To enhance the leadership capacities of the executive directors of selected grantee organizations.

Different moments in an organization's life require different kinds of leadership. The most effective leaders continually assess an organization's needs and strengths, and ask how they might enhance their abilities to fit the needs and strengths of their organization.

We designed the Fund for Leadership Advancement to support executive directors of grantee organizations in the kind of self-reflection and development that will help propel their organizations toward the next stage of growth and help them respond to new opportunities or take advantage of shifting external conditions. We encourage leaders to take a long-term view by considering their organization’s future needs as they further develop their leadership abilities.

Structure of the Initiative

The Fund for Leadership Advancement provides support tailored to the needs of executive directors of selected grantee organizations. This support might include executive coaching, visits to peer institutions, attendance at executive seminars or organizational development consulting to improve the performance of the organization.

The fund is unusual among leadership-development programs in that it goes beyond one-time training events or conferences. We encourage executive directors to identify more than one kind of support to foster an integrated approach, to enhance their ability to acquire new skills and knowledge, and to assist them in applying new knowledge within their organization.

Applications to the Fund for Leadership Advancement are by invitation only and are limited to current Irvine grantees. Among the invited grantees, the application process is competitive. The fund makes six to ten grants per year in the range of $35,000 to $75,000 each.

Grantees

2009

• East/West Players: Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director
• League of Women Voters of California: Jill Kaiser Newcom, Executive Director
• Los Angeles Master Chorale: Terry Knowles, Executive Director
• Southern California Grantmakers: Sushma Raman, President

2008

• California Alliance for Arts Education: Laurie Schell, Executive Director
• Central American Resource Center - CARECEN - of California: Marvin Andrade, Executive Director
• Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment: Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Executive Director
• East Bay Center for the Performing Arts: Jordan Simmons, Artistic Director
• The Institute for College Access and Success: Robert Shireman, Executive Director
• LINES Contemporary Ballet: Ann Marie Nemanich, Executive Director
• Theatre Bay Area: Brad Erickson, Executive Director
• Working Partnerships USA: Phaedra Ellis Lampkins, Executive Director

2007

• Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center: Ann Philbin, Director
• California Budget Project: Jean Ross, Executive Director
• Center for Governmental Studies: Tracy Westen, Chief Executive Officer
• Communities For A Better Environment: Bill Gallegos, Executive Director
• Dell'Arte: Michael Fields, Producing Artistic Director
• Eastside College Preparatory School: Chris Bischof, Principal
• La Jolla Playhouse: Stephen Libman, Managing Director
• Magic Theatre: David Jobim, Managing Director
• New Teacher Center, UCSC: Ellen Moir, Executive Director
• Oakland Museum of California Foundation: Lori Fogarty, Executive Director
• Southwest Chamber Music Society: Jan Karlin, Executive Director

2006

• Angels Gate Cultural Center: Nathan Birnbaum, Executive Director
• Aspire Public Schools: Don Shalvey, Chief Executive Officer
• California Charter School Consortium: Caprice Young, President and CEO
• Envision Schools: Daniel McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer
• Grand Performances: Michael Alexander, Executive and Artistic Director
• High Tech High Foundation: Jed Wallace, Chief Operating Officer
• Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana de San Jose: Tamara Alvarado, Executive Director
• Otis Art Institute: Samuel Hoi, President
• Pacific Asia Museum: Joan Marshall, Executive Director
• Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs, CSU-LA: Jaime Regalado, Executive Director
• Springboard Schools: Merrill Vargo, Executive Director
• Youth Speaks: James Kass, Executive Director

2005

• Inland Congregation United for Change: Corey Timpson, Executive Director
• Oakland Community Organizations: Ron Snyder, Executive Director
• Omega Boys Club of San Francisco: Joseph Marshall, Jr., Executive Director
• Orange County Community Foundation: Shelley Hoss, Executive Director
• San Francisco Art Institute: Christopher Bratton, President
• Teatro Vision: Raul Lozano, Executive Director
• Ventura County Museum of History and Art: Tim Schiffer, Executive Director
• Visual Communications (Southern California Asian American Studies Central): Leslie A. Ito, Executive Director

(Note: Leaders on the preceding list were in place at the time of the grant award. Some grantees may have had leadership changes since that time.)

Additional information

The following reports discuss nonprofit leadership and how grantmakers can help build leadership capacity:

• Daring to Lead 2006, by the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, explores leading causes of executive burnout, and identifies the skills that community-based leaders most want and need to build.
• Investing in Leadership (Vol. 1) and Investing in Leadership (Vol. 2), by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, offer frameworks and examples for guiding grantmaker strategies for supporting leadership development initiatives.