THE REGION’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE
PHOTO: CHRIS MOONEY
SPECIAL REPORT 2015
www.BizTucson.com
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 179
180 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
www.BizTucson.com
www.BizTucson.com
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 181
BizCOMMUNITY
1
9
2
8
3
7
4
5
6
1. Board of Trustees in 1994-1996 when Bettina O’Neil Lyons was chair 2. 2001 capital campaign built the CFSA offices 3. Ajo Regional Food Partnership (Photo: Jeff Smith) 4. Philanthropist Melody Robidoux 5. Unidas Girls Philanthropy Program of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona 6. Adult Learner (Photo: Literacy Connects) 7. Senator Douglas & Alice Holsclaw 8. Steve Alley (left) & Phil Amos 9. Joseph Blair, African American Initiative (All other photos: Community Foundation for Southern Arizona) 182 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
www.BizTucson.com
Connecting People to Causes They Care About Community Foundation Funding Tops $145 Million
There just had to be a better way. Buddy Amos was a big believer in giving back to the community that he loved so dearly. Over and over at the dinner table, he would impress upon his sons, Hank and Phil, that it was their duty to give back. A spark-plug of a fundraiser, it was hard for him to turn down requests to spearhead donation drives. He could often be found with other community leaders, calling for dollars in a phone bank at Jim Click’s Automotive Group. It was a time when most businesses were owned and operated locally. Relationships helped drive business and there was a strong sense of community. But even so, Phil remembered, his father grew increasingly concerned about sustaining the good work they were doing. “He was afraid it was getting tedious and that people were getting tired of the calls,” recalled Phil, who was in college at the time. The answer to the merry-go-round of raising-and-spending-and-raising-andspending came when Buddy learned of the community foundation model, which pools charitable contributions within one entity to address local needs over time. In 1980, Buddy Amos joined James Burns, Edward Moore, Granger Weil and Jim Click Jr. to establish what was then The Greater Tucson Area Foundation. Since its inception, grants and scholarships worth more than $145 million have been distributed through what is now called the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to local causes – from education to children’s issues, animal welfare, the arts, health, economic development and the environment. In 2014 there were 571 active funds at the Foundation. The need to connect donors with causes they care about remains strong, said Phil, who eventually chaired the board of the Foundation his father helped found. “With dollars being cut everywhere, it will be increasingly important to have a www.BizTucson.com
place where there is real money available to help fill gaps. This is the place,” said Phil, a real estate investor. “And it is also important that it is a Tucson-based organization that puts this region first – since we’re too often at the caboose end of the funding stream.” Tucson is a generous place with a diversity of needs, but what donors universally want is a place where their contributions are treasured, used effectively and invested wisely. And that’s where the Foundation comes in, lending its expertise in the complex world of charitable giving. “You have an investment advisor for your money,” said Clint Mabie, president and CEO of the Foundation. “We are an investment advisor for philanthropy. When you invest in business and markets, there are clear and established metrics. When you invest in people and causes, it is difficult to do that on an individual basis. We are here to serve as a resource to make sure it is done effectively and appropriately and fulfills the donor’s intent forever.” The Foundation also provides flexibility as needs change. In 1990, Melody Robidoux was interested in creating a charitable foundation after selling her interest in a Tucson company. She explored a variety of options, then opted to incorporate as a support organization of the Community Foundation, which is akin to serving as a subsidiary corporation in the private sector. For 24 years, the Melody S. Robidoux Foundation had its own staff, offices, board of trustees, managed its portfolio, and did all of its own grantmaking, largely in the areas of women’s economic well-being and children’s welfare, under the umbrella of the Community Foundation. “It was a great alternative to a private foundation because there were no requirements to distribute a certain percentage of assets each year, and there were no yearly taxes,” Robidoux said. “Plus, the donor gets a more generous charitable deduction continued on page 184 >>>
FOUNDERS
u
Edward Moore Buddy Amos Granger Weil
Photos courtesy of the Tucson Jewish Community Center
By Rhonda Bodfield
James Burns Jim Click
At the Helm James Burns, 1980-1983 George H. Amos Jr., 1983-1986 Sidney B. Brinckerhoff, 1986-1989 Gordon W. Waterfall, 1990-1994 Bettina O’Neil Lyons, 1994-1996 Anna Jolivet, 1996-1998 Michael Hard, 1998-2000 Mary Ann Dobras, 2000-2002 Phil Amos, 2002-2004 Robert Friesen, 2004-2007 Carmen Marriott, 2007-2009 Paul Lindsey, 2009-2011 Nancy Davis, 2011-2013 Michael Sullivan, 2013-present Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 183
