Green Food Banks

The Walmart Foundation has announced $2 million in grants to help sixteen foodbanks become more energy efficient.

Awarded as part of Walmart's $2 billion commitment to help fight hunger, the grants will support low-cost upgrades to lighting, refrigeration, and heating and air conditioning equipment that performs better, uses less energy, and costs less to operate. By upgrading their equipment, the foodbanks are expected to save more than $625,000 in energy costs per year, which is enough to buy 390,000 pounds of food or more than 300,000 meals. Annually, the food banks also are expected to reduce their energy use by more than 5.2 million kilowatt hours, which is enough to power more than 400 homes, remove more than 700 vehicles from the road, or counteract more than 3,700 metric tons of carbon emissions.

"These grants underscore Walmart's commitment to lead on both hunger relief and sustainability," said Walmart Foundation president Margaret McKenna. "Every dollar these foodbanks save on energy costs is another dollar they can use to help meet the hunger needs of their local communities."

“Walmart Foundation Gives $2 Million to Help 'Green' Foodbanks.” Walmart Foundation Press Release 1/18/11.

Organizations Honored

[from Philanthropy News Digest]

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the 2011 winners of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

Eleven organizations in six countries will receive grants ranging from $350,000 to $1 million — a large sum given that their annual budgets are each less than $5 million — for a range of purposes, including the acquisition of office space, construction of a library and conference room, and technology upgrades. While the recipient organizations' missions are diverse — from protecting biodiversity in Bhutan, to fighting poverty in the United States, to improving maternal and child health among India's impoverished — they have much in common. All have demonstrated significant impact in their fields, for example, and have spurred significant change with modest budgets.

This year's recipients include the Arms Control Association (Washington, D.C.); the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (Chicago); the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (Thimphu, Bhutan); the Social and Economic Rights Action Center (Lagos, Nigeria); Sociedad Mexicana Pro Derechos de la Mujer (Mexico City, Mexico); and the W. Haywood Burns Institute (San Francisco).

"These exceptional organizations effectively address pressing national and international challenges and they have had an impact that is disproportionate to their small size," said MacArthur Foundation president Robert Gallucci. "The [foundation] is proud to recognize them. It is our hope that these awards will help position them for long-term growth and even greater impact in the years ahead."

“MacArthur Foundation Announces Winners of Award for Creative and Effective Nonprofits.” John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Press Release 1/19/11.

SBDC Wild Conference

In 2008, Gannon University’s Small B u s i n e s s D e v e l o p m e n t Center founded the W.I.L.D. to emphasize the concept of women helping women through knowledge, energy and passion. The 4th Annual W.I.L.D. Conference will be held on Friday, March 25, 2011 at Erie's
Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier, Erie, PA 16501.

This year, the Gannon SBDC’s W.I.L.D. conference chair is Donna Zariczny of Inscale Architects in Warren, PA. The SBDC along with 150 professional planning committee members will host this fantastic national program. The 4th annual W.I.L.D. speaker topics include entrepreneurship, leadership and wellness. It is anticipated that 600 women will attend in 2011, with former attendees traveling from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Indiana to attend this wildly exciting event.

If you are interested in attending with other members, please contact Susan a t 8 1 4 - 6 7 6 - 8521 or swilliams@venangochamber.org.

Raise more money in 2011: Webinar

Join The Chronicle for an important and useful Webinar that will help your organization raise more money in 2011.

Nonprofits are about to begin their fourth year of raising money in an economic downturn. Join The Chronicle's veteran fund-raising reporter, Holly Hall, and two other nonprofit experts to learn the trends and techniques nonprofits are using to bolster their donations, even in these challenging economic times, and what you need to stay ahead of the curve. Among the topics we'll explore:

* The winning techniques from the crucial year-end giving season
* How best to attract donors at all income and age levels―and what turns them off
* Low-cost ideas that will help you get strong returns
* What tax-law debates and changes mean for donors in 2011
* How new research on donors and giving trends can help steer you to success

This special event will take place on Thursday, January 27, from 2 to 3 p.m., Eastern time.

Remember, the Webinar can be viewed by multiple people using one computer. So you can turn it into a training session for your staff, or just yourself. It is all delivered directly to your computer, so there are no travel costs, no lost time away from the office, and no lost productivity.

For more information about this event, go to http://philanthropy.com/webinars/fundraising_linkedin

Autism Society Regional Needs Assessment Invite

The Autism Society - Northwestern Pennsylvania has contracted Strategy Solutions, Inc. to complete a a Regional Needs Assessment of the service delivery system for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Recent statistics signify that the incidence of autism is growing. This assessment will provide a venue for consumers and their families as well as the providers of autism services to express their needs. This effort will provide valuable insight into existing gaps in autism services throughout Northwest PA. The project will also provide an inventory of existing service providers and the programs/services that are currently available through each provider. A centralized database of information will then be developed utilizing this information.

Parents, professionals, and general community members are being invited to open forums throughout the region to provide their personal and professional perspectives of their vision for the future of autism services in Northwestern PA. Participants will also participate in an analysis of the current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to the current system and make recommendations on how it could be improved.

Your input is very important to this process. This is your chance to assist in developing an Ideal Service Delivery Model to support persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.

Please refer to the attached flyer for information on an upcoming forum near you.

Autism Regional Forum Invitation

Deadline Approaches for Historic Preservation Grants

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) encourages non-profit organizations and local governments to apply for historic preservation project grants before the January 31 deadline.

Historic Preservation Grants are available to support projects in the categories of Community Preservation and Archaeology. Community Preservation activities include cultural resource surveys, national register and historic district nominations, municipal planning and development assistance. Archaeology projects include the development of regional site sensitivity models, preparation of regional and/or temporal syntheses, research and artifact analysis, problem-oriented excavation projects. The grants are administered on a competitive basis, and the awards are made annually based on a peer review process.

Two levels of funding are available. Grant awards below $10,000 do not require matching local funds. If state funding is between $10,001 and $25,000, an equal local match is required. Grants are awarded through a competitive selection process and are contingent on availability of funds.

Grant applicants are required to use the web-based electronic application process, eGrant. For guidelines and instructions, visit www.phmc.state.pa.us and select "Grants and Funding" on the top navigation bar. Additional information is available by contacting Karen Arnold at the Bureau for Historic Preservation by e-mail at kaarnold@state.pa.us or by calling 717-783-9927.

Grant supports nonprofit tech

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Nonprofit Technology Network in Portland, Oregon, has announced a two-year, $1.1 million grant from the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of Tides Foundation to promote the benefits of technology to nonprofit leaders.

The grant will support NTEN's efforts to educate technology leaders about the evolving role of technology in nonprofit work and to produce research and training on cloud technologies — Web-based applications that manage constituent conversations and information — visualization, and collaboration. The funds will also be used to develop and distribute NTEN:Change, a free quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders.

"This is not just an investment in NTEN, it's an investment in our entire sector," said NTEN executive director Holly Ross. "With this support, we can provide new ways to help our community connect with each other and learn about the most important technology strategies, tools, and trends. What's more exciting is that we can now reach beyond our core audiences and help a broader part of the sector transform technology into social change."

“NTEN Receives $1.1Million Grant From Google to Aid Nonprofit Technology Adoption.” NTEN Press Release 12/20/10.