Corporate Philanthropy Update — January 2017
Happy new year!
In the last few months, I’ve reached out to many of you to introduce myself, learn more about your foundations, and discuss ways that we can work together through your membership with the Council. After each of these discussions, I have come away not only impressed, but genuinely inspired having learned about the work you’re doing in communities throughout the world. I’ve also gained a deeper appreciation for just how much we have to learn from each other.
I’ll do my best to foster an environment here that helps you access useful information and connect with your peers about shared issues and initiatives. To that end, I will be posting a monthly update with relevant information, including Council activities and resources, best practices, trends, connections, public policy updates, and more.
Thank you all for your continued engagement. I look forward to working with you in the year to come. Here we go!
A New Year
To wrap up 2016, the Council launched its 2017 Trendspotting Series to showcase big ideas that will shape the world in the coming year. We invited important thinkers from a dozen fields to contribute their predictions on what lies ahead. While the series may have concluded, the conversation continues, and we want to hear from you. Do you agree with the authors’ projections? Have they missed something? Please comment on the pieces and share your thoughts about the authors' forecasts or join the conversation on Twitter using #2017Trends.
With the new administration in place, tax reform is likely to come. We’re here to keep you informed on how this impacts philanthropy and on ways you can get involved. If you don’t receive it already, subscribe to Washington Snapshot and follow the Council’s Inside Scoop, which provides daily updates on the Trump Administration’s first 100 days.
Highlight from the Field
Each month we’ll feature a story from one of our members demonstrating excellence in the field. This month’s highlight comes from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation with commentary from Catharine Grimes, Director, Corporate Philanthropy.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation recently joined the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative through its commitment to addressing health disparities in cancer care. In response to the Cancer Moonshot, the foundation is committing $25 million in new funding to expand the current scope of community-based resources and survivorship support programs to underserved populations in the U.S. The foundation announced five partnership grants under this new commitment: Project ECHO, American Cancer Society, University of South Carolina College of Nursing, West Virginia University Cancer Institute, and the Mississippi Public Health Institute. The remaining funding will be awarded over the next two years.
Most rewarding aspect?
“Building up community supportive services and helping patients benefit from medical innovation, making sure that as the field advances, we do not leave others anyone farther behind – what could be more rewarding than that?”
Biggest challenge?
“This work is not easy – our partners are working in challenging environments and on challenging problems with no easy solutions – keeping them all focused on the end results and making sure they are looking ahead to sustainability mechanisms so that their work can continue, and patients can continue to benefit, even after the interventions are developed and implemented for the research based pilot and demonstration projects we are funding.”
What’s next?
“Continue to build on the progress, program by program – contribute to the base of research and knowledge about community supportive services and their impact on the health outcomes of lung cancer patients.”
To learn more about this initiative, check out the press release here. Congrats, BMS Foundation!
Look Ahead – 2017 Activities to Attend
The 2017 Annual Conference comes to Dallas, April 23-26, 2017, and I am excited to announce that the full schedule is now live on our website.
Start planning your schedule now. We have 50+ sessions to choose across two tracks — vibrant communities and philanthropic practice — plus dynamic plenaries, Leadership in Actions talks, and networking opportunities galore.
You also may be particularly interested in a special preconference session — Grantmaking into Latin America: Regulatory Challenges, Strategic Partnerships, and Emerging Opportunities — on April 22.
Plus, if your foundation works on veterans issues, we will have our Veterans Philanthropy Exchange immediately following the conference on April 26-27. Registration for this opportunity will open in the coming weeks, but you can view last year’s itinerary here.
Book your ticket today — early bird pricing ends on January 31. Council members save $180 off registration; group pricing is also available.
Additional events for you to consider include:
- February 8 – 2 p.m.EST: Introduction to Legal and Tax Compliance for Corporate Grantmakers
- March 9: Looking to the Future: Localizing the Global Goals in Minnesota
- March 20 – 22: Foundations on the Hill
- Fall 2017: Endowments and Finance Summit and HR Summit
- Winter 2017: CEO and Trustee Winter Retreat
Engage
Read our most recent blogs, and please reach out if you wish to author a post.
Connect with your peers by visiting the Philanthropy Exchange.
Stay informed on all things philanthropy by checking out our newsroom.
