TFI UPDATE
February 2002

Foundation Incubator Builds Momentum
We have been greatly encouraged by the interest and support The Foundation Incubator (TFI) has received since its launch on October 11th 2001. We are also pleased to see the beginnings of our vision of collaboration playing out through TFI's provision of residency, guidance, mentoring, and a peer-based community. This is our opportunity to share with you a little of what has been going on within the Incubator community, and to invite you to come and join us whenever you are able.

Read on for the following articles:

TFI Foundation-in-Residence Spotlight

In November 2001, Zohre Elahian, a founding Board member and program officer at the Global Catalyst Foundation (GCF), was part of Relief International's (RI) lead emergency team in Afghanistan. Days earlier GCF had provided a seed grant to RI for emergency relief assistance for the benefit of tens of thousands of the internally displaced. Inclusion of a donor in the mission was unique in that this was not a well-rehearsed donor visit to an established program, but active participation in the most difficult, unpredictable and perhaps dangerous phase of relief work. According to Dr. Farshad Rastegar, CEO of RI, this type of direct involvement is exactly the kind of relationship with donors that RI likes to cultivate. "Zohre was a core member of the relief team. She tackled head on some of the main logistical problems and was an integral member of the team. Therefore she was able to witness the real day-to-day logistical difficulties of starting an emergency program and operating in the field which may be difficult for a relief agency to explain to donors who may otherwise be more receptive to hearing about program impact." Zohre's early involvement with the program enabled her to contribute to its development, and in particular, to help Farshad and his team better articulate RI's needs to other potential donors. "We are often so focused on service delivery that we are not as adept at communicating the process and impact of those services. To have a donor tell you directly in real time which hidden aspects of the program have gone unnoticed and should be better communicated is invaluable."

GCF and RI began discussions regarding a program in Afghanistan in May 2001. Both organizations recognized what a dire situation had evolved in Afghanistan, how desperate many citizens were, and how little attention the country was receiving from the international aid community. RI had been in Northern Afghanistan in 1996-97 and in Tajikistan since 1994 and thus still had the infrastructure and relationships in place as well as an institutional understanding of the context to be able to respond to the relief requirements of the war with rapid speed. Today RI works with 18,000 refugees in designated camps, providing direct medical assistance through mobile clinics to 80 patients a day. Critically, as with all RI's work, it is now bridging the gap between relief and development, creating a permanent infrastructure by training local midwives and building community schools to address the underlying problems of maternal mortality and issues of illiteracy, particularly amongst girls. According to the UN, Afghanistan needs 20,000 new schools. RI has set the goal of building 2000 of these schools and in particular is working on school-to-school partnerships between US schools and new schools in Afghanistan as a means of promoting citizen involvement in world affairs and integrating public education and advocacy regarding international aid with active participation.

RI is the first NGO to really benefit from the collaborative nature of The Foundation Incubator. Global Catalyst has connected Relief International with other Incubator residents and partners to open up more sources of funding and to strengthen the integrated relief to development programming. "We at Global Catalyst Foundation are very impressed with RI as it has demonstrated thinking outside the box in bringing new solutions and methods to tackle fundamental problems in gaps between transition from relief to development. We see as part of our role as a foundation the empowerment of NGOs and the civil society movement in a more global sense than just direct funding of programs. We can have a value-added role as independent foundations in the international aid system by bringing to the attention of other foundations the novel ideas that demonstrate deeper impact and may not otherwise receive due attention. This to us is the core value of the Foundation Incubator where we also learn from the experiences of other foundations." RI shares GCF's vision of the role of foundations in the Silicon Valley in advancing the international aid system itself and not merely being a new source of revenue. "Foundations have the rare combination of political independence and resources that other players in the international aid system do not readily enjoy" says Farshad. Therefore foundations can strengthen advocacy either directly or through NGOs and help develop novel and practical solutions through seed funding of innovative programs. The idea for a "Humanitarian Commission on Afghanistan" is an example of how such an advocacy role in the humanitarian aid system may be effectively put into action. Last May, RI began discussions with GCF concerning the need to create such an independent mechanism to bring focused and sustained attention to the problems of Afghanistan. The events of September 11th demonstrate that such focus may have been long overdue. "In the post-Taliban era, how aid resources may be directed to address the underlying problems in Afghanistan is just as important as the aid that was not getting there before" says Zohre "and for us the Incubator is integral in bringing together the value-added role we can play as a community of donors in shaping aid policy through mechanisms such as the Humanitarian Commission in places such as Afghanistan today and to develop a model that can hopefully be proactively replicated in other areas and potential hotspots in the future."

