Obtaining Funding from Foundations and the USC Process Hossein Pourmand Sr. Executive Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations August 20, 2019

Agenda USC Advancement: Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) Central School/Unit based Foundations - Overview Process for Obtaining Grants from Foundations Prospecting and Outreach

Organization Structure Corporate and Foundation Relations is part of USC Advancement ~ 35 professionals Decentralized: Corporate and Foundations professionals in most Schools and Units Primary point of contact for faculty and researcher Small Central CFR Largest Foundations Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Types of Foundations Private Foundations: funds come from an individual, a family, a corporation or some combination of related parties Public Foundations: funds come from multiple unrelated donors; may include individuals, private foundations as well as government grants

Private Foundations Family Foundations / Independent Foundations (~ 70,000) Most prevalent (89%) Fewer than 4,000 have staff and engage in strategic philanthropy Operating Foundations Generally operate their own programs vs. making grants

Private Foundations Corporate Foundations Receive funds from a publicly held company Separate legal entity than the corporation. Arts, Community Development, Education or Human Services Communities in which parent company has major operations or HQ

Public Foundations Community Foundations Public charity with funding from multiple sources 800 in the US; geographically focused California Community Foundation Based in LA Arts, Civic Engagement, Health, Housing and Economic Opportunity

Foundation Fundraising Very few foundations give 7 or 8 figure gifts or grants Mandate or Mission Driven Priority Areas / Focus Areas Deadlines or rolling basis Program Officers Gatekeepers / Influencers Subject matter experts Board of Directors Final Decision Makers

Foundation Fundraising Resources The Foundation Center Most comprehensive database of U.S. and global foundations and grantmakers

Process Overview Salesforce.com All entities are registered Assignments Primary Relationship Manager Secondary Relationship Managers All contacts (visits, emails, calls) are logged All proposals are entered Centrally Managed Foundations Presidential Foundations

Process Overview Some foundations have institutional limitations Number of submissions per year No additional funds until a current pledge is fully paid Most (if not all) foundations have processes in place Usually starts with a Letter of Interest (LOI) submitted by a USC CFR Officer Full proposal only if invited

Centrally Managed Foundations Institutionally limited submissions per funding cycle Institutionally limited total dollars per funding cycle Area(s) of interest align with a strategic University initiative (ex. Convergent Bioscience) Foundation request (ex. Ahmanson Foundation, California Endowment)

Examples of Centrally Managed Foundations Ahmanson Foundation Keck Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Rockefeller Foundation Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Ford Foundation Schmidt Futures

Presidential Foundations 20 Foundations (and 5 corporations) List given to School-based CFR officers President engagements and contacts Any contact or outreach has to be cleared with Central CFR and may only be done by a CFR officer

Summary Foundations represent an important source of funds for USC programs, initiatives and research USC Corporate and Foundation Relations officers are well positioned to work with faculty and researchers and pursue proposals to appropriate foundations