Political Reform and Global Theme Grants:

• Arms Control Association
  
• Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
  
• Federation of American Scientists
  
• Friends Committee on National Legislation
  
  

Silicon Valley Community Grants:

• Community Breast Health Project
  
• Community Foundation Silicon Valley
  
• Community School of Music and Arts
  
• Computer History Museum
  
• El Camino Hospital Foundation
  
• Family and Children Services
  
• Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley
  
• Junior League of Palo Alto Mid Peninsula
  
• Los Altos Education Foundation
  
• Northern California Innocence Project – Santa Clara University
  
  

Discretionary Grants:

• California State Parks Foundation
  
• Carter Center
  
• Exploratorium
  
• Mills College
  
  

Recent Publicity
"Bush gives go-ahead to missile defence"
In a policy move covered by domestic and international media, the Bush Administration announced plans to attempt the deployment of a ballistic missile defense system. President Bush's proposal calls for ten missile interceptors to be online in a new Alaskan facility by 2004. The controversial program has failed three out of eight tests and will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming decades.
BBC News – December 17, 2002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

"Invitation to Terrorism"
The risk of unsecured nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union presents an enormous unaddressed threat to the United States. Though the federal government has focused significant resources to combat the threat of terrorism, many experts suggest that the threat of unsecured weapons has not received attention proportional to its danger to national security.
San Jose Mercury News – Daniel Sneider, December 15, 2002
www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews

"Interest Fizzles in All-Electric"
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) plans to review the regulations implementing its landmark Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Program, which supports the development of vehicles emitting little to no pollution. The ZEV Program has been credited with bringing many cleaner vehicle technologies to market, including gasoline hybrids. The CARB staff's newest plan proposes that 1% of the new vehicles sold by automakers would need to be ZEVs compared to a 4% goal established in 2001 during the program's last review.
Los Angeles Times – John O'Dell, December 14, 2002
www.latimes.com

"U.S. Seeks Modest Increase in SUV Fuel-Efficiency"
The U.S. Transportation Department announced its intention to raise the average light truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) mileage 1.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2007. The announcement comes in response to a stronger U.S. Senate proposal earlier this year that sought to raise the corporate average fuel economy for all passenger vehicles to 35 mpg by 2015.
Washington Post – Eric Pianin and Dana Milbank, December 13, 2002
www.washingtonpost.com

"Stanford takes a bold step into stem cell research"
The editorial board of the San Jose Mercury News congratulates Stanford University for its creation of a new Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine. Due to President Bush's 2001 executive order allowing only limited federal funding for stem cell research, the new center will operate completely on private funds and will develop new lines of stem cells for future research.
San Jose Mercury News – Editorial, December 12, 2002
www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews

"Even as assets drop, Kirsch Foundation sticks to spending commitment"
Despite the endowment decrease, the Kirsch Foundation plans to maintain a high payout rate. Although many other organizations would rather have the goal of giving in perpetuity, Steve and Michele Kirsch decided they would keep funding their causes.
San Jose Mercury News – John Boudreau, December 8, 2002
www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews

• Environment – While the new Congress does not threaten our California clean air focus, our desire for air quality protections on a national level is at risk with a more conservative Senate and House expected to begin work in January. As the Washington Post reported in mid-November, the new Senate leadership plans to "vigorously promote energy exploration on federal lands" as well as to review a variety of key environmental laws, including those governing power-plant emissions, which are considered "impediments to production." More on our current environmental issues.
  
  
• Medical Research – The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), the leading, national group fighting to protect human embryonic stem cell research in order to cure diseases, was successful in stopping a number of assaults on medical research in 2002. As a member of CAMR, the Foundation lobbied members of the current Congress to ensure that somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also known as therapeutic cloning, continued to be a legal and legitimate form of research. While Congress displayed bi-partisan support for allowing critical research to continue, no formal legislation was approved in 2002. CAMR is unsure as to how the new Congress will weigh in on these life-saving medical research issues in 2003 and will closely monitor the Congressional session throughout the year. More on the Foundation's perspective on human embryonic stem cell research and SCNT.
  