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Farshad Rastegar at farshad@ri.org or Zohre Elahian at zohre@globalcatalyst.org.

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Recent Events at the Incubator
  • The Foundation Incubator held its opening event on October 11th. We were delighted that so many of you were able to join us - there were approximately 150 guests that evening. Thank you for participating so actively in the tours, guided by our illustrious investors!
  • Our philanthropy program kicked off in November with three events, each with 20-35 attendees representing a mix of foundations of all age and sizes, making for good debate and an opportunity to network. At the first, 'Philanthropy in the Aftermath of September 11', co-sponsored by Northern California Grantmakers, we were fortunate to have a superb panel with guests Sterling Speirn of Peninsula Community Foundation, Steve Toben of Flora Family Fund, and Michael Chertok of Global Catalyst Foundation. Peter Hero of Community Foundation Silicon Valley moderated the session. Sterling focused on how foundations are responding at the local level while Steve and Michael addressed the issue at the international level.
  • For our second event, again co-sponsored by Northern California Grantmakers, we welcomed Kavita Ramdas, Executive Director, Global Fund for Women, to lead a discussion on international grantmaking. The discussion was highly interactive, with attendees bringing a great deal of experience in funding internationally.
  • Our third event in November was particularly inspiring and educational. Leading futurist Katherine Fulton of the Global Business Network (GBN) led a long-term scenario planning session. We explored how gifts of money, time and knowledge can help shape the future for us all. The feedback from attendees was tremendous so we will be looking to hold a follow up meeting on how to implement some of the changes discussed in the philanthropic sector. This event was co-sponsored by W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
  • In December we held The Holiday Luncheon, the first of a number of luncheons where potential residents/affiliates have the opportunity to meet TFI staff, board members, residents and affiliates, and find out more about TFI in particular. Please let us know if you are interested in attending a future luncheon.
  • We kicked off the New Year with Effective Grantmaking, led by Cole Wilbur, the first in our Nuts-'n-Bolts Series aimed at helping new foundations make grants effectively. Cole shared his valuable insights derived from many years as President of the Packard Foundation.

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Upcoming TFI Events

TFI has a number of events in the pipeline for 2002. Scheduled to date is the Nuts-'n-Bolts Series aimed at helping new foundations make grants effectively.
What When Guest Presenters RSVP
Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements Thursday February 21, 10 am - 12 pm Jeff Leighton, Foundation Financial and Management Advisor By Tuesday February 19
Legal Basics Thursday March 21, 1pm - 3 pm Betsy Adler, Principal, Silk, Adler & Colvin By Tuesday March 19
Approaches to Grantmaking Wednesday April 10, 1 pm - 2:30 pm Benita Kline, Partner, Leventhal/Kline Management Inc. By Monday April 8
Reviewing Proposals Wednesday April 24, 1pm - 2:30 pm Kathleen Odne, Executive Director, Lesher Foundation By Monday April 22
Conducting Site Visits Wednesday May 22, 10 am - 11:30 am Cole Wilbur,Trustee and former President of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation By Monday May 20
Measuring Effectiveness Wednesday June 19, 10:30 am - 12 pm Fay Twersky, BTW Consultants By Monday June 17

We are currently scheduling two other educational series for more experienced philanthropists. These are the Improving Operations series and the Understanding and Impacting Philanthropy series. Our first Spotlight Event will be held in March, on the topic "Is philanthropy really different in the Silicon Valley?". Updates on all of these events will appear on our Web site: www.foundationincubator.org.

To participate in any of these upcoming events, please contact us at info@foundationincubator.org or on 650-354-1600. All programs will be held at The Foundation Incubator,1804 Embarcadero Road, Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94303.


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Who's Who at TFI

A growing and diverse community is beginning to develop at The Foundation Incubator; new faces are appearing regularly and we would like to introduce you to some of these people. In particular, we welcome Betsy Adler and Jim Carreker to The Foundation Incubator Board and Grantmaker in Residence Eleanor Clement Glass to The Foundation Incubator staff.

