"The Model Works.

" A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

1/24/17, 09*34

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"The Model Works." A Look

at How the Mayors Fund for
Los Angeles Is Doing
Alyssa Ochs

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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

1/24/17, 09*34

Follow the
Money!
If you're a New Yorker plugged into the nonprofit world,
the idea that a mayor can galvanize private fundraising
to support city priorities will seem old hat by now. The

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our email updates.

Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City has been

around for over 20 years, and even bigger money has

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been raised through a fund for Gotham's public schools.

Elsewhere, though, such funds remain a novelty. Not

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many cities have mayor's funds, and it's an open

question as to how widely this public-private model is
likely to spread. With cities increasingly strapped for
resources as pension costs climb, our bet is that a
growing number of mayors will be shaking the trees for
private help in achieving their goals. Less clear is
whether donors will go along. That's one reason why

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we're keeping a close eye on the still new Mayors Fund

for Los Angeles, an ambitious effort catalyzed by Eric
Garcetti to bring new philanthropic muscle to bear to
advance L.A.
The fund recently released its second annual report,
which makes this a good moment to take a closer look at
how the effort has been shaping up.
Related:
Amid a Rising Philanthropy Scene in LA, the New
Mayors Fund Has Been a Hit
Inside Los Angeles Ambitious Public-Private Child
Welfare Partnership

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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

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As we reported earlier, the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles

Director of Development

kicked off with a bang, and that momentum has

Lowell, MA - UTEC, Inc.

continued. It raised $12 million in its second year,

money that's supported a range of programs.

Development Director
Oakland, CA - Vote Solar

Most of the money has come from individuals (38

Program Officer- Environmental Justice

percent) and foundations (37 percent), with the rest

New York, NY - Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

largely from corporate funders.

The list of donors that have backed the fund offers an
interesting, if partial, snapshot of Los Angeles

Office & Communications Assistant

Redwood City, CA - SV2 - Silicon Valley Social
Venture Fund

philanthropy. You'll find legacy foundations like

Senior Director for Development

Wasserman and Annenberg; entertainment money, like

DURANGO, CO - Conservation Lands Foundatio

the Eisner and the Lear foundations; some top

Director, Development (Chicago and the Midwes

billionaires foundations, like the Broad and Karsh

Chicago, IL - American Jewish World Services

foundations; and some corporations.

Grants Assistant, SFARI

Los Angeles philanthropy is really booming right now,

New York, NY - Simons Foundation

driven by this mix of donors. There's a lot more pools of

Development Associate

wealth around than there used to be, whether it's the

Berkeley, CA - MapLight

historically large entertainment fortunes or the many

zillionaire types who call Los Angeles home. The Mayor's
Fund has emerged at a good moment, not just because of

Director of Development
New York, NY - Sadie Nash Leadership Project

this growing wealth, but because of the strong sense of

Director of Fundraising Operations

civic energy in L.A. right nowa city that's finally even

New York, NY - Autism Speaks

winning the grudging admiration of New Yorkers.

Related: Surf's Up: Why Southern California

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Philanthropy is Taking Off

At the same time, it's hard to ignore L.A.'s serious
problems, and more affluent Angelenos are engaged in
trying to address them. The fund offers a way for them
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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

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to help do so across a range of issues. Its priorities are

economic prosperity, community resiliency, quality of
life, and government efficiency. Grant money has been
pretty evenly split between economic prosperity (42
percent) and quality of life (40 percent). And in both
2015 and 2016, approximately 92 percent of funding
comes in the form of program expenses, with very little
going to operating costs.
The funds president, Deidre Lind, told us, We've
worked hard to keep a low overhead, which is conducive
to our type of organization.
The Mayor's Fund is a very different type of grantmaker
than the other types of foundations we usually cover in
Los Angeles. Lind elaborated on this point, saying:
The biggest difference is that we directly
support city programs. We provide an
opportunity to form partnerships in support
of what the city does best or needs most. We
allow for new resources to make good civic
programs work better and reach farther.
Most nonprofit organizations do their work
next to government, but the fund works with
government.
One advantage of the fund is that it can do things that
are hard for government to do. Private grant dollars are
more flexible and can be deployed more quickly as well
as for projects that are risky. When public officials hit
roadblocks, as can often happen in city government, it's
good to have this kind of money handy.
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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

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From the beginning, solid marketing campaigns have

been at the heart of the funds success. It began with a
strong roll-out and pitching points and has excelled at
getting messaging in front of Angelenos. For example,
Lind told us how California's devastating drought
challenged the siloed structure of city government and
how a creative campaign that went beyond the capacity
of any individual city department was needed to change
public behavior.
The campaign was called Save the Drop." Lind said that
it "coordinated private resources, including some of the
best marketing expertise, and the result was millions of
impressions, an award-winning creative campaign, and a
huge shift in LAs water usage towards conservation."
Just to be crystal clear: How the fund's money is spent is
up to its board and not the mayors office. This is not
some kind of slush fund for Eric Garcetti, and initial
concerns that it would offer a back door for donor
influence have faded.
Another thing to know: Although the fund is in constant
conversations with city departments, the mayors office,
and the philanthropic community about partnerships
and programs to address critical issues in Los Angeles,
theres still no clear path for local nonprofits to apply for
grants. The fund doesn't accept grant proposals or
solicitations.
But if things keep going as they have been in 2016, the
fund looks poised for sizable growth in the years ahead.
It's generated tremendous interest and, judging by its
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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

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list of donors, still hasn't roped in plenty of obvious

funders who should be supporting it. We suspect many
of those funders will eventually come around. How do
you keep saying no to an effort like this, one that
embodies the surging sense of civic hope that a lot of
Angelenos feel right now?
Regarding our earlier question about whether mayor's
funds will spread more widely to other cities, Lind
thinks so. With just two years under our belt, its
exciting to see how much interest there is in this model
from municipalities large and small... Cities are able to
better impact challenges swiftly, creatively, and with
maximal public engagement when a tool like the Mayor's
Fund for Los Angeles exists. The model works.

December 15, 2016

Staying Small, Giving Large: The ...

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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

1/24/17, 09*34

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How Much Should

the Wealthy and
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Philanthropy is
Neglecting Poor
Communities, But
What About the
Influx of New
Funders?

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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

1/24/17, 09*34

Catastrophic Global
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the Unthinkable

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Philanthropy Under
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Hollowed Out: Big

Donors, Inequality,
and the Threat to
Civil Society

The Price of Privacy:

Four Problems With
Anonymous Giving
and a Case for
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Philanthropy in the
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The Bumper Crop of

Funders Working for
Sustainable Food

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"The Model Works." A Look at How the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles Is Doing Inside Philanthropy

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