  
• Nuclear Disarmament – How the new Congress addresses nuclear weapons issues in 2003 could have a wide-ranging effect on topics ranging from terrorism to a possible war against Iraq. The Foundation believes strongly in stopping nuclear proliferation, while preserving and ratifying treaties aimed at complete disarmament. It is clear that the current Presidential Administration is considering the resumption of nuclear weapons testing – which could prompt other countries to do the same – as well as the development of "new nukes." There are signs that the new Congress will support the Administration, therefore leading to greater global insecurity with regard to the nuclear threat. More on our point of view on nuclear disarmament.
  
  

Recent Publicity
"U.S. ponders resumption of nuke-weapons test"
The San Jose Mercury News reports on a Bush Administration memo that considers the resumption of live nuclear weapons tests in the United States. In addition, a defense authorization bill passed by Congress in 2002 advises the national laboratories to prepare to conduct atomic tests within six months of notification.
San Jose Mercury News – Dan Stober and Jonathan S. Landay, November 15, 2002
www.bayarea.com

"US charity plans $20m stem cell research"
The New York-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) announced plans to grant at least $20 million for stem cell research outside of the U.S. Citing an unfavorable political and regulatory climate toward stem cell science in the United States, JDRF decided to focus its grants on other leading biotechnology countries such as Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
Financial Times- Clive Cookson, November 18, 2002
www.ft.com

"Moratorium on Biomedical Cloning - A Patient Advocate View"
Michael Manganiello, vice president of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and Chairman/President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, asserts that advocating for a moratorium on somatic cell nuclear transfer research, which has the potential to save lives, is illogical. By citing prominent researchers and patients who urgently need cures, he points out that scientific study, not a moratorium, is needed.
Bulletin of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology – Michael Manganiello, October 2002
www.acnp.org

The New York Times annual philanthropy section
This annual section from The New York Times discusses the status of charities and the trends in giving, and offers suggestions on how to help the needy. The following articles are a few highlights from this special section:
"Finding a Way to Keep It All Going"
"Give It All Away, and Get Set for Life"
"Providing the Little Things That Mean the Most"
"Looking for Messes That Are Easy to Fix"

At the first annual review meeting, from left to right: Seth Cunningham, Glaucoma Research Foundation
Vice Chairman of the Board; Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong; Rui Zhang; David Hutcheson

The Kirsch Foundation and the Glaucoma Research Foundation recently hosted the first annual review meeting for Catalyst For a Cure. During this one-day meeting, the advisory group reviewed the progress to date, and assisted the consortium members in focusing on goals and directions for the year ahead. Since its formation in October 2001, group members have been actively working together to address the goals they collectively developed. In their own words, despite the geographical barriers, they have become "great colleagues and friends" in a very short period of time. This has enabled them to be increasingly productive as they tackle each research aim on the path to increasing our knowledge of this degenerative eye disease.

Read about the Catalyst For a Cure collaborative, including quotes from these researchers, or the Foundation's model for medical research funding.

Grant Programs and Deadlines
The Environmental Grants Program is now past its October 31, 2002, deadline for submission of proposals. Grants awarded through proposals submitted for this round will be announced by the end of December. The next deadline is February 28, 2003.

Annual Report Now Available
We are pleased to announce that the Foundation's annual report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2002, is now available online. This is our third annual report; it may be viewed either online or you can download the PDF. Consistent with the Foundation's environmental concerns, we do not create a printed copy for distribution.

Recent Foundation Grants
The Kirsch Foundation announces the following grant:

Silicon Valley Community Grants:

Recent Publicity
"Closet campaign trips stick taxpayers with stiff tab"
This USA Today op-ed explains that public funds currently subsidize a large portion of incumbent campaign activities. Because taxpayer money already flows to campaigns, the newspaper advocates for full public financing of elections comparable to the system utilized by the state of Arizona. An outright public financing system eliminates candidates' dependency on special interest donations and brings transparency to the public funding process.
USA Today – Op-ed, October 23, 2002
www.usatoday.com


October 2002 Archives

October 18 Update:

The Kirsch Foundation encourages everyone to vote on Tuesday, November 5th. Remember: Every vote counts!

Annual Report Now Available
We are pleased to announce that the Foundation's annual report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2002, is now available online. This is our third annual report; it may be viewed either online or you can download the PDF. Consistent with the Foundation's environmental concerns, we do not create a printed copy for distribution.

Grant Programs: Deadlines
Our Environmental Grants Program has a deadline of October 31, 2002, for submission of complete proposals. For more information about that program, review the Environmental Grants section.

Public Financing of Elections Update
Several significant events occurred in October related to the public financing of elections. For more information regarding the Foundation's commitment to campaign finance reform, see the Legislative/Lobbying section.

ZEV Regulatory Update
In response to injunctions against California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) program, the Kirsch Foundation has rallied with the ZEV Alliance to ensure that this innovative program continues in the strongest form possible. The Foundation is actively participating in crafting new regulations to address legal concerns and further strengthen the program. Read more about our ongoing efforts to ensure that California's landmark clean vehicle regulations endure.

Kirsch Investigator Awards Program Update
Information for the Kirsch Investigator Awards Program for 2003, including instructions and application forms, are now available. For more information about this invitation-only program, read Kirsch Investigator Awards.

Recent Foundation Grants
The Kirsch Foundation announces the following grants:

Silicon Valley Community Grants:

Discretionary Grants:

Recent Publicity
"Better asteroid detection needed, experts tell House panel"
On October 3, 2002, experts from NASA, the Air Force and the National Academy of Sciences reported to the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics that the threat from asteroids, while extremely remote, needs to be taken seriously. Spending money to find possibly dangerous asteroids is "like fire insurance on your home. You don't expect a fire, but you buy insurance even for an unlikely event," reported David Morrison, an asteroid specialist at NASA's Ames Research Center. For more information, including witness statements and a web re-broadcast, please see the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Hearings homepage.
SiliconValley.com – October 3, 2002
www.siliconvalley.com

"Clean Air is the State's Right"
The Los Angeles Times sharply criticizes the Bush Administration's legal assault on California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) program in this op-ed piece. In the context of other environmental rollbacks by the Administration, the editorial board rebukes the federal government for trampling states' rights and undermining California's efforts to clean up its own air.
Los Angeles Times – Op-ed, October 14, 2002
www.latimes.com

"Running Clean in Arizona"
This article in The Nation highlights the successes of full public financing of elections and its impact on Arizona politics two years after implementation. Several qualified individuals first elected under the "Clean Money" system relay their newfound political opportunities with public financing versus the traditional fundraising system. In addition, several incumbents recount how their skepticism for the program faded as they connected with voters other than their campaign contributors.
The Nation – Marc Cooper, October 14, 2002
www.thenation.com

"Turner Foundation faces up to reality"
President Michael Finley, along with the Turner Foundation board, has decided on some major changes due to a drastic reduction in its endowment. Heavy investment losses are resulting in less funding as well as a scaled down staff.
Atlanta Journal and Constitution – Maria Saporta, September 26, 2002
www.accessatlanta.com/ajc


October 4 Update:

2001-2002 California Legislative Session Concludes
Governor Davis took action on several environmental bills supported by the Kirsch Foundation before the deadline for gubernatorial action passed on midnight September 30. Additional information on the Foundation's work and involvement in these bills can be found in our Environmental Issues section.

• Assembly Bill 1314, authored by Assemblymember Sally Havice (D-56th District), became law with Governor Davis's signature on September 17, 2002. The legislation provides authority for law enforcement to ticket and tow vehicles improperly parked in designated zero-emission vehicles spaces.
  
• Assemblymember Fred Keeley (D-27th District) successfully had his Assembly Bill 2461 signed into law September 14, 2002. The bill keeps vehicle license fees for clean, alternative-fuel vehicles competitive with those of traditional vehicles.
  
• The Governor vetoed Assemblymember Fran Pavley's (D-41st District) Assembly Bill 2774, which sought to develop a public education campaign encouraging the purchase of advanced technology vehicles. Though the bill's veto is regrettable, the Foundation continues to pursue options for familiarizing consumers with available clean vehicles.