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Donor News - Fall 2010
In This Issue:
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Join us for our Annual Donor Investment Forum on Tuesday, November 30th
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The San Francisco Foundation 2010 Community Leadership Awards Celebration
Support The San Francisco Foundation Impact Fund
Now more than ever, your investment makes a difference.
The San Francisco Foundation’s program experts are in the community, they are your eyes and ears – bird dogging where the needs are greatest, and finding which solutions, strategies, and nonprofits hit the spot. As a sophisticated and caring philanthropist, you want to make sure every dollar you invest makes the most impact. Partner with The San Francisco Foundation so that together, we can help families have a fighting chance to avoid a deeper spiral into an intractable life of poverty.
This year we launch two new Impact Funds that focus on the community’s most pressing concerns: Recession Response Impact Fund and Poverty Alleviation Impact Fund. This dual approach addresses short term recession recovery and longer term poverty alleviation, and will deliver impact when the most vulnerable families need it the most.
Visit the Impact Fund page today to learn how you can support The San Francisco Foundation Impact Fund.
Donor Profile: Deborah Santana
From Pound Fridays to the Do A Little Fund at The San Francisco Foundation
- San Francisco Foundation donor Deborah Santana, featured in the Fall 2010 Donor Newsletter.
Growing up in a lower middle class San Francisco home, Deborah Santana’s family always participated in Pound Fridays through their church – each week anonymously leaving a pound of flour or sugar or a loaf of bread on someone’s doorstep. This generosity was ingrained in Deborah from that young age, and it has motivated her throughout her life.
“Everyday I feel gratitude for the goodness and abundance that’s in my own life,” she said. “Everyday I feel a beautiful obligation – not a punitive or forceful one – to make sure that I spend part of my life sharing my abundance with others.”
Deborah models for her now-grown children what she hopes they will do with their lives. From family trips to South Africa bringing much-needed supplies and supporting the lives of local communities, to her dedication to supporting health, youth, girls’ education, and domestic violence organizations, she is leading by example.
“The way I named my donor advised fund – the Do A Little Fund – is really the way I’ve raised my children and how I feel about giving in the world,” she explained. “Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.’”
“When I come to the Foundation’s events, I’m flying, I’m soaring. I receive inspiration to do more, and I feel content.”
-Deborah Santana
Deborah’s support reaches far and wide. She invests in local organizations like Stanford’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, Oakland Technical High School, and Marin Community Clinics. The Global Fund for Women bridges her interests in the Bay Area with worldwide issues. She is particularly involved in the Daraja Academy in Kenya, the first free all-girls secondary school in all of East Africa, where girls are given the chance to succeed. She recently executive produced a film about Daraja to inspire others to get involved; watch her video below.
With her lens focused locally, last year Deborah joined a dynamic collaborative of funders, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders supporting The San Francisco Foundation Impact Fund. The Safety Net Impact Fund first drew her in. “So many people were suffering because nonprofits’ revenues had been cut because of our country’s economic crisis. It was shattering to see people become homeless who had not been homeless,” she said. “I felt that basic survival and housing needs had to be met.”
Deborah previously chaired the Community Leadership Awards Committee and participates regularly in Foundation events. “Coming to events at The San Francisco Foundation, even just coming into the building, always raises my spirits,” she said. “The work being done at the Foundation and within the Bay Area community is so profound and inspiring to me.”
Deborah says the Foundation has opened doors for her, bringing new insights that drive her philanthropy. “If I just listen to the news and read the newspaper, I wouldn’t feel the world is as fabulous as it is. When I come to the Foundation’s events, especially the Community Leadership Awards, and hear about the people who have overcome hardships and are doing so much in the community that we don’t read about in the newspaper, I’m flying, I’m soaring. I receive inspiration to do more, and I feel content.”
Deborah values her collaboration with The San Francisco Foundation. “I trust the Foundation staff and Board. I know that I can go to them to ask questions and receive answers that will further me along my path and provide a wealth of information. I feel so grateful to have The San Francisco Foundation as a partner, and I respect everyone there and the mission to be a vehicle for change.”
Video about Daraja Academy, executive produced by Deborah Santana:
Join us for our Annual Donor Investment Forum on Tuesday, November 30th
The San Francisco Foundation’s investment track record continues to be impressive, in the last year returning more than 15%. We have significantly outperformed our benchmark and comparably sized community foundations. This performance increases resources for grantmaking and community impact.
Please join us for lunch on Tuesday, November 30th at our Annual Donor Investment Forum for an overview of our investment strategy and performance, and a panel of investment experts discussing “Predictions and Forecasts When All Bets Are Off.”
CEO Sandra R. Hernández, M.D., and Michael Miller, co-founder and managing director of Colonial Consulting, will present, and San Francisco Foundation Investment Committee Chair Stephanie DiMarco, founder and CEO of Advent Software, will moderate the Investment Committee panel with:
- Edward H. McDermott, managing director at SPO Partners & Co.
- Sarah Stein, managing director and co-director of research at Hall Capital Partners, LLC
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch provided
The City Club of San Francisco
155 Sansome Street, 11th Floor
San Francisco
RSVP to Ashlee Flores at apf@sff.org or 415.733.8593.
The San Francisco Foundation 2010 Community Leadership Awards Celebration
With deep gratitude to our generous donors, past and present, who endowed these awards and made this celebration possible, we presented the Community Leadership Awards on September 28th.
Dr. Washington Burns, executive director of the Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, Anna Halprin, choreographer, Sylvia Rosales-Fike, founder, president, and chief executive officer of AnewAmerica Community Corporation, and East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation each received $10,000 to $20,000. The seven Koshland Young Leaders were each awarded $7,000.
More than 500 guests toasted the winners at the Herbst Theatre and the Green Room.
Visit the Photo Gallery to see more photos from the event.
Important Dates for Year-End Giving and Grantmaking
The San Francisco Foundation philanthropic services staff is eager to support your giving and grantmaking all year round, and especially during this holiday season. Please read this important information about upcoming availability and deadlines.
Holiday Schedule
We are here for you and encourage you to contact us at 415.733.8500 or donorservices@sff.org. Please note the Foundation will be closed on November 25th and 26th, and December 24th. We will be available all day on December 31st.
Giving Deadline
For your charitable contributions to be tax-deductible for 2010, The San Francisco Foundation must receive them by 12:00 p.m. PST on Friday, December 31, 2010. If you are transferring securities or wiring contributions, please notify Joshua Jones, donor services assistant, at 415.733.8587 or jxj@sff.org.
Grantmaking Deadlines
Our grantmaking schedule will follow its usual schedule, with the exception of Thanksgiving week. For grants to be distributed this calendar year:
- Grant recommendations of $50,000 or less must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on December 29, 2010
- Grant recommendations of greater than $50,000 must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on December 22, 2010
For a complete year-end grantmaking schedule, visit the Donor News In Depth page.