November 2021: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

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Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Compton Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Frist Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, Libra Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Stupski Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation

Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or good news about your foundation that you would like to share with Family Giving News readers? Please email us. Interested in learning more about the families involved in NCFP’s Friends of the Family network? Go here.


Compton Foundation Board of Directors Selects June Wilson to Spearhead Strategic Spend Out

The Compton Foundation announced today that June Wilson will become the new—and final—executive director of the 75-year-old philanthropy. Wilson will succeed Ellen Friedman, who, after leading the Foundation since 2011, is stepping down to engage in more direct social justice work. June is the executive director emerita of the Quixote Foundation and an NCFP Fellow.

Delaplaine Foundation and Frederick County Funders Collective Report on $14 Million in Grants Made in 2020

Eleven major funders of nonprofits and community organizations in Frederick County, Maryland have released a report based on sharing their grantmaking data using a common coding system. These eleven funders include: Ausherman Family Foundation, The Community Foundation of Frederick County, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Frederick County Government, Helen J. Serini Foundation, The Kahlert Foundation, Loats Foundations Inc., The Will Group Foundation, Inc., United Way of Frederick County, William E. Cross Foundation, and The Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County

Frist Foundation CEO Pete Bird to Step Down at Year-end

Pete Bird, the CEO of The Frist Foundation since 2002, will step down from the role at year-end, the foundation announced today. His successor will be Corinne Bergeron, who currently serves as vice president of programs and has helped to direct grantmaking at the region’s largest private philanthropy since 2016.

Haas Sr. Fund Discusses the Foundation’s Path of Self-Reckoning

Faiza Bukhari, program associate at the Hass Sr. Fund and Padmini Parthasarathy, program officer athe the Haas Jr. Fund wrote article about the Fund’s path of self-reckoning over the last two years. They share how the fund created a new Strategist, Justice, Equity, and Learning position; funded a new Racial Justice Cohort of Bay Area Black-led nonprofits; and started assessing the Fund’s recent grantmaking through a JEDI lense.

Regan Pritzker of the Kataly and Libra Foundations Discusses New Approaches in Philanthropy

In this Harper’s BAZAAR article, Regan Pritzker opens up about decentering herself in the donor role and focusing on moving more resources towards social movements. She shares, “The way society still sees the donor as the celebrity in the story and centers the donor instead of centering the work and the good teams of people that make it possible has got to change. The fact that I’m even having this conversation with you, I find ironic, because I do the least of all the people who work on all the different projects I support.”

McKnight Foundation Commits to Net Zero Across $3 Billion Endowment

The McKnight Foundation committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its $3 billion endowment by 2050 at the latest. McKnight, a leading funder of climate solutions in the Midwest, is the country’s largest private foundation to pursue a net zero endowment. Net zero is a comprehensive strategy to immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the entire investment portfolio—including the fossil fuel sector—while also making new investments to build a carbon-free economy.

Stupski Foundation Welcomes New Board Member

Stupski Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Maida Lynn to its board of directors. Maida, the daughter of Larry Stupski, brings decades of experience in strategic philanthropy, nonprofit management, documentary filmmaking, and education to advance the Foundation toward its spend down goals.

Surdna Foundation’s Javier Torres-Campos Does Q&A with Inside Philanthropy

Surdna’s Thriving Cultures Program Director, Javier Torres-Campos recently spoke with Mike Scutari of Inside Philanthropy about the past, present, and future of the philanthropic sector. He shares, “Folks are speaking honestly and asking questions like, “How do we look at ourselves? How do we hold ourselves to continue to build and deepen accountability in our work in our practice?” It makes me really optimistic about the work that philanthropy is doing and will continue to do in the future.”

Walton Family Foundation CEO Caryl Stern Discusses Changing How Philanthropies Collaborate

Caryl Stern, executive director of the Walton Family Foundation wrote an op-ed published in Fortune. The piece highlights the need for philanthropy to redefine and think about collaboration differently—focusing on the goals that unite us and the communities we serve.