Moments in Philanthropy || April 2010
In This Issue
New Funds Recently Opened at Madison Community Foundation
Bratfest Community Fund
Trevor R. Marsh Memorial Fund
Mazess Maximum Giving Fund
Madison Community Foundation Issues $100,000 Challenge to Clean Wisconsin
Madison Community Foundation used the opportunity of Clean Wisconsin’s 40th anniversary this month to award a $100,000 challenge grant to help build an endowment to support environmental advocacy far into the future.
“Madison Community Foundation supports those that enrich and improve the environment in which we live,” stated Kathleen Woit, President of Madison Community Foundation. “Our goal is to foster philanthropy and to ensure the sustainability of Dane County’s strongest non-profits. The MCF Board of Governors is proud to build on Clean Wisconsin’s strong forty year track record by offering this endowment challenge for the Clean Wisconsin Legacy Fund.”
The challenge was multiplied when Clean Wisconsin Founder and Secretary of State, Doug La Follette, offered an additional $100,000 challenge match for the endowment.
“When Peter Anderson and I started this organization, we called it Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade,” explained Doug. “Many people helped us make great advances in that first ten years, achieving important victories that are the foundation of environmental protections we are building on today. Protecting Wisconsin’s environment is not a ten year project but a process that must be sustained for generations to come. That is why I am presenting an additional $100,000 challenge to Clean Wisconsin’s Legacy Fund and asking all of you to join me in ensuring that this work continues.”
Click here to contribute to the Clean Wisconsin Legacy Fund, or contact
Paul Houseman, MCF Donor Relations Manager, at (608) 232-1763.
For more information on Clean Wisconsin, visit their
website.
MCF Creates New Fund to Support Professional Theater at Overture Center
The Madison Community Foundation is pleased to announce a new competitive grant to support professional theater in Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts. Professional theater companies seeking to perform at the Overture Center may submit grant applications to the Pleasant Rowland Great Performance Fund for Theater in Overture Center Fund in the MCF fall grant cycle. The grant dollars, totaling approximately $140,000 annually, are for the purpose of supporting costs associated with live theater productions.
The Fund was created in 2001 as part of the Great Performance Campaign, which resulted in $46 million in endowment funds for Overture’s eight resident organizations (Madison Symphony Orchestra; Madison Opera; WI Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters; Madison Repertory Theater; WI Chamber Orchestra; Madison Museum of Contemporary Art; Madison Ballet; and Children’s Theater of Madison).
The Fund’s original purpose was to support Madison Repertory Theatre performances in the Overture Center. With the Madison Rep’s dissolution in 2009, the Madison Community Foundation Board of Governors examined various opportunities to honor the original intent of the donors, concluding that the Fund should support a broad array of professional theater in the Overture Center.
According to Tom Linfield, Vice President, Grantmaking & Community Initiatives of Madison Community Foundation, “the demand for live, professional theater remains strong. This fund will not only help support that demand, but also continue the rich legacy of high quality theater in the Madison area.”
Eligible applicants must be a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status professional theater operating primarily in the State of Wisconsin. Applicant organizations must also meet three of the following four requirements to apply:
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Have an equity contract.
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Have a minimum of three self-produced productions per year for two consecutive years.
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Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to two or more actors for each production.
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Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to at least one member of its support staff.
Applicants will follow the traditional MCF grantmaking process and timeline, which requires submission of a letter of inquiry by July 15th, 2010. Full proposals will be due September 1st, with funding decisions made by end of October. In subsequent years the fund will be available in both the MCF spring and fall grant cycles.
Madison Community Foundation has long been a supporter of the arts in the Dane County. Through competitive grantmaking, donor distributions and endowment investment the MCF has distributed over $13 million to local arts organizations in just the last five years. Projects supported include exhibitions, performances, art education, capital campaigns and the building of arts organization endowments. The new Theater Fund will ensure that professional theater at the Overture Center continues to be supported for generations to come.
MCF Badger Bike Trail Funding Critical to Completion of Project
The $100,000 Madison Community Foundation awarded the DNR in 2008 for connection of the Badger Bike Trail turned out to be a critical contribution for leveraging the additional $1.4
million-plus of federal and state funds needed to complete the project. State Representative Spencer Black recently announced $1 million in federal financing for the project, which is coupled with over $497, 000 in state funds approved for the project last November. Completion of the Badger Trail, which runs from Fitchburg to Illinois, should happen in late summer.
“Dane County has long enjoyed a reputation for bicycling,” said Kathleen Woit, President of Madison Community Foundation. “This trail connection infrastructure will enhance rider safety and accessibility to one of the most extensive trail systems in the country."
“Madison Community Foundation funding back in 2008 was vital to the project,” explained Dana White Quam, DNR Regional Park Specialist. “It sent a message to legislators and administration officials of the significance of the bike trails to Fitchburg and surrounding communities.”
"We are very excited about this long awaited regional trail connection to the Capital City State Trail,” said Chris James, a Park Planner with Dane County Land and Water Resources.
