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On March 15, 2006 the Grantmakers Forum took a delegation to Washington, D.C. to participate in Foundations on the Hill, an annual event to build relationships with national policy makers, hosted by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and the Council on Foundations.   Pictured (with the NYRAG delegation): Rich McKeon, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; Kent Kness, NYRAG; Jennifer Leonard, Rochester Area Community Foundation; Joanne Florino, Triad Foundation; Michael Seltzer, NYRAG; Gay Young, New York Community Trust; Donald Bishop, A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation; not pictured: Liz Wilder, Grantmakers Forum of New York. 

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NOTE:  This annual event for Upstate New York funders has become an important focus of our national public policy agenda, one that lets us discuss current legislative and tax issues affecting the nonprofit sector throughout our region. In 2005 we educated Senator Charles Schumer’s (D-NY) economic policy director about the effects of regulatory legislation being considered by the Senate Finance Committee.

The Tax Relief Act of 2005 was passed by the Senate in November and included a number of provisions we addressed with the Senator’s staff during our 2005 visit. For additional information about policy issues affecting grantmakers, also visit Independent Sector .

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In 2006, at an early morning breakfast, over two hundred assembled delegates heard from Sen. Mary Landreau (D-LA) about the continuing problems on our Gulf Coast caused by Hurricane Katrina. 

The breakfast also provided valuable networking time with Council on Foundations President, Steve Gunderson.

Joanne Florino, Steve Gunderson, Michael Seltzer

Later that morning, a joint delegation from the Grantmakers Forum and NYRAG visited with legislative assistants to Senators Schumer and Clinton to make them aware of the impact on the nonprofit sector of pending legislation.  See information packet.

The Grantmakers Forum delegation went on to meet with legislative directors for Rep. McNulty (D-Albany) and Rep. Reynolds (R-Genesee), both members of the House Ways and Means Committee.  In the afternoon the Grantmakers Forum delegation met with four of the remaining eight Representatives and left packages of information with the other four.  

 

(right to left) Donald Bishop, A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation, Binghamton; Joanne Florino, Triad Foundation, Ithaca; Jennifer Leonard, Rochester Area Community Foundation, Rochester; (Rep. Louise Slaughter; D-NY); Liz Wilder, Grantmakers Forum of New York.  

Delegation members with Maurice Hinchey, D-NY.

Our grateful thanks to the members of the delegation who spent the day racing through the halls of Congress from meeting to meeting to deliver our important message.    For more information about the message your delegation delivered to our lawmakers, see below.

 

For more information about Foundations on the Hill, visit the Foundations on the Hill website.

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Legislative Visits

The delegation positioned Upstate New York funders as a source of knowledge for legislators about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in our region. A packet of information was left at each meeting

The delegates visited the offices of six Representatives (out of a possible 10) and Senators Clinton and Schumer to build the Grantmakers Forum relationship with them and put a “face” on philanthropy for Upstate New York.   Meetings were scheduled with Chiefs of Staff, Legislative Directors and the members themselves.   Visits included:

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (Legislative Director)

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (Hinchey and Chief of Staff)

Rep. John “Randy” Kuhl, Jr. (Kuhl and Leg. Asst.)

Rep. Michael McNulty (Legislative Director)

Rep. Thomas Reynolds (Tax and Policy Counsel)

Rep. Louise Slaughter (Slaughter and Leg. Asst.)

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (Legislative Aide.)

Sen. Charles Schumer (Economic Policy Director, Leg. Asst.)