continued from page 183 when giving to a community foundation.” In 2013, the Robidoux Foundation began the conversion process to what’s known as a donor-advised fund, in which Community Foundation staff assumes responsibility for the administrative tasks and overhead costs of managing the fund. The fund also contains a succession plan, allowing her son to someday make grant recommendations, even as grants continue to be distributed to organizations that his mother historically funded. “Being part of a community foundation provides you access to experts who know the nonprofit community,” she said, and it helps connect donors with other like-minded philanthropists. Co-founder Click said, “It seems like it was yesterday when Bill Moore’s dad contacted me regarding a foundation they had created in Michigan. He went on to explain how much it benefited their community, and he wanted to know if I would be interested in starting one in Tucson. Buddy Amos, I and others helped start it. Over the years this foundation made a tremendous difference in our community. It’s amazing to see how much it has grown.” The late state senator Douglas S. Holsclaw and his wife, Alice Young Holsclaw, spent their lifetimes enriching the fabric of Tucson – from helping establish the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona to
supporting institutions that provided for children in need and educated future leaders. The Holsclaw name is closely associated with the Temple of Music and Art, the UA School of Music, Tucson Children’s Museum and the YMCA. Hardworking and humble, the couple’s Depression-era values were reflected in their decades-old vehicles in the garage. “They always considered that anything they had went back into the community,” recalled their son, Douglas Holsclaw Jr. The family not only provided one of the initial Legacy Gifts received early in the Foundation’s history that continues to provide support to community causes, but Dr. Holsclaw Jr. also has multiple funds with the Foundation that support local organizations such as the YMCA of Southern Arizona, UA Foundation, UA School of Music, Children’s Museum Tucson and the Tucson Botanical Gardens. A physician in Pennsylvania and a UA graduate, the younger Holsclaw noted his parents favored targeted giving with clear objectives. Over his mother’s desk was a sign quoting Albert Einstein, “It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” Since then, the Community Foundation has steadily added to its funding of bricks-and-mortar improvements to take a more active role in outreach and civic
leadership. It has convened community efforts that bring disparate parties together to work collaboratively on solutions to sticky problems – from poverty to educational outcomes to animal welfare. “It’s been interesting for me to see the evolution over time in its growth and outreach,” the younger Holsclaw said. “It has become a facilitator, a moderator and really an accelerator in making things happen throughout the region.” As a neutral convener, the Foundation in 2012, for example, set the table to bring factions of the animal welfare community together. For the first time, rescue groups, veterinarians, advocates and the two large shelters in town came together to leverage resources, passion and expertise. The resulting effort – the Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare – has helped build a framework to lift all boats, said Pima County Deputy Administrator Jan Lesher, who oversees the county-run Pima Animal Care Center. “This community has demonstrated time and again that when asked to come together in a strategic manner, we are willing to do the work and establish those relationships,” Lesher said. “But someone has to ask. And the Foundation is serving in that leadership capacity of shaping dialogue, bridging differences and helping to foster new solutions.”
Biz
By the Numbers $45,000 assets in 1981 after one year of operation $115 million assets by yearend, 2014 184 BizTucson
<<<
8 total number of funds in 1981 571 total number of active funds in 2014 Spring 2015
$145 million direct financial support to the community since 1980 $9.2 million gifts received in 2014
$11.9 million grants distributed in 2014 117 scholarships granted in 2014
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is known for bringing individuals and organizations together to envision, then implement, communitywide solutions to pressing issues. That’s one reason the Foundation collaborated with the University of Arizona and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council to bring the MAP Dashboard project to Tucson. This new online public resource provides fact-based insights into pivotal economic and social indicators about our community and how it measures up to similar cities in the West. This foundational project provides real-time data that business leaders, government officials and the general public can use to make informed decisions when planning for the future. Key indicators are the economy, education, health and social well-being, infrastructure, quality of place and workforce and demographics. Read the full report about this game-changing project on page 112.