“The Badger, Capital City, Military Ridge, Ice Age Junction and Cannonball Trails will soon all be interconnected and provide outstanding recreational and commuter bicycling opportunities."
The DNR estimates that over a quarter of a million people will use the trail each year for commuting and recreation. The new trail segment will substantially increase traffic safety as bicyclists choose to use the trail instead of riding on the road. According to a recent study by the University of Wisconsin, the state bike trails contribute over $1.5 billion to state commerce.
Tina Frailey – An Early Decision to Give Forever
“My husband died suddenly without a will,” said Tina Frailey, who recently became a Legacy Member at MCF. “At the worst time of my life I had to deal with the snarl of paperwork and confusion created by probate. I vowed then to get my own will done as soon as possible.”
As a program officer for a private investment organization, Tina is well-acquainted with philanthropy on a large scale. She also regularly supports a wide variety of fundraising initiatives herself. She has served on the Board of Directors for WEC as part of her commitment to help create a sustainable future for her community. She has worked as a volunteer for Deer Park Buddhist Center, Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Wisconsin Women Forward and Wisconsin Environmental Council, and she regularly takes part in active fundraising such as climbing the Sears Tower and John Hancock building to support a variety of causes.
When Tina’s attorney asked how she wanted to make a philanthropic impact with her estate, she realized that any non-wealthy person can indeed leave a legacy for their community. Her lawyer suggested Madison Community Foundation as the organization to facilitate giving to the charities and issues she cared about most.
“I was delighted to find so much flexibility in how Madison Community Foundation works. They make it so easy. The hard part was deciding what organizations or focus to choose. Once I had clarified my values, MCF made it very easy for me. My decisions felt right and felt good.”
“In life, we engage with our community, we volunteer, we give back,” Tina concludes. “Madison Community Foundation makes it so easy for me to continue supporting and making a difference in the world when I am no longer around. What better legacy is that?”
To discuss how easy it is to create your own legacy plan, contact
Amy Overby, Vice President of Donor Relations, (608) 232-1763.
Welcome to New Dane County Charity Executives
Madison Community Foundation Board of Governors and staff extend a warm welcome to the following new charity executives:
Access Community Health Centers – George Barton
George Barton joined Access Community Health Centers as CEO in March. Barton is a leader in community health care, most recently for a similar health center in Davenport, Iowa. Access Community Health Centers, with clinics on East Washington Avenue and South Park Street, treats un- and under-insured individuals, charging patients on a sliding scale.
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County – Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson joined the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County as chief executive officer on February 15, 2010. Johnson has extensive background in administrative and on the ground leadership in recreation through the city of Philadelphia, the Monsanto Family YMCA in St. Louis, and formerly served as the District Director for Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago.
Urban League of Greater Madison – Kaleem Caire
Kaleem Caire joins Urban League of Greater Madison as President and CEO on March 31, 2010. A native of Madison, Caire returns from Washington D.C. where he had worked on the national stage as a non-profit leader on education and community development issues.
YMCA of Dane County – Carrie Wall
Carrie Wall is the new CEO of YMCA of Dane County as of February 1, 2010. Wall formerly served as the vice president of operations for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Congratulations: Area Awards
Madison Community Foundation Board of Governors and staff extend congratulations for the outstanding achievements of the following Dane County Area award winners:
Sales and Marketing Executives 2009 Executives of the Year Award
Gary Wolter - Executive of the Year Award
Gary was awarded for his “… professional, responsible corporate and community leadership (of) a community energy company that is committed to reliable energy service, protecting the environment and the long-term vitality of the area.” Gary has served on the MCF Board of Governors since 2003.
Steve Schooler - Non-profit Executive of the Year Award
Steve was awarded for his leadership of Porchlight, “through the turbulent economic times, while providing outstanding care and services to those in need.”
The Business Forum Athena Award
Lori Benson – 2010 Athena Award
Lori was honored for excellence in her profession, for her commitment to improving the quality of life for others, and for having actively helped women realize their full leadership potential.
IBMadison.com Executive of the Week
Jan Gietzel, Executive Director of A Fund for Women
IBMadison staff interviewed Jan about the work she does empowering and mentoring women.
See the interview with Jan
here.
In Business Magazine 40 Under 40
Congratulations to those 40 Under 40 in the Madison area recognized by In Business Magazine as exceptional leaders and dedicated, professional community members. For a complete list,
visit the
website.
Sequoya Library Endowment Challenge Campaign Total
The Sequoya Library Endowment Campaign garnered $116,000 to successfully match the $50,000 endowment challenge grant offered by MCF. The total was $16,000 over their goal, not $66,000 over their goal as reported in the March 2010 Moments in Philanthropy. We apologize for any confusion.
Upcoming Events sponsored in part by MCF
Fitchburg Library Groundbreaking Ceremony
Fitchburg Public Library's ground breaking ceremony will be held on April 12 at 2:00. The event will take place on the corner of Research Park Drive and Lacy Road in Fitchburg, the site of the new building. A reception will follow in the City Hall.
To contribute to the Fitchburg Library endowment fund, visit the
donation page.