Events Detail

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Mandating Multicultural Munificence?

Event Description

Early in 2008, the California State Assembly approved AB 624, legislation that would require private foundations larger than $250 million in assets to gather and disclose substantial ethnic and gender data relating to their governance and grantmaking.

As the bill summary notes, the information to be collected would "include, but not be limited to, the following: the racial and gender composition of the board of directors or trustees, the number of grants awarded to specified organizations serving ethnic minority communities, and the percentage of grant dollars awarded to specified organizations where 50% or more of the board members are ethnic minorities. The bill would require these private foundations to disclose this information via its Internet Web site, if available, and to include this information in its annual report, as specified."

Is AB 624 a good idea? Or is the pursuit of diversity in philanthropy something that rather should be left to voluntary initiatives by foundations and their associations? These and other questions were addressed by our panel, which included JOHN GAMBOA of the Greenlining Institute in California, which did the research behind AB 624 (click here for further information from Greenlining's web site); RENÉE BRANCH, director of diversity and inclusive practices at the Council on Foundations; HEATHER RICHARDSON HIGGINS, president of the Randolph Foundation in New York City; and PABLO EISENBERG, Georgetown University scholar and advocate for philanthropic change. The Bradley Center's WILLIAM SCHAMBRA moderated the discussion.

           Branch, Gamboa, Schambra,

               Higgins, and Eisenberg

                       John Gamboa

Program and Panel

11:45 a.m.
Registration, lunch buffet

12:00 p.m.
Welcome by Hudson Institute's WILLIAM SCHAMBRA

12:10
Panel discussion
JOHN GAMBOA, Greenlining Institute
RENÉE BRANCH, Council on Foundations
PABLO EISENBERG, Georgetown University
HEATHER RICHARDSON HIGGINS, Randolph Foundation

1:10
Question-and-answer session

2:00
Adjournment  

Further Information