Board of Directors

We have just welcomed two new members to our Board of Directors.

Betsy Adler of Silk, Adler & Colvin brings in particular a wealth of knowledge concerning legal issues facing nonprofit organizations. As well as representing a multitude of grantmaking and other nonprofit clients at Silk Adler & Colvin, Ms. Adler is Co-Chair of the Subcommittee on International Philanthropy of the Exempt Organizations Committee of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association; founding Chair and current member of the Tax-Exempt Organizations Committee of the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California; and an officer of the Cisco Learning Institute. Ms. Adler lectures on developments in the law of nonprofit organizations and is the author of 'The Rules of the Road: A Guide to the Law of Charities in the United States' (Council on Foundations, 1999).

Jim Carreker is managing principal of Arbutus Associates, a new organization focusing on entrepreneurial philanthropy. Jim was previously founder and chairman of Aspect Communications Corporation. He and his wife, Helen, are active supporters of the arts and community public benefit organizations. He serves on the board and executive committee of American Leadership Forum and on the board of Entrepreneurs' Foundation. He is a past recipient of the Community Foundation Silicon Valley Community Leadership Award, the PACT Community Leader Award, the ALF John Gardner Exemplary Leader Award, and the NSFRE Outstanding Grantmaker Award.

Betsy Adler and Jim Carreker join our already accomplished Board composed of:

Catherine Muther, President, Founder and President of Three Guineas Fund

Lorna Lathram, Vice-President, President, The Omidyar Foundation

Tom Reis, Treasurer, Program Director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Susan Bell, Secretary, Director of Strategic Planning, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

TFI's Staff

Elizabeth Bremner, Executive Director
Elizabeth Bremner has over 20 years of experience in the philanthropic sector. In entrepreneurial leadership roles, Liz most recently spent eight years as the President of the Santa Fe Community Foundation. Prior to that, she spent six years as the Founding Executive Director of the Los Angeles Women's Foundation.

Annedore Kushner, Operations Manager
Annedore Kushner joined the Incubator after 14 years with the Packard Foundation. Her experience in operations and grants administration is already proving invaluable for newly created foundations.

Grantmaker-in-Residence Eleanor Clement Glass, Special Advisor in Philanthropy from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, joins TFI in February as our first on-site "Grantmaker-in-Residence". She is on special assignment from Packard and will be actively participating in Incubator programs and meeting one-on-one with residents. Before joining Packard's Organizational Effectiveness and Philanthropy program, Eleanor was the Director of Programs at The San Francisco Foundation. Eleanor will be available to share ideas from her nine years of experience in philanthropy and 25 years of nonprofit experience in early childhood education, youth development, K-12 school reform, and family support programs.

TFI's Resident Foundations

We currently have six foundations residing at The Foundation Incubator. We have been particularly excited by the level of collaboration occurring among the foundations, as well as their active participation as speakers as well as attendees at various of our programs. Global Catalyst Foundation moved into the Incubator before we even opened, in fact before any of our staff had even been hired! Global Catalyst has two locations - the Incubator is its satellite office. Global Catalyst Foundation was established by the principals of Global Catalyst Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Its mission is to improve peoples' lives through the effective application of information technologies. The Foundation initiates and supports innovative projects worldwide to improve education, alleviate poverty, promote social tolerance and celebrate diversity.

This active interest in international development is shared by other residents, in particular the satellite office of the Flora Family Foundation. Indeed, the Flora Family Foundation has been extremely helpful to other foundations through the TFI program, in particular in thinking through how to be philanthropic in an international arena. More recently we have been joined at the Incubator by the Dave House Family Foundation, the James and Rebecca Morgan Family Foundation, the Charles and Roberta Katz Family Foundation, and the Orsak Family Foundation.

TFI's Resident Partners
Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) has also opened a satellite office at The Foundation Incubator. This is an exciting collaboration that further accentuates the role the Incubator has been playing in bringing together foundations of all sizes and ages. NCG is a strong partner to The Foundation Incubator, as demonstrated by a number of co-sponsored events.


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Contacting Us

If you would like more information about The Foundation Incubator:

Send us an email at: info@foundationincubator.org
Call us: (650) 354-1600
Or, visit us: The Foundation Incubator
1804 Embarcadero Road, Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94303
  www.foundationincubator.org


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