George Gund

The George Gund Foundation now requires nonprofit organizations to submit a climate change statement as part of future grant applications.

“Global climate change has long been a concern for us as part of our environmental grantmaking, but the growing negative impact of human behavior on our planet’s climate has convinced us that we need to extend that concern beyond the confines of a single program area,” said David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director. “We are asking prospective grantees to tell us what they are doing or considering to reduce or to eliminate their impact on climate change as a way of encouraging them to think about this important issue.”

Abbott said the one-page statement, which was required beginning with proposals submitted for the September 15, 2007 deadline, should include information that applies to both the organization’s operations as well as it programming. Plans call for sharing this information to highlight “best practices.”

He said the Foundation’s website, www.gundfoundation.org, includes sample statements for different types of organizations, online resources to help organizations better understand climate change and suggest ways to reduce their carbon footprint and a list of frequently asked questions about the new policy.

“There are many things organizations can be doing, some of them very simple, such as printing double-sided or subsidizing public transportation passes for employees,” said Abbott, noting that the Foundation has made several changes in its office and is conducting a sustainability audit of its operations.

In 2007, the Foundation also adopted a policy requiring all projects that receive capital grants to pursue U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

The George Gund Foundation, as part of its commitment to making Cleveland a more environmentally conscious community, has a new policy limiting capital grants to projects that adopt green building principles.

Organizations requesting funds for construction or renovation projects must seek U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEED represents the most widely accepted national standard for green buildings. Planning grants also will be available for research, planning and documentation of green elements.

“This new policy is a logical extension of our ongoing environmental grantmaking which has focused on issues related to climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and conservation of natural resources,” said David Abbott, Gund executive director. “We think this new policy will also help educate our community about ways in which they can make their organizations more sustainable.”

Green building design and construction practices address issues such as site planning, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and conservation of materials and resources, he added.

Abbott said he is pleased the Cleveland Foundation has adopted a similar policy.

Cleveland has several buildings that have been LEED certified, including the Cleveland Foodbank and the Idea Center at Playhouse Square.

The Richard A. Shatten Professional Leadership Award, established this year, recognizes professional individuals who exhibit the same traits and passion for moving the region forward through public-private partnerships.

The winner, who will be selected by a committee chosen by the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Richard Shatten Family Foundation, will be honored during the dedication of the Richard A. Shatten Memorial Board Room in the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s new offices, 100 Public Square, this summer.

The nominated individual should have:

• At least 10 years of experience serving as a key staff member in a Northeast Ohio public, civic, charitable, private or non-profit organization;
• Significant experience staffing public-private partnership projects or initiatives designed to improve the vitality of Northeast Ohio from an economic, environmental, educational or social perspective;
• Demonstrated success in personally bridging the knowledge gap between respective private and public sectors on specific projects or issues;
• The ability to support and guide leadership in their efforts to advance major projects in the community and to provide collateral leadership in the same endeavors;
• Communication abilities that constantly enhance the best practices in public-private partnerships;
• A dedication to individual ethical responsibilities in the governmental and non≠profit sectors;
• A clear passion for Northeast Ohio;
• A desire to know as much as possible about every issue where they are professionally engaged; and
• A desire to teach and nurture others in the skills required to successfully lead public private partnerships.

Individuals who meet the criteria for eligibility can be nominated using this form. Entry deadline is Friday, May 18, 2007. You may e-mail the completed form to Jan Estes at jEstes@GCPartnership.com.

More information about the award can be found on the website of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

About Richard A. Shatten
Richard A. Shatten’s twenty-year professional career in Cleveland encompassed experiences in the private and non-profit sectors, as well as in academia. Throughout that time, Richard helped to invent, and then demonstrate a set of skills that embodied the development of a new way of advancing bold ideas in our nation: the public-private partnership. He did so, very characteristically, behind the scenes. He knew that ultimate and sustained success of any program or any new idea, depended on an exciting and well executed launch that lay leaders from all sectors embraced from the beginning.

Alliance for Justice tools offer useful tips

An article by Marcia Egbert, senior program officer at The George Gund Foundation, and Susan Hoechstetter, foundation advocacy director at the Alliance for Justice, is featured in the Spring 2007 edition of The Evaluation Exchange, a Harvard Family Research Project periodical.

In the article “Evaluating Nonprofit Advocacy Simply: An Oxymoron?” Egbert and Hoechstetter offer nine principles to guide advocacy evaluation. These recommendations are based on the Alliance for Justice’s groundbreaking 2005 publication, “Build Your Advocacy Grantmaking: Advocacy Capacity Assessment & Evaluation Tools,” the first of its kind for nonprofit advocacy. Since then, the field of advocacy evaluation has expanded, with multiple evaluation models now available. Through their nine principles, Egbert and Hoechstetter seek to remind evaluators of the principles of simplicity, flexibility and grantee participation.

Click here to access the article and read about the nine principles.

The Alliance for Justice website is www.afj.org.

Nonprofit Management and Organization Innovation

The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University is accepting nominations for two annual award programs.

The 2007 Leadership in Nonprofit Management Award is for an individual with an outstanding record of leadership, and the 2007 Organization Innovation Award will be given to an organization with an outstanding record of innovation.

Community members familiar with the work of an outstanding nonprofit leader or organization are encouraged to submit a nomination. Nomination forms and detailed nomination guidelines for both awards can be found on the Mandel Center website at www.case.edu/mandelcenter/nonprofitawards.

All nominations must be received by Wednesday, February 28, 2007, at noon.

The awards will be presented at the Mandel Center Nonprofit Awards Luncheon on June 6.

Click here for more information about the awards.

Ohio Grantmakers Forum (OGF) has released a report, “Education for Ohio’s Future,” which provides a comprehensive look at education in the state from preschool through college.

The report, prepared by a taskforce of grantmakers from throughout the state, outlines a number of high impact changes necessary to prepare Ohio students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

The report, available at www.ohiograntmakers.org, is the first of its kind crafted by the state’s grantmaking community which typically provides about $300 million to education initiative annually.

“The essential first step to improving education is a shared understanding of the challenge and opportunities that Ohio faces,” said George Espy, OGF president. “The next step will be going forward together, encouraging state and grantmaker leadership and engaging communities.”

He said a series of regional meetings will be held to disseminate and discuss the report during the first quarter of 2007.

Click here to download the report.