Philanthropy class offered at Laney
Ten-grand grand offered to school for best project
Vina Cera
Issue date: 2/8/07 Last update: 2/10/07 at 4:22 PM PST
Section: Features
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.
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.
Be the first to comment on this story