MEMORANDUM
Date:
April 1, 2015
To:
SCG Public Policy Advisory Committee
From: Chris Essel, President & CEO
Karen Freeman, Director of Operations & Strategic Initiatives
RE:
Report on “Foundations on the Hill” Washington, DC trip – March 17-19, 2015
Southern California Grantmakers attended “Foundations on the Hill,” an annual event sponsored by the
Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and the Council on Foundations. Our goal was to
educate Members of Congress regarding the impact and importance of foundation giving in their
communities.
This year, we had a delegation of 13 individuals representing SCG, Northern California Grantmakers and
San Diego Grantmakers. The delegation consisted of:
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Jill Black Zalben, Director, The Stanley & Joyce Black Foundation;
Erika Borg, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce;
Wendy Garen, President & CEO, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation;
Nancy Jamison, President & CEO, San Diego Grantmakers;
Ellen LaPointe, President & CEO, Northern California Grantmakers;
Dr. Jonathan Lorenzo Yorba, President & CEO, The Community Foundation of Inland Southern
California;
Annette Ricchiazzi, Director of Advancement, Los Angeles Universal Preschool;
Ellah Ronen, Program Administrator, The Annenberg Foundation;
Matthew Sharp, Senior Policy Director, The Goldhirsh Foundation;
Paul Vandeventer, President & CEO, Community Partners;
Jim Clarke, Public Policy Consultant, Southern California Grantmakers
Chris Essel, President & CEO, Southern California Grantmakers
Karen Freeman, Director of Operations & Strategic Initiatives, Southern California Grantmakers;
As the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and City of Los Angeles were in Washington two days
before for “Access DC”, their annual trip to the Capitol, we were able to participate in their events as
well.
The two and a half days devoted to “Foundations on the Hill” (FOTH) were jam packed with meetings
and receptions. We started out with a Welcoming Reception hosted by the Council on Foundations and
ended with a wonderful meeting with Dave Wilkenson from the White House Office of Social Innovation.
In order to cover all the congressional meetings arranged by our consultant Jim Clarke, our delegation
was broken into two teams. These two teams were able to meet with Congress Members Norma
Torres, Lois Capps, Julia Brownley and Xavier Becerra. In addition, we met with staff from the offices of
Congress Members Darrell Issa, Janice Hahn, Adam Schiff, Karen Bass, Ted Lieu, Linda Sanchez, Mark
Takano, Peter Aguilar, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mimi Walters, Mike Thompson, Mike Honda and Majority
Leader Kevin McCarthy. The delegation also met with senior staff from Senators Dianne Feinstein and
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Barbara Boxer; Katie Wheeler Mathews, Director of California Governor Jerry Brown’s DC office; and
Dave Wilkinson, Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
For the Congressional meetings, we had individually prepared packets of information that included data
on the number of foundations operating in that specific Congressional District, the asset value of the
foundations and the amount of funding they provide. In addition, each packet included information on
how our issued-based funder groups and committees can be a resource to that member of Congress, as
well as a full list of SCG members. Furthermore, we included data on the total amount of funding
contributed by philanthropy nationwide and in L.A. County, in comparison to the national and local
economy and local government spending. This information showed that while philanthropy makes a
substantial contribution, it cannot replace government funding. We also presented information
showing that over 80% of all charitable giving is derived from individual contributions and cautioned
about changes to tax policy that could jeopardize such contributions. Lastly, we included a sheet of
talking points on behalf of the Council on Foundations describing the impact of proposed changes in tax
policy on charitable donations and foundation operations.
In our meetings, we made four key “asks.” First, we recommended using our members as issue area
experts in the development and analysis of policy and legislative initiatives. Second, we requested to
connect with them in their district to discuss how philanthropy and government can work together to
fulfill unmet needs. Third, we asked to be invited to comment on the implications of any changes in tax
policy that would affect foundations and non-profits serving the district. Fourth, we recommended that
the member should join the House Philanthropy Caucus.
In addition to our meetings, members of our delegation attended other scheduled FOTH events,
including a Senate Philanthropy Caucus reception and a House Philanthropy Caucus luncheon
Congressman Brad Sherman was one of only two congress members who attended the lunch and he
joined us at our table. There was also a Wednesday morning program entitled “Alliance for Charitable
Reform Summit for Leaders” and a “Breakfast Roundtable with Philanthropy Liaison” on Thursday
morning.
In summary, the organizers of FOTH – the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and the
Council on Foundations – were very pleased with our participation and the number of members in our
delegation. Having the participation of Northern California Grantmakers and San Diego Grantmakers
also allowed us to present a united front which we called the “California Philanthropy Partnership. Our
delegation agreed that this trip was an excellent first step in opening up a dialogue with members of
Congress and their staff which can be furthered through meetings in their district offices with SCG
members.
If you would like more information regarding our participation in FOTH, please contact us to discuss. We
look forward to capitalizing on the relationships and lessons learned from our 2015 FOTH trip, and to
next year’s participation in this important national event.
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