Page 27 - April JSF Report

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (DRAFT) (3)
5. LOIs
A list of Letters of Inquiry and responses had been circulated. Among the declined LOIs was one from Cristo Rey Boston High School. It was noted that a site visit had taken place at Cristo Rey in 2014, and the school was found lacking. A discussion took place about the LOI from the University of Arizona, which also had been declined. During a recent site visit to U of A, Bobby and Sherry determined there are other projects at U of A that are better aligned with JSF’s priorities. A declined LOI from Sparkshop was also discussed. The proposal was for a program that provides STEM job training for high school students. It was declined because the program does not promote postsecondary education. It was noted that many careers in this field do not require a college degree. Although a few proposals like this one have been considered, the Committee has not altered its focus to include these kinds of programs.
6. Budget Items
a. 2023 Grant Distribution Plan
The 2023 Grant Distribution Plan and 5-year projections had been circulated. From December to March, the Estimated Distribution Requirement increased by approximately $400,000 to $10,882,211. Dick explained that this is based on an early estimate from Templeton of what the 990PF for 2022 will be. Because only a handful of K1s have come in to date, it is likely the EDR will decrease during the course of the year. During the discussion that followed, there was agreement that good applications should still be pursued since the runway for them is fairly long. A better estimate will be available in September.
b. 5-year grant projections
Although the figures show about $1 million in uncommitted funds for 2023, this is based on the previously discussed EDR figure and is subject to change. Between 2024 and 2026, the uncommitted funds start to climb as current multiyear grants are completed.
The Committee approved the 2023 Grant Distribution Plan and the 5-Year Projections as presented.
7. Discovery Project update
The Discovery Associates have generated 5 leads, which staff will review in the coming months. Plans are to hold a virtual meeting in the fall, and there are several touchpoints that occur throughout the year. The Associates are paid quarterly, and Consultants are in contact with them at least once a month. During the summer, they will receive a gift of a Yeti tumbler from JSF. The Consultants were asked how the process is going. For the Disability area, the recommendations have focused on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Among the Indigenous recommendations is an organization Sherry has included in her potential projects list in the past. The 2 Associates for the Indigenous Peoples area didn’t know each other before but are now working together on a project. David commented that overall, it appears that the Discovery Project will be fruitful.
8. Center for Effective Philanthropy grant opportunities
An email from Phil Buchanan, President of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, had been circulated. The email thanked JSF for its grant to CEP of $5,000 per year for 5 years, which concludes in 2023. The note also requested a new grant at the level of $10,000 per year for 5 years. The Committee was asked to consider this request.
A second request was made to the Committee for a potential $10,000 sponsorship in the form of a grant in support of CEP’s biennial national conference, which will be held in the fall. This conference could be a forum where Malcolm could discuss his book on philanthropy, which will be published by then. During the discussion, it was suggested that increasing the sponsorship to $20,000 would provide more publicity, including an opportunity to include a piece of printed material in the the attendee tote bags as a take-home reminder of the book. However, a point was made that the possible speaking opportunity, which is being discussed with CEP, could have more impact than a printed item. It was suggested that regional philanthropic conferences like FPN are other venues to discuss the book. There was a conversation about whether copies of the book could be purchased by JSF and distributed to CEP attendees. However, there was agreement that this could change the character of the gift, which is intended to
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