relied upon his trust in the project's leaders and responded to his community's resourcefulness and "logic."

Wieboldt Foundation helps neighborhoods organize for change

The Wieboldt Foundation was established to support "charities designed to put an end to the need for charity.”  This was the goal of William and Anna Wieboldt, owners of Chicago area department stores, when they established the Wieboldt Foundation in 1921.  For over 75 years, the foundation has worked to end poverty in Chicago. 

Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, Weiboldt's current generation supports efforts to organize low-income people to participate in public policy and programs affecting their struggling neighborhoods.