Focus on the Economy
SCG offers funders the following resources and tools as a way to stay
informed on issues impacting the philanthropic sector and communities
we serve.
In The News
November 4, 2009
Foundation Giving Faces Steeper Decline than Expected examines the Foundation Center's recent survey results on foundation giving in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
September 14, 2009
Trust Bust: Recession Cracks Local Foundations explores the
impact of declines in foundation portfolios in LA County
in the Los
Angeles Business Journal.
July 2, 2009
California Charities Face Fear and Confusion in State's Fiscal
Emergency, examines the prospect that nonprofits will start
receiving state-issued IOU's in The
Chronicle of Philanthropy.
June 13, 2009
Barbara
Ehrenreich's op-ed in the New York Times explores
how the working poor are impacted by the recession but are in many ways
rendered invisible. The piece includes reactions
from Los
Angeles-area nonprofits.
June 9, 2009
Charitable giving in the United States
dropped two percent in 2008, but still exceeded the $300 billion
mark for the second year in a row, according to Giving USA's annual
survey. Detailed analysis of the survey
results is provided by The
Chronicle of Philanthropy.
June 5, 2009
In a recent op-ed in the San
Diego Union-Tribune, Jean Ross of the California Budget
Project supports federal assistance for California's fiscal crisis, but
only with important strings attached. Amongst other solutions, Ross
advocates a repeal of corporate tax cuts and an overhaul of the
state's tax system and two-thirds vote requirement.
June 4, 2009
The
Chronicle of Philanthropy recently released its annual
survey on endowments, revealing a $46.6-billion loss since 2007.
Nonprofits are responding in a number ways, including shifting to
mission-related investments, replacing money managers and co-mingling
assets with other nonprofits with a proven track record for managing an
endowment.
June 3, 2009
This recent New
York Times article highlights tactics foundations are
employing to ease restrictions on arts nonprofits, but their
strategies can be applied to a wide variety of nonprofits impacted by
the economic downturn. Foundations are stepping outside their usual
processes and renegotiating grant objectives and budgets and loosening
funding allocation restrictions, among other strategies.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The LA
Recovery Site provides information about grant
opportunities as part of the federal stimulus package allocated to the
City of Los
Angeles. The site tracks grants submitted,
partnered grants, eligible grant opportunities, contacts in city
departments and other resources related to the grants management
process.
The California
Economic Recovery Portal tracks how Recovery Act
funding is coming into and being used in California. The site provides a
variety of stimulus-related resources, including an interactive map of
funding searchable by assembly, state senate or congressional
district.
The Foundation
Center provides a variety of resources, including a
freely accessible webinar covering the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act and its implications for low-income Californians. The
webinar discusses which agencies and newly created entities have funding
authority, how tax credits can be optimized and other
California-specific measures.
Philanthropic Research
The UCLA Center Civil Society's Resilience & Vulnerability: The State of the Nonprofit Sector in Los Angeles, 2009, examines the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector and what local nonprofits are doing to survive and fulfill their missions.
In
the Midst of the Great Recession: The State of Working California
2009 is the California Budget Project's analysis of
the recession's impact on the California job market and the quality of
life for Californians.
The Foundation Center has compiled information on how the Largest 50 Foundations in California Respond to
the Economic Crisis.
The
Foundation and Corporate Response to the Economic Crisis: An
Update, released by the Foundation Center in July 2009,
provides updates on how grantmakers are responding to the economic downturn.
2009-2010
Economic Forecast and Industry Outlook: Mid-Year Update for California
and Southern Calfornia, Including the National and International
Setting, released by The Los Angeles County Economic
Development Corporation, The Kyser Center for Economic Research.
Impact
of the 2007-09 Economic Recession on Nonprofit
Organizations, released by the Johns Hopkins Center for
Civil Society Studies' Listening Post Project, is a nation-wide survey
of nonprofit organizations working in the fields of children and family
services, elderly housing and services, education, community and
economic development and the arts.
Community Foundation Insights released Taking Informed Action in
Challenging Times, a follow-up study on the impact of the
economic downturn on community foundations. The research provides
direction for 2009 and 2010, including future action for increased
community impact and sustainability.
The Council on Foundation's Economic
Xchange focuses on how the economy is impacting the
philanthropic field. Survey results on how foundations are responding to
declining assets, released by the Council in May, reveal that 62 percent
of foundations planned to reduce their grantmaking in 2009. The complete survey results are available on
the Council
on Foundations website.
The Foundation Center released its 2009
Survey Results on how foundations plan to address the
economic downturn, including a variety of non-grantmaking measures that
will help to fulfill their missions. Strategies include collaborations and partnerships, technical
assistance, advocacy work and staff-led activities.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations published Smarter
Grantmaking in Challenging Times: Insights for Foundation
Leaders in May 2009. This brief document
outlines practical strategies, recommendations and examples of how to
support grantees in the current economic climate.
The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) has released
"Corporate Philanthropy 2008: Data Trends and the Changing
Economy," a compilation and analysis of corporate giving against
the backdrop of the year's economic turbulence. The executive
summary is available free on the CECP website.