Biz
BizLEADERSHIP
Wise Stewardship By Rhonda Bodfield
Michael Sullivan
PHOTO: CHRIS MOONEY
Board of Trustees Chair Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
www.BizTucson.com
Managing people’s wealth is already imbued with a vast responsibility. That sense of obligation is exponentially magnified when you’re managing people’s legacy wishes. “We’re in the safeguarding assets business,” said Michael Sullivan, an investment manager himself and the chair of the board of trustees for the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona “People are leaving their life legacies and assets with us, so we have a moral obligation to make sure we invest that money prudently and well.” Good governance is at the root of wise stewardship and is a major focus of the board’s energy, which is why there are 35 different policies that are overseen and reviewed on an annual basis. “It’s a very complex financial mechanism we’re dealing with,” Sullivan said. There are policies that dictate what gifts to accept, how to manage charitable gift annuities, how to safeguard against conflict of interest and how to enhance transparency. “The job of the trustees is not to run the Community Foundation. That’s what our CEO does. Our job is to provide a governance structure to make sure it’s being run well and is financially sound and meets its community responsibilities.” Sullivan was drawn to the Foundation in 2008, intrigued by the opportunity to work with an organization that had a broader
focus than a single charity with a more narrow scope. “I had done a lot of work with very worthwhile nonprofits, but it is really impactful to work with an organization where the focus is on strengthening the overall community in its truest sense.” He also was drawn to the idea of being able to focus on helping donors identify key issues that are important to them. “The Community Foundation is the one place we can approach those questions on a neutral basis. Whether it’s education, poverty or a litany of other causes, there is no shortage of need out there.” Sullivan shared two important takeaways so far from his tenure on the board. “First, I have learned that there are a lot of good, well-intentioned people out there trying to make a difference. “Second, I’ve been proud of our ability to bring organizations together in a collaborative way. Everyone in business knows we can accomplish more together than we can independently. And what I’ve found is that as long as people trust that you have a common goal, people are willing to step back from worrying about who takes the lead and who takes the credit. This is truly the community’s foundation – where our whole focus is leveraging assets to have the highest impact in benefiting the community over the long term.”
Biz Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 185
186 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
www.BizTucson.com
BizLEADERSHIP
Increasing Investment & Impact By Rhonda Bodfield
www.BizTucson.com
strategic priority lies in also positioning itself to become a greater change agent, by building and supporting ever-more demanding efforts to measurably improve quality of life in the region for everyone “We’re being asked to lead a lot more – so we’re being very cognizant of where we should lead and in which areas and which issues,” Mabie said. “How can we play a leading role in diversity and inclusion? How can we measure impact in a way that improves performance? How do we lead in collaborating and bringing people together to leverage influence and resources? These are the questions we are asking ourselves as we plan.” Driven by the need to lead the community in finding solutions, Mabie said the third strategic priority is enhancing internal capacity. “We have to invest smartly in people and systems to leverage our dollars to serve the community – and our primary business of connecting donors to causes they care about.” Mabie, who formerly served as director of program development at the Chicago Community Trust, said although community foundations are facing change, the one thing that will remain a core value is collaboration. “Nobody can do it alone. The issues we are facing, especially in Southern Arizona where resources are scarce, require us all to work together. To move forward we need to continue to come together to leverage our impact.”
Clint Mabie
President & CEO Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
PHOTO: CHRIS MOONEY
Increasingly, communities are seeking ways to deploy more capital into the market with the goal of increasing economic development. Community foundations are perfectly positioned to make these “impact investments,” which demand a return, even as they attempt to make measurable gains in areas of social economic development, said Clint Mabie, who became president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in 2010. After all, foundations already have a focus on improving quality of life. They typically have rigorous evaluation policies that demand accountability. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona can leverage its deep connections to donors and investors to build a community investment fund that will generate millions annually into our community. In the midst of its five-year strategic plan, cultivating additional community investment tops a list of three strategic priorities that have bubbled up from outreach to donors, the nonprofit community and the board. “Foundations around the country are saying, ‘How can we deploy more of our assets into the community?’ We’re looking at national models to see how we can bring this practice here so we can achieve a return on investment, but leverage those dollars to get additional impact in areas such as job growth or education,” Mabie explained. Thirty-five years after its inception, the Foundation’s second
Biz
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 187
BizCOMMUNITY
Nonprofit Loan Fund
LGBT&S Alliance Fund
Collective Impact By Rhonda Bodfield
From community gardens to opera scholarships, AIDS to literacy, animal welfare to rural healthcare, the impact of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is felt throughout the region. These projects highlight the spectrum of issues addressed by collaborations and programs through the Foundation established in 1980.
2012
Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare
Did you know that about 35,000 abandoned and unwanted pets end up at local animal shelters and rescue organizations year in and year out? Rec-
ognizing that the community must be galvanized to stop the daily flood of cats and dogs into these animal care facilities, the Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare was formed to work toward ensuring that all Pima County companion animals have a loving home and humane care. This unprecedented effort relies on a broad alliance that includes more than 50 representatives of animalwelfare agencies, among them the Tucson area’s two main shelters – the Pima Animal Care Center and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. As a result, more animals are adopted and finding a permanent home.
