Report to Members
by Sara Gould and Mary Jo Mullan, Co-Chairs

We look forward to another exciting year at NFG, filled with activities that challenge all our members personally and professionally. We are pleased that NFG has played such a key role in developing the program for the Council on Foundations’ annual conference in Los Angeles May 1-3, 2000.

We worked to develop “Rebuilding Community in the Global Metropolis,” a comprehensive program examining the growth of the global economy and its impact on low-wage workers and people in poverty. We’ve worked with 14 affinity groups and foundations to put together the three-day track, which will include an overview introductory session on the first day, followed on day two with five workshops tied to five site visits, and ending with a debriefing session on the final day. Thanks to the many NFG members and Michelle Prichard of the Liberty Hill Foundation who spent countless hours to make these programs happen.

The workshops and site visits will feature over 25 representatives of local community-based organizations, elected officials, and business and academic leaders who are working to build new and effective coalitions to respond to these trends. We hope you will be able to participate in this track, to learn how local grantmakers have responded to these new organizing efforts and the important role that philanthropy has played in helping to nurture these efforts. In addition, NFG is sponsoring three other workshops – Innovative Finance Mechanisms for Rural Areas, The Smart Growth Movement, and The Crisis in Rental Housing. We are involved in the session, “Restructuring Low Wage Jobs,” and will be hosting a few roundtable discussions.

And please join us on the evening of Sunday, April 30, when we will co-sponsor our annual reception with Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. For the first time, we will have a special performance, Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend. This true story of forbidden love – the first Asian/Caucasian marriage in California – was conceived, written, and will be performed by Brenda Wong Aoki, who has performed her one-woman shows from Broadway to Hong Kong. A reception will precede the performance at the Japanese-American Community Cultural Center. As always, we look forward to visiting with you and your colleagues to kick off the conference.

Mark your calendar for September 21-23 – the dates for NFG’s annual conference. Plans are well underway for our gathering in Detroit, Michigan. The NFG board is working closely with the planning committee to put together a challenging event around the theme of alleviating poverty. Further details about the conference will be mailed to you and posted on the NFG web site, www.nfg.org, in the coming months. 

We hope you can join us in Los Angeles May 1-3!

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