Page 22 - January 2023 Report

January Report 2023
Grant Program Committee meeting minutes (draft) (4)
e. Archival update
A memo regarding the written minutes of Committee meetings prior to 2003 had been circulated. The memo stated that archived minutes prior to 2003 had been inadvertently destroyed during JSF’s move to its current building. It was believed at the time that digital copies of the documents existed. Efforts to recover copies of the documents are ongoing. Also circulated was a second memo that outlined the progress toward transferring historical documents to Diligent Boards.
It was mentioned that Templeton and Company might have copies of some of the missing Executive Committee minutes. Staff will follow up. A question was raised about the possibility of including reports and other records about grantees in Diligent Boards. Some records, such as executed grant agreements, are available to the Committee through the Foundant online grantmaking system. It is possible that additional records can be made available there. Regarding the Foundation’s digital filing system, a recommendation was made that one of the CEO’s goals should be to find a way to better manage the Foundation’s records.
f. CEO grantmaking authority
A copy of the JSF Grantmaking Policy and a discussion thread from the Foundation Financial Officers Group had been circulated. This was prompted by a funding request from Florida Gulf Coast University for emergency support for students and staff in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Currently the CEO has the authority to approve grants up to $5,000 without approval of the Grant Program Committee. The foundation representatives responding to the FFOG discussion thread mentioned amounts ranging from $25,000 to $1.5 million. The respondents were from foundations of varying sizes.
During the discussion, it was explained that this request was not intended to circumvent the Committee but rather to offer a more timely decision in rare instances where it is appropriate. Ultimately it was concluded that this is an issue of trust in the CEO. A new limit of $50,000 was agreed upon.
The Committee approved recommending that the Board increase the CEO’s grantmaking authority from $5,000 to $50,000.
7. Discovery Project
A report on the Nov. 7 meeting with the Discovery Associates had been circulated, as well as biographical information about the 6 Associates. The focus of the gathering in Tampa was to familiarize the Associates with the mission, strategy and culture of JSF. These Associates are tasked with leveraging their network to connect JSF to potential grantee partners the Foundation might not find without them. Their role, however, is limited. They are not authorized to speak or act on behalf of the Foundation. The Consultants were commended for finding the Associates, who each will serve a term of 2 years and receive a small stipend quarterly. The hope is that some of the Associates will continue to keep JSF in mind even after their term expires. The Discovery Project came out of Diane Johnson’s recommendation that JSF do more to seek out up-and-coming grantees with great potential.
Among the comments was a suggestion to send the Nov. 7 meeting report to the Associates. Also, one of the Associates has sent some information about an organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) become independent and places them in careers. A Continuing Education session on the topic of IDD was suggested. Florida is the only state in the U.S. presently supporting education for students with IDD. After further discussion, there was agreement that this subject would be better suited for the upcoming Board retreat.
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