Philanthropy class offered at Laney

Thanks to Bill Sommerville, Laney can now chalk up a huge first to its long range of accomplishments. We are now the first community college in the entire U.S. to offer a class in Philanthropy. Not only are we breaking ground here in academic turf, but through his Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, Sommerville is also offering a $10,000 grant to the students in the class, to be awarded for a project benefiting the Laney campus.

One might ask: why teach a subject generally thought to be in the interest of the more affluent segments of society in the midst of an inner city environment? There are many answers to that, all relating to Sommerville's innovative style and personal philosophy.

According to him, the philanthropic tool is money, and money is empowering. At the same time, unlike other funding sources, the philanthropic dollar is not political. If employed with respect and trust, it can cause all sorts of good things to happen.

Sommerville has been instrumental, through his own examples, and through leading seminars in this country, Canada and the UK, in streamlining the trend of philanthropic giving.

The general approach is weighted down with reams of paper, many interviews, and often lack of concern or at least lack of genuine knowledge of the predicament of the applicants. If and when a grant is finally awarded, it is often close to a year or more down the line, which creates all sorts of havoc for financial planning.

Sommerville declares this is largely unnecessary. He believes in trust as the 'lubricant' of a well functioning society, and feels that when one is approached by passionate, trustworthy people acting towards a recognized humanitarian goal, they should be given available funds. He doesn't like the words "giving to," but rather prefers the term "investing in." These funds should be disbursed quickly and for the large part, in a "discretionary" manner. This opens the field to funding operational expenses, which are usually not accepted as a basis for grants. But, for instance, if the kids need a clubhouse or a safe place to hang out after school, dollars are needed to pay the rent (operational expense), and now, not a year from now.

Sommerville began his own Foundation, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, in 1990, enlightening his colleagues with his forward thinking philosophy, innovative ideas and new types of grants. For example, the "immediate response" grant was proposed, to give local K-12 teachers the sum of $500 within 48 hours, for any worthwhile classroom project not in their budget. All they had to do was fax him with the request and justification for the project, and within 48 hours, they had a check in the mail. This became known as the "fax grant."

He began a whole new genre of "discretionary" grants to fund creative and forward looking individuals, giving them a lump sum to be used at their discretion, trusting them to do what was best for their situation. These "discretionary" grants are currently being used by juvenile judges and social workers, librarians, and many others.

The Foundation's annual report has a long list of "paperless" projects. McClymonds High in Oakland benefitted with a "Just say Yes!" Program. The student newspaper was funded and restarted, and a large amount was granted to seed the start of its model clinic, now run by Childrens Hospital.

Sommerville not only matches donors to causes, but he becomes personally involved, lining up professional volunteers to participate in the various situations, from business people to lawyers, doctors, medical students-whoever has the skill sets and the humanitarian impulses. His imprint has also been felt here at Laney even before this new course. His foundation donated funds to help make the atmosphere in the former Beginners Inn more pleasant, he's sponsoring Noon Concerts, and is currently looking into working with the Cosmetology Department.

The class is attended both by folks with causes, seeking to learn the ins and outs of philanthropic sources and how to successfully approach them, and by those working in the nonprofit and foundation areas, to share ideas and find collaborative areas for more efficient responses with the greatest impact.

And of course, we all benefit from Sommerville's many years of experience and wide knowledge of the field, and are inspired by his enthusiasm and great trust in the human condition.

Although well into the semester, Sommerville says that he will still accept new enrollees, as the class is largely informational and interactive, and doesn't rely on a step-by-step building of information.

On Thursday, Feb. 8, we will be meeting for an educational tour of the San Francisco Foundation, a source of all grants-if you have a cause, you can probably find a source there.

The course is called "Introduction to Philanthropy," given by the Sociology Department, code L1568. If you'd like to join the class and would like information about the tour on the 8th, please give me a call at (510) 464-3550.

Also, being in the class, if you have any good ideas to share about where you think these dollars should go, I and the class would love to hear about them. You can reach Bill Sommerville at his Philanthropic Ventures office in Preservation Park at (510) 645-1890.