1981
1980
Articles of incorporation filed in May to establish The Greater Tucson Area Foundation
Edna Amos establishes one of the first endowed funds in memory of her late husband, George H. Amos Sr., father of Buddy Amos
1983
Renamed the Tucson Community Foundation
2010
Ajo Regional Food Partnership
The town of Ajo transformed from a food desert to a food oasis. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the “food desert” label to the former copper mining town 130 miles west of Tucson. With fewer than 4,000 people and only one grocery store, Ajo had limited options for fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables. That was six years ago. Today Ajo has 40 gardens, abundant fruit trees, a farmer’s market and frequent culinary events. Last spring it introduced the Authentically Ajo Regional Food Festival. 1987
Arizona Arts Award program established
1988
The Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation challenge the Community Foundation to to raise $1 million in endowed funds to be matched with $500,000 in programmatic funding
Milestones 188 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
African American Initiative
1991
Southern Arizona’s Women’s Fund (Now Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona)
Established by Harriet Silverman and Melody Robidoux, this fund would evolve into the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona in 1999. The foundation empowers women and girls to improve their lives and communities through five primary forces for change – leadership development, charitable giving, community building, research and grant-making. The Women’s Foundation is the only organization in Southern Arizona whose philanthropic activities are dedicated exclusively to programs that serve women and girls. Foundationfunded research recently demonstrated the impact of substantial cuts to programs that support low-income families on the road to financial self-sufficiency – and the long-term positive return on
Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare
investment that results when there is support for child care and education to help women improve the lives of their families.
2014
Nonprofit Loan Fund With shrink-
ing government support for nonprofits, it is increasingly important that these organizations retain a healthy cash flow while awaiting donations, grants and other reimbursements that can help address critical needs. The Nonprofit Loan Fund of Tucson and Southern Arizona is designed to strengthen organizational financial capacity by providing affordable loan financing and financial education for nonprofits operating throughout Southern Arizona.
1987
Igor Gorin Memorial Scholarship
Austrian-born Igor Gorin was a world-renowned opera star who spoke eight languages fluently. His career spanned four decades before he joined the faculty at the University of Arizona, mentoring the next generation of singers. His wife Mary established The Igor Gorin Memorial Award, given once a year to help an aspiring opera singer with expenses associated with hiring accompanists and coaches, and auditioning as they transition from school into professional careers. Since 1993, $266,300 has been awarded to 41 young artists. This is one of the most prestigious and generous awards of its kind in the nation. continued on page 190 >>>
1994
1997
2000
2006
2008
PRO Neighborhoods founded with government and community partners
Renamed the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
Conducted the largest capital campaign in its history to build a new building on land donated by the John & Helen Murphey Foundation
Launched $1 million Literacy for Life Coalition to promote a culture of literacy in Pima County, resulting in the creation of Literacy Connects in 2011
The Economic Relief and Stability Fund established and donated $442,000 to help local nonprofits through the economic crisis
www.BizTucson.com
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 189
BizCOMMUNITY
continued from page 189
2013
African American Initiative
By Whatever Means Julian Babad was born to Jewish parents in Poland in 1934. They moved to America for a better life – but his mom died when he was just 8 and his father went off to war. Orphaned, this studious lad ultimately got a scholarship to college and became an engineer. Ever grateful, in 1997 he established a scholarship fund at the Community
Foundation for Jews of European descent. He gives every penny he can to grow his fund. Recently he drove his mobile home to the foundation and gave them the keys. He decided he was too old to drive and figured the nonprofit could sell it and add the money to his fund, ultimately benefiting more students.
Donors Tell Us “Giving to or doing things for those around us is one of the best expressions of our human character. We try to help others, not out of pity, but with respect for their needs and goals. Our Community Foundation here in Tucson helps us identify both community and universal needs and how to most effectively convey the help to meet those needs.” – Bill Kinney, Retired Business Owner & Community Volunteer
“We like to contribute to a variety of important causes. Unlike single-issue foundations, the Community Foundation provides us the flexibility to place our giving throughout the spectrum of community needs – from education to animal welfare to reproductive rights. They are a reliable source of current information on regional issues and a secure custodian of our funds.” – Paul Lindsey, Business Owner & President of the Board, The Loft Cinema
Did You Know?
