Departing from the John and James L. Knight Foundation (assets: $2.2 billion) after nine years is Community Initiatives Program Officer Linda L. Raybin. She was responsible for grant-making (including $18 million in grants in 2000) to the 26 areas eligible for Knight Foundation support. These range from big cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose and the foundation’s home base of Miami, to smaller communities such as Grand Forks, N.D., Biloxi, Miss. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Among other ventures, Raybin managed a 26-city Immunization Initiative and launched the Initiative to Promote Youth Development and Prevent Youth Violence, now underway in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina, among others.
At a June dinner marking the foundation’s 50th anniversary, Knight announced nearly $24 million in grants to South Florida institutions, including $1 million for a new YMCA in Coconut Grove, $1 million to the Miami Children’s Museum, $100,000 to ASPIRA for a youth leadership program and $40,000 to Communities in Schools of Miami for a project engaging disadvantaged youth in community service.
That’s one sure-fire way to make sure the guests show up for a banquet. Contact: (305) 908-2600, www.knightfdn.org.
Gone from the New York-based Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (assets: $712 million) after just six months is Portfolio Manager Janice Nittoli. She’s back at the Annie E. Casey Foundation (assets: more than $3 billion) – not in Baltimore, but at its tiny New York City outpost. Clark is now in the throes of revamping its grant-making. It plans to combine traditional philanthropy with entrepreneurial know-how. The beneficiaries will be 50 to 60 urban East Coast community-based, multiservice youth agencies from Boston to D.C. Clark President Mike Balin (a former president of Public/Private Ventures) is still looking to fill several staff slots with portfolio managers and assistants with considerable corporate business and youth work experience, a rare combination. Contact: Casey (800) 222-1099, www.aecf.org; Clark (212) 551-9100, www.emcf.org.
