Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Open Board of Directors Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Pete Aguilar, Dimitrios Alexiou, Don Averill, Steve Barron, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Erin Brinker, Ann Bryan, Bill Easley, Richard Hart, Fran Inman, Mark Kaenel, Ed Lasak, John Mirau, Charlie Ng, Tom Nightingale, Bev Powell, Kristine Scott, Larry Sharp, Steve von Rajcs, Phil Waller, AJ Wilson and Matthew Wilson.
Guests: Robbie Broedow, Paul Granillo, Nathan Miller, Vicky Ostermann
Announcements: 1) SCAQMD meeting on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 from 1-3 pm. 2) Committees must finalize their position papers for Washington, D.C. as soon as possible. 3) Sponsorship for the annual dinner in Washington, D.C. for members and legislators would be greatly appreciated. 4) Members were asked to leverage their contacts in order to acquire appointments for the Washington, D.C. trip. 5) There will be a 2 County Regional Economic Forum on March 21, 2012 from 8-1p.m. (location to be announced). The information from this and other regional forums in the state will be presented to the legislature and the Governor at an Economic Summit to be held on May 11 in San Jose.
M/S/P: Minutes of the January 24, 2012 meeting
Kristine Scott introduced Daniel Foster, President/CEO of The Community Foundation.
The Community Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity created by and for the people of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Established in 1941, The Community Foundation now has nearly $54 million in assets and provides college scholarships and grants to nonprofit organizations across the two-county area.
The Community Foundation manages assets of nearly $54 million from more than 200 component funds. In 2011 they raised $8 million and $5.2 million was granted or given as scholarships across the 29,000 square miles that make up these two largest counties in the nation. The Inland Empire however is still grossly underfunded despite a long term demonstration of need supported by decades of data.
In California non profits receive $119 per capita from all foundations locally, statewide and nationally. In the Bay area that figure is a whopping $650, yet in San Bernardino County the amount is a paltry $3 per capita. The total difference between our local average and the statewide number equates to $385 million annually.
A multi sector solution is needed. The Regional Grants Development Initiative, under development by The Community Foundation and a fast growing list of partners is an ambitious initiative that will strive to greatly increase the amount of grant funding which will support key issues of quality of life and economic prosperity within the region. The goals of the Initiative are as follows:
1) Produce more and better grant proposals
Grant proposals are the primary way foundations and government funders make decisions to support a project. Ensuring that the region produces more proposals will increase our chances in the funding arena; making sure those proposals are better researched, well written and that project plans are comprehensive yet feasible will position the Inland Empire as a place worthy of investment.
2) Position the Inland Empire with Funders and Opinion-Leaders
The region’s civic philanthropic and business leaders must be the standard-bearers for the non-profits in our community. Using a consistent and compelling set of talking points about both our region’s pressing community needs as well as the capability of our community based organizations with funders, the media and elected officials at all levels will increase the likelihood of securing funding.
3) Make a case for, and strengthen the capacity of, nonprofits to attract funding
Funding proposals will only be as strong as the demonstration of regional need and the capacity of the organizations that submit them. It is imperative that we make our case for funding clearly and build the ability of local organizations to successfully seek grant funds wisely and well.
In order to meet these goals, the Initiative needs support from a wide range of stakeholders who care about the region’s health and its future viability. Private foundation trustees and staff, elected officials, corporate leaders and civic entrepreneurs must all work together to ensued that the Inland Empire overcomes the current disparity and receives its fair share of funding and support.
A Q & A period followed
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.