Annual Report First 4 Years:
2000–2003 Text-only Version
PROGRAMS
Strategic Alliances
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has placed an enormous burden on communities and poses a tremendous challenge to foundations. As a private foundation working to alleviate the impact of the pandemic upon children in Sub-Saharan Africa, we aim to share information and ideas with our peer organizations. We believe that a sustainable solution will require more than any one organization’s individual efforts.
Firelight forms strategic alliances with philanthropic, educational, governmental, civic, and religious groups that share a focus similar to ours. These alliances extend the impact of our individual efforts by facilitating information exchange, enabling joint advocacy on key issues, and encouraging the leveraging of funds.
Meetings
The Firelight Foundation has found that bringing together the organizations
and funders that work on children’s issues in Africa provides important
opportunities to exchange ideas and information. We have hosted dinners
and meetings during a number of international conferences. In June 2001,
the Firelight Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the African
Services Committee co-hosted a meeting during the Special Session of the
UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS: Global Crisis, Global Action. The meeting
gathered foundation and non-governmental organization representatives
to discuss programs that address children affected by AIDS in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Subsequent meetings convened by the Firelight Foundation have brought
together Advisory Board members, staff, grantee-partners, and representatives
from other private foundations to discuss issues facing children affected
by AIDS. One notable gathering, held in New York in October of 2002, focused
on the issues of institutional care and alternatives for children. This
successful meeting brought together 23 members of philanthropic, educational,
governmental, civic, and religious organizations to discuss the limitations
of institutional care in meeting the needs of children affected by AIDS.
“I often point to the Firelight Foundation as an example of the kind of focused and effective international grantmaking that can be done by smaller family foundations. By willingly sharing its experiences, Firelight serves as a resource and inspiration to other family foundations just beginning to explore the possibilities of cross-border funding.” Rob Buchanan, Director, International Programs,
Council on Foundations |
Presentations
Firelight’s founders and staff are regularly asked to make remarks and
presentations at conferences sponsored by organizations such as The Global
Philanthropy Forum, Grantmakers without Borders, the Council on Foundations,
and the World Bank. Topics have included “Finding Effective Philanthropic
Solutions to the Growing AIDS Pandemic in Africa,” “Small Grants for Social
Change in Africa,” “Residential and Crisis Care for Orphaned and Vulnerable
Children,” and “Funding Challenges and Choices.”
In November 2002, Kerry Olson presented the opening speech at the West Coast premier screening of Rory Kennedy’s documentary film, PANDEMIC: Facing AIDS. The event was sponsored by the Global Philanthropy Forum, and preceded a day-long gathering of foundation leaders, individual donors, non-governmental organizations, and significant HIV/AIDS scholars who met to discuss opportunities for international philanthropy geared to changing the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Memberships
Firelight is a member of and participates in meetings held by the African
Grantmakers Affinity Group, The Council on Foundations, Funders Concerned
About AIDS, Grantmakers without Borders, and Northern California Grantmakers.
Please note that this Annual Report covers the period from December 1,
1999 through September 30, 2003.
If you are interested in receiving a copy of this report, please send an email to Cheryl Talley-Moon at Cheryl@firelightfoundation.org.
