Sen. Ted W. Lieu praises study showing foundations have increased support for minority groups by more than $38 million

July 13, 2012

Greenlining Institute review shows more work must be done

LOS ANGELES – Sen. Ted W. Lieu of Torrance today praised the progress foundations have made in supporting minority groups but said more work remains to be done.

“It’s great to have nine foundations improve their show of support for ethnic and minority-led groups,” Lieu, a Democrat, said after a review of a 28-page study by the Greenlining Institute on the level of foundation support to ethnic groups. “The foundations have given more than $38 million in new donations to minority groups. Diversified philanthropy is a good thing for all communities of color but I will continue to push for continued direct dialogue between foundations and non-profits.”

Sponsored by the three-branch minority caucus of the Legislature known as the Tri Caucus, lawmakers in 2008 sought to strengthen donations to minority-led community groups.

Lieu, then an Assembly member, chaired the Asian Pacific Islander wing of the Tri Caucus and helped prompt the study to seek greater transparency among private and community-based foundations. As a result, the Foundation Coalition found common interest in working together to help California’s non-profit community broaden and deepen the impact of charitable giving.

That action followed the Institute’s 2006 Investing in a diverse democracy: Foundation Giving to Minority-Led Nonprofits, which showed that investment in minority led non-profits was “startlingly” low.  Lieu and others sought to have foundations valued at or above $250 million and headquartered in California disclose gender, racial and ethnic diversity data on an annual basis. 
Initially, the foundations opposed this legislation but eventually an agreement was reached between the authors, the leaders of the ethnic caucuses and a coalition of 10 major California foundations. The legislation was dropped when the foundations pledged to increase grant support and other resources to minority and other local groups.

Lieu was joined at Friday’s event by Sen. Curren Price of Los Angeles, chair of the Black Caucus; and Assemblymembers Steven Bradford of Los Angeles; Mike Eng of Monterey Park; Ricardo Lara of South Gate; and Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles. 

To read the study, click HERE.
For more, visit Lieu’s Web site at the address below.

Ted W. Lieu represents nearly 1 million residents of Senate District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Pedro. For more, visit www.senate.ca.gov/lieu