The Community Foundation can save your business time and money. No matter the size of the business, the Foundation can: • Distribute grants on behalf of the business, reducing internal processes • Ensure that grants are sent to legitimate, well-run nonprofits • Recommend specific community needs that match your company’s mission • Provide status reports on the utilization of the grant
In 2013, a group of African American community leaders, led by Anna Jolivet, took its first step toward developing more current and future charitable resources specifically for the African American community. The African American Initiative has a simple goal – direct dollars and foster collaboration among organizations and individuals serving the most pressing needs in the African American and greater Tucson community. On Jan. 20 the initiative announced it plans to award $50,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations providing service in the area of education. Recognizing the importance of collaboration in addressing complex needs, the initiative requires grant applicants to partner with at least one other organization.
2014
Community Interactive
The Community Interactive is a series of engaging and informative live events addressing issues Southern Arizonans face – such as poverty, the border, education and the arts. Produced in partnership with Arizona Public Media, each event features an accomplished moderator and a panel of experts, offering community members an opportunity to participate in a solution-driven conversation about these pressing issues. The most recent 90-minute interactive event was Feb. 12 and focused on education.
1999
LGBT&S Alliance Fund
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Alliance Fund conducts annual competitive grant rounds to support projects that benefit the LGBT community in Southern Arizona. Created in partnership with the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership, the Alliance Fund addresses a chronic pattern of underfunding of much-needed programs and supports efforts to address these issues through philanthropy and endowment building. Since its inception, the fund has awarded more than 100 grants to more than 40 different organizations totaling more than $550,000. continued on page 192 >>>
www.BizTucson.com
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 191
BizCOMMUNITY Community Foundation Connections
continued from page 190
2011
u Thomas R. Brown Family Founda-
Affiliates u Santa Cruz Community Foundation
promotes philanthropy and assists with the creation of a healthier, more productive community for the residents of Santa Cruz County.
u Oro Valley Community Foundation
tions issues grants to qualified religious, charitable, scientific and educational organizations.
u William Edwin Hall Foundation is-
sues grants supporting programs for children.
seeks to provide resources that contribute to quality of life throughout the Oro Valley region, including San Manuel, Oracle, Catalina, Marana and northwest Tucson.
u Worth & Dot Howard Foundation of-
u Stone Canyon Community Founda-
vides grants that support education, health and opportunity.
tion assists local charitable organizations that help young people in Oro Valley and Tucson get on track and stay there – through early childhood education, high school graduation and the development of life skills.
Programs u Social Venture Partners Tucson in-
spires philanthropy using a venture capital approach to affect social change.
u Center for Planned Giving serves as
an impartial philanthropic resource for nonprofit organizations, professional advisors and donors.
Supporting Organizations u CFSA Properties owns and operates
real properties to benefit the Foundation’s mission.
fers educational scholarships to meritorious individuals from designated Arizona educational institutions.
u Howard V. Moore Foundation pro-
u Nonprofit Loan Fund of Tucson and
Southern Arizona provides loan financing and financial education for Southern Arizona nonprofits.
u Sycamore
Canyon Conservation Foundation monitors and maintains certain environmentally-sensitive areas in Sycamore Canyon Preserve.
u Women’s Foundation of Southern
Arizona empowers women and girls to improve their lives and communities through five forces of change – leadership development, charitable giving, community building, research and grantmaking.
u Zuckerman
Community Outreach Foundation issues grants for the promotion of health and wellness education and the arts on a local and national level.
Donors Tell Us “Over the decades, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has made it possible to help many people stay well – most recently by helping the University of Arizona Mobile Health Program provide for those most in need of healthcare and wellness education.” – Martha Ortiz, Advisor, Stay Well Fund Martha and Dr. Augosto Ortiz 192 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
u
One-Eight Memorial Foundation Fund
Thousands of lives changed in a span of a few seconds on Jan. 8, 2011 when six people were killed and 13 others wounded at a Congress on Your Corner event. The Community Foundation responded to the tragedy by establishing five funds that received more than $1.1 million from 5,000 individuals from 48 states and 10 countries. Current active funds include The Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, and the Christina-Taylor Green & Daniel Hernandez, Jr. Scholarship Fund, which supports students in the School of Government & Public Policy at the UA and honors the joint interests of Green and Hernandez. The first scholarships were awarded in spring 2012.
1987
Stay Well Fund
Dr. Augosto Ortiz believed that access to healthcare services by many Arizonans was not only limited by their financial ability to pay for their services but also by their geographic and psyco-social status. The doctor and his wife Martha established the fund at the Community Foundation in 1987 to provide services in rural communities. They established the fund “with the faith that mankind will benefit,” Augusto said at the time. Recently the fund has supported the Mobile Health Program of the UA College of Medicine.
Biz
www.BizTucson.com
Spring 2015 > > > BizTucson 193
194 BizTucson
<<<
Spring 2015
www.BizTucson.com