The Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Missouri – Kansas City is pleased to announce a special Grantmaker Professional Education program:

 Where Law and Philanthropy Meet:

What Every Grantmaker Should Know

 December 15, 2005

8:30 a.m. to noon

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Conference Center

You already understand that making good grants isn’t as easy as it seems.  But do you know the legal implications of your work and how you do it?  The reality is that most funders know very little about the legal context of their work.  The process of grantmaking can have significant legal implications for both your organization and your grantees.  Do you understand the legal implications of your grants for your grantees?  Might your grants threaten the success of the very organizations you intend to help?  Are you putting your own organization’s credibility at risk? 

The legal dimensions of the grantmaking environment have been important for years.  Nonetheless, they are becoming more significant every day as the nation’s standards change.  Congress is in the process of enacting new legislation that changes the very rules by which charities and foundations must operate.  In the past week, the Senate adopted sweeping legislation designed to reshape the behavior of essentially all U.S. foundations and most major nonprofits; soon a conference committee will meet to determine what should be included in the final legislation of this year.  What will these changes mean for your work?  For your organization’s work?  What is required of you and your organization to ensure that your grantmaking is done well?  What will be required of you?

This Grantmaker’s Institute is a special offering of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, designed to meet the unique needs of practicing foundation executives and grant making professionals.  This session will be presented by two of this region’s most experienced and savvy foundation professionals, John Tyler and Eugene Wilson.  You already know them well!  John Tyler (of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation) brings the inside perspective of a major foundation’s chief legal counsel; Gene Wilson (formerly of the Kauffman and ARCO Foundations) brings the perspective of the senior grantmaking executive with exceptional experience in both the corporate and private foundation worlds.  Together, they will deliver the information and pragmatic insight that you will need to know to do your work well.

Join us for this interesting and informative look at a different side to the philanthropic work that you do every day.  For more information, or to reserve your place at this special program for Kansas City grantmaking professionals, contact the offices of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC.  The Center may be reached by calling 816-235-2305 or via e-mail at mcnl@umkc.edu.  We look forward to seeing you on December 15!

 Session fee: $50 per participant.  Session includes continental breakfast.

Participation in this program is limited to foundation executives, program officers, and board members.