Kirsch Foundation Annual Report 2003-2004/Contents

Where We Started
Steve and Michèle began the Foundation in 1999 after a decade of charitable giving through their donor-advised fund at Community Foundation Silicon Valley (CFSV). With the sale of Infoseek, Steve's third company, they decided to expand their philanthropy. They established a supporting foundation within CFSV so they could engage in both grantmaking and public policy lobbying. Their extensive agenda also led to an early decision to allocate more than the usual 5% of assets annually. Their purpose was to be effective in addressing issues, not necessarily in maintaining the asset base.

Milestones
By early 2000, the Foundation had established five initial, competitive grants programs: Environment; Political Reform and Global Theme; Kirsch Investigator Awards; Medical and Scientific Projects; and Silicon Valley Community. The speed with which we moved forward also meant that we had to be flexible in redirecting some of the initial programs:

In 2001, the Kirsch Investigator Awards Program shifted from senior scientists to mid-career scientists as we recognized the significant gap in funding between post-doctoral grants and National Institutes of Health funding.
In 2002, the Medical and Scientific Projects evolved into a collaborative model, rather than support of individual researchers.
The Silicon Valley Community program became invitation-only after the dot-com bust and the subsequent decline in the Foundation's assets.

Throughout, the Foundation maintained a grants program that far exceeded 10% of its assets. In addition, Steve continued as an outspoken advocate for “doing it (philanthropy) now” in speeches and in the media.

Our Current Commitments
The Board reaffirmed the Foundation's focus on effective grants programs in every area that we fund. Funding for our environmental, nuclear non-proliferation, campaign finance reform, stem cell, and Silicon Valley grants remained stable even as the assets declined below $10 million.

Steve remains a passionate educator about the benefits of becoming a philanthropist. In his own words: “If we give now, we can enjoy the benefits of that giving during our lifetime. We have personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in knowing we made a difference.”