The Issue:
With the economic downturn, more individuals found themselves in need. At the same time, many nonprofit organizations closed down, merged or reduced their services in a struggle to survive. Foundations had reduced assets and looked for ways to meet the needs of their communities while also limiting grants and other expenditures.
Action:
Despite limited resources, Steve and Michèle Kirsch, through the Kirsch Foundation and their personal activities, maintained a strong commitment to philanthropy. The Foundation’s Board of Directors, in agreement with the co-founders, strategically made the decision to maintain a high level of grantmaking. Steve and Michèle continued their personal volunteer activities and stressed the importance of being generous particularly during difficult times.
As of June 2003:
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To demonstrate our belief in our grant recipients and our support of their efforts even while our funds diminished, the Foundation’s payout, in terms of grants only ($2.75 million-plus), exceeded 16% of the Foundation’s beginning-of-year assets ($17 million).
• We continued to make grants that helped maximize the effectiveness of our funding. For instance, we made a $100,000 grant to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health to help it meet a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge.
• Steve and Michèle were active as volunteers and/or Board members in several community organizations, ranging from the Children’s Health Council to The Tech Museum of Innovation and from Community Foundation Silicon Valley to the Resource Area For Teachers, and led fundraisers for some of these organizations.
• The Foundation expanded and maintained an extensive list of other funding sources on our website for projects and/or applicants who were outside our funding guidelines.
• Steve Kirsch and Kathi Gwynn spoke about, and encouraged, philanthropy at national, regional and local meetings and conferences, including the Family Foundations Conference and the Council on Foundations Conference.
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