FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2004 

CONTACT:
Winnifred Levy
(202) 736-5814 


NONPROFIT SECTOR RESEARCH FUND ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS FOR HEARST MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP AND FUNDS RESEARCH ON BUILDING ENDOWMENTS IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR 

Washington, DC - The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, a grantmaking program of the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, annually offers the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship, which is based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups. The Hearst Scholar serves as a summer intern with the Fund. Through this program, the Fund seeks to introduce a diverse group of students to issues relating to philanthropy, voluntarism, and nonprofit organizations. Recipients may arrange with their colleges or universities to receive academic credit for this experience. Applications must be received no later than March 15, 2004. For more information about the application process, please go to www.nonprofitresearch.org 

Developing Organizational Endowments in the African American Community 

Organizational endowments hold promise for securing the future of nonprofits that serve African American individuals, but such nonprofits have only begun to explore that potential. According to researchers, out of the 54 social service organizations they examined that serve black clients, only 10 had endowments. In two studies supported by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF), based on special funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, researchers argue that the African American philanthropic community has not established endowments because of economic disparities and differences between the culture of mainstream philanthropy and that of communities of color. The researchers offer specific ideas for addressing misperceptions and developing organizations to more effectively meet the challenges of expanding endowments. 

In Overview and Annotated Bibliography on Endowment Management and Building in Communities of Color, the National Center for Black Philanthropy compiled recent data on key organizations that are active in the field of building endowments. The study finds that while significant challenges have hindered the development of African American organizational endowments, there is a great deal of promise in the changing landscape of the African American philanthropic community. The wealth gap between white and black Americans is slowly narrowing, and the number of organizations that support endowment-making activity is growing. A second study conducted by the AFRAM Group suggests that all stakeholders nonprofits, funders, and donors need to adjust their thinking about endowments. In Endowment Development in the African American Community, the researchers argue that African American nonprofits need to understand how they can be relevant in the long-term and then plan for that future. 

If you would like further information about either of these studies, please contact Winnifred Levy, Communications Manager of the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program at The Aspen Institute at (202) 736-5814 or winnifred.levy@aspeninstitute.org