Archive for December 2006
Hill-Snowdon Foundation Board President, Ashley Snowdon, will speak at the 2007 Family Foundation Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Titled Engaging the Next Generation: Social Change Philanthropy, her panel starts at 4 pm on Sunday, February 25, 2007 and is one of many exploring the conference theme Building Communities. Panelists will offer insights into transforming tough and potentially awkward exchanges about power and social change into lively and dynamic conversations which welcome younger family members into a tradition of giving. 
The panel conversation will continue at a reception and book launch for Creating Change through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation. A collection of profiles, case studies and action ideas, the publication helps 15-35 year olds understand some of the potentially controversial aspects of institutional philanthropy, e.g., power dynamics, grants payout, and the values and assumptions expressed through where and how family funds give. The resource is based on the program experience of Resource Generation, a national non-profit organization working to promote innovative ways for young people with wealth to align their personal values and political vision with their financial resources. Resource Generation will announce the specific time and place of the reception and book as the event draws near.
The staff and board of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation are pleased to announce a major change in our funding process. Beginning in January of 2007, the Foundation will offer two grant cycles per year. While the Foundation traditionally released one RFP in the spring of each year, HSF staff will now issue requests for proposals in the winter (December/January) and spring (May/June) of each year. This change should spread out HSF staff’s workload, thus allowing us to go deeper and build stronger relationships with each group throughout the year. Additionally, it will provide more opportunities for grantseekers to be considered for funding. In preparation for the change, the Foundation awarded 28 special one-time, 18-month grants in December of 2006 (see 2006 Grants List). Organizations which received these awards will be eligible to apply for renewal grants in the spring of 2008, pending the submission and approval of interim reports. They will be joined by the approximately 10 organizations which will be selected for grants in the spring of 2007. The Foundation will continue to offer current grant recipients resources for unanticipated developments and technical assistance through the Opportunity and Capacity Building Fund.