Legislative Update

In its role as a clearinghouse of information on philanthropy, DVG monitors legislation at the state and federal level in order to keep our members informed about the potential impact of new laws and policies on their grantmaking and on the work of their grantees.

DVG's PA PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE is a periodic update designed to provide information and raise awareness about major legislative and policy activity at the state and federal level that may affect the philanthropic sector and DVG’s members.

>> Read our June 2008 PA Public Policy Update

Update: Posted 8-14-08

Greenlining Institute Targets PA
DVG continues to monitor activities by the Greenlining Institute, which was behind the recently-failed legislative effort in California (A.B. 624) that sought to require large foundations to disclose information about the diversity of their giving, staff members, and boards.

In a recent development, Rep. Jake Wheatley Jr., a state legislator who represents the Pittsburgh area, sent letters to nine large foundations in Pennsylvania in late June asking them to provide a database with details about the recipients of all grants made in 2006.  "Considering the dramatic demographic shifts that are projected for Pennsylvania, I believe that it is imperative for us to begin conversations and share information on how your foundation has worked to empower minority communities," the letter said.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy* reported that Wheatley, a Democrat, is looking for ways to help charities in his district that tell him they need more money, and he was inspired by moves in California to get foundations to disclose more information about their grants. Wheatley has asked the Greenlining Institute to help him analyze what percentage of grants and dollars went to minority-led groups from foundations that received his letter. He said three of the grant makers have sent the requested data, including the Pittsburgh Foundation.

The California effort, which was introduced into the state legislature by Assemblyman Joe Coto (D-San Jose), was dropped in June after a series of discussions with leaders from the Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, and Black legislative caucuses and ten of California's largest foundations ended in a compromise, which all sides say will ensure ethnic diversity in the way grant dollars are distributed each year. Jeff Okey of the California Endowment, a party to the negotiation, said that the heart of the new compromise is a focus on making minority-centered organizations more desirable as candidates for grants.

>>READ MORE>>

* “California's Diversity Push Fuels Pressure on Foundations Elsewhere” by Suzanne Perry (7/24/08)

“Board and Employee Diversity in the Philanthropic Sector: A Landscape Analysis” - Posted by onPhilanthropy (8/13/2008)

“Greenlining” Foundation Grantmaking: Racial Equality Reporting in California”  by Rick Cohen - Published by the Nonprofit Quarterly (August 2008)

Note: Information about specific legislation does not imply endorsement or opposition by DVG. Due to the broad diversity of interests among our members, DVG does not generally take an official position on any pending legislation.

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