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Citing Experience and Recent Data, Panel of Young Women Recommend Investing in Girls of Color at 21st Annual Meeting of Community Fund for Women & Girls

New Haven, CT (July 6, 2016) –The Community Fund for Women & Girls, Greater New Haven’s permanent charitable endowment dedicated solely to advancing women and girls, convened stakeholders to hear the status of girls in Connecticut and the region on June 29 at its Annual Meeting. The event featured Dr. Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Chief Girl Expert at Girl Scouts USA, who presented data from the soon-to-be updated report The State of Girls: Unfinished Business produced by Girl Scouts USA. Dr. Bastiani Archibald was joined by a panel of five girls from the Greater New Haven community who shared their thoughts, particularly about study data demonstrating disparities experienced by girls of color. The panelists recommended investments in girls’ emotional and mental health to increase confidence levels and leadership by girls.

“With 21% of girls living in poverty and 42% of girls living in low-income families nationally according to the data presented by Dr. Bastiani Archibald, it is imperative we continue to support girls and invest in them,” says Susan Garcia Nofi, the Community Fund for Women & Girls Advisory Board Chair. “A good portion of the more than $135,000 awarded from the Fund this year, over 40%, is specifically targeted at girls in our region. Each of the nine partner organizations receiving grants was selected for the gender-specific work they do in the areas of health, leadership, legal rights, STEM and more.”

Connecticut ranks 6th among the best states for a girl to live, and 4th among states for girls succeeding in education according to the data that was presented and that will be included in the 2017 The State of Girls: Unfinished Business report. Each state was ranked based on a girls’ well-being index which considered physical health and safety, economic well-being, education, emotional health and extracurricular activities. For Connecticut, a sample size of 293,252 girls, between the ages of 5-17 was surveyed.

2016 Grant Recipients in Alphabetical Order:

All Our Kin (year two of three-year commitment) $50,000 to support All Our Kin’s Business Entrepreneurship program.

Bridges…A Community Support System (www.bridgesmilford.org) $6,600 to build the capacity of the Young Parent Program, supporting case management and educational services for pregnant and parenting teens/young adults in Milford and West Haven.

Christian Community Action (www.ccahelping.org) $6,000 to provide advocacy training and mentoring for young women poised to take on leadership of the renowned Mothers for Justice program.

Connecticut Women’s Consortium (www.womensconsortium.org) $15,647 to train nonprofit program providers to implement the Girls Circle program throughout Greater New Haven. Girls Circle is a gender-specific, evidence-based support program for girls.

Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (www.cwealf.org) $15,000 to support the Bilingual Community Advocacy program in Greater New Haven, providing legal information, referrals and legal representation and educational programming for underserved Latinas.

Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) (www.esumsnh.net) $10,000 to support the STEM Saturdays program for 4th and 5th grade girls in New Haven.

Girl Scouts of Connecticut (www.gsofct.org) $10,000 to support the second year of the New Haven pilot of a staff-led community outreach and troop program, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven, to serve girls in 2nd through 4th grades.

Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership(LEAP) (www.leapforkids.org) $10,000 to support the continuation of LEAP’s Learning to Code computer and Making a Splash swimming programs for adolescent girls.

Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut (www.lvsct.org) $5,000 to support the adult women’s ESL program and advanced literacy programs with outreach to low income women in the workplace.

New Reach (www.newreach.org) $7,500 to provide Gender Responsive Trauma Informed Care training to staff at New Reach’s shelter programs.

The Community Fund for Women & Girls is a component fund at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the second oldest women’s endowment in the state of Connecticut. It has awarded $1 Million to more than 200 programs since its establishment. Individuals interested in growing the endowment with a gift or to learn more about the work of the Fund are encouraged to visit www.fundforwomenandgirls.org.

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded over $24 million in grants and distributions in 2015 from an endowment of more than $500 million and composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by taking measures to improve student achievement, create healthy families in New Haven and a more welcoming community, promote local philanthropy through www.giveGreater.org® and encourage better understanding of the region. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s 20 town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge.

For more information about The Community Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cfgnh.

Media Contact: Tricia Caldwell Community Foundation for Greater New Haven 203-777-7090 tcaldwell@cfgnh.org

Last week New Reach's maintenance van was broken into and over $3000 worth of tools were stolen.  These are literally the tools we use to build hopeful futures.  If you can we are in need of the following tools:

Dewalt 18V cordless tools:

Impact Driver, 2 reciprocating saws, Hammer drill, drill, circular saw, cut off tool/grinder, 7 x 18V batteries, Milwaukee reciprocating saw with blades, Pneumatic staple gun, Bosh left hand circular saw.

If you can help by either making a monetary donation, passing along the information to others who may be able to assist, or purchasing an item please contact Mary Grande at 203.492.4866 x 36 or email mgrande@newreach.org or to make a donation www.newreach.org.

To Each and Every One of You.....

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

The cemetery is a wonder to visit this time of year. Please come one and all.

All the best,

Patricia Illingworth

This article captures some of the excellent feedback we got at our community planning meeting last week. Thanks again to those who came out!

http://http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/CT_bail_fund/

In light of the June 23rd decision of the US Supreme Court regarding immigration and Monday's rally in Hartford by members of the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven reaffirmed today its commitment to the work in support of immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, in Greater New Haven.

Immigrant integration is a major strategic priority of The Foundation. Through community partnerships, grantmaking and public education, The Foundation is ensuring that the community as a whole is more informed about the economic and cultural value of immigrants in our region and the unique barriers that undocumented immigrants face. It strives to create a more welcoming community in which immigrants are fully integrated members who are achieving greater civic and economic participation and success.

In addition, The Foundation is the convener of the statewide Immigration Strategic Funders Collaborative, a consortium of funders, service providers and advocacy organizations throughout Connecticut.

“Because we believe the current and future prosperity of our region is tightly linked to the success of immigrants, including those who may be undocumented, The Foundation will continue its work to support the families and individuals in our community and in Connecticut who would have benefited from the President’s executive actions,” says William W. Ginsberg, President & CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. “The need for immigrant families and children to have access to critical services continues and our work in support for them will continue, too."

The Immigrant Strategic Funders Collaborative of Connecticut was formed in 2015 in response to the Obama Administration’s 2014 immigration executive actions to enhance statewide efforts and local work to help Connecticut’s immigrant families. Its work is funded through the institutional grantmaking processes of the following: The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Fairfield County's Community Foundation, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Hispanic Federation, Perrin Family Foundation, and the Progreso Latino Fund (a committee-advised fund at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven). For more information about The Collaborative, visitwww.cfgnh.org/ISFCCT.org.

The Supreme Court ruling creates uncertainty for many immigrant families with strong ties to the region, says Sister Mary Ellen Burns, the executive director of  Apostle Immigrant Services, a service provider in the Collaborative. A couple, who visited her office last week, has lived in New Haven for more than a decade and would have qualified for protection under President Obama’s executive orders from 2014, Burns said.

“Their children are excellent students; one has a scholarship at a private college. They have a long history of employment. They are involved in their community and their church. And, by the way, they have learned English,” said Burns. “There was no way and there was never a way for them to have legal status. They didn’t cut in front of a line. There was no line. And it’s people like this who are reviving the business district in Fair Haven. They are keeping housing prices up. They pay taxes. This is just one story. I have dozens.”

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded over $24 million in grants and distributions in 2015 from an endowment of more than $500 million and composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by taking measures to improve student achievement, create healthy families in New Haven, promote local philanthropy through www.giveGreater.org® and encourage better understanding of the region. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s 20 town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge. For more information, visit www.cfgnh.org or follow The Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.org/cfgnh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/cfgnh). 

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Tricia Caldwell
tcaldwell@cfgnh.org
203-777-7090

Kitchen at CitySeed is open! It's great new resource for cooking classes, community events, food business incubation and more. Read all about it here.

Philanthropy has long played a major role in the search for cures to deadly and debilitating diseases.  From the dawn of modern medicine until World War II, philanthropists were the primary sources of funding for medical research. That role changed after the war, when science and technology became a national priority and the government began making massive investments in scientific and medical research.

For most of the past decade, however, the budget for the National Institutes of Health, the national funding source for medical research, has stagnated. While philanthropy cannot replace government funding, its importance has grown. From early stage research projects to efforts that turn basic findings into cures to studies that test whether treatments are effective, philanthropy plays a vital role in supporting the advancement of medicine. Read more here.

Talk about a life lesson in fulfilling one's duty of care AND addressing personal risks, the NC New Schools board is a case example that couldn't be better. Simple lessons: one of the first questions a nonprofit board member should ask: do you have Directors & Officer's Insurance? Another question each year: has our D&O Insurance been paid?

Of course, the board should have been asking a lot more questions to understand first, how the organization was doing that it was heading for bankruptcy and then, as bankruptcy was at the door, understanding "what next". And, as the News Observer article notes, the folks where served as board members should have known better.

High-profile New Schools’ board, officers unprotected after insurance policy goes unpaid

After NC New Schools files for bankruptcy, directors learn their insurance lapsed

Expert says extremely rare for nonprofits to lack directors and officers policy

CEO and other officers more exposed than board of directors

The officers of NC New Schools, including CEO Tony Habit, are more exposed to liability under state law than the board of directors, and an insurance policy that would have protected them against lawsuits or legal claims was allowed to lapse. Chris Seward cseward@newsobserver.com

BY JOSEPH NEFF

jneff@newsobserver.com

After the nonprofit NC New Schools suddenly collapsed in April, its high-profile board of directors learned that the unpleasant news went beyond a bankruptcy filing.

The board’s insurance policy had lapsed, leaving the directors unprotected against lawsuits or legal claims.
It is extremely unusual for nonprofits to lack directors and officers insurance, commonly known as D&O insurance, according to UNC law professor Thomas Hazen, an expert on nonprofits.

“My basic advice is never serve on a board that doesn’t have insurance,” Hazen said. “Not even a neighborhood association.”
The organization’s top officers were also left unprotected.

NC New Schools made North Carolina the nation’s leader in early colleges, which provide college-level classes for high school students. The organization won $11 million in grants from Bill and Melinda Gates, more than $35 million in federal grants and more from North Carolina’s biggest businesses.

In April, New Schools abruptly shut down, giving its 80 employees less than 24 hours notice that their jobs had evaporated. It filed for bankruptcy, showing debts of $1.5 million more than its assets.

Bankruptcy trustee J.P. Cournoyer said the $1 million D&O policy lapsed sometime in 2015.

The board of directors includes a group of heavy hitters. The chairman was Jeffrey Corbett, a senior Duke Energy executive. Others include former BlueCross BlueShield executive Bob Greczyn, former Wake County manager and state