Remmer to moderate at COF on Community Foundation Global Giving

TPI President Ellen Remmer will moderate a discussion Tuesday, September 14th at The Council on Foundation’s Fall Conference for Community Foundations, Powering Communities. The session, which TPI Vice President, Paula Johnson will help present, is entitled “Engaging at the Global Level: Current Practice and Innovation Through Collaboration,” and will focus on preliminary findings from the Community Foundation Global Giving Initiative (CFGGI).  The CFGGI is a consortium of community foundations that, through a grant from the Council on Foundations and generous support from the Seattle International Foundation, is exploring the potential benefits of a central resource to assist community foundations with giving to non-U.S. NGOs and with international grantmaking.  

While community foundations continue to serve local organizations, many are experiencing an increase in diverse and globally-linked constituencies.  To meet today’s donor needs and to attract a new donor generation, community foundations must be more than philanthropic leaders in their communities.  At this time, however, there is little information for community foundations wishing to engage in global giving.  The CFGGI seeks to address this issue and to answer several questions: What do community foundations engaged in international giving need in the way of support?  What resources exist today?  Would a central “hub” be advantageous for community foundations?  If so, what form should a common resource take?  Where might it reside, and who should host and manage it?

The consortium, for which TPI is the project consultant, includes Baton Rouge Area Foundation, The Boston Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, The Minneapolis Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

For more information regarding the initiative, please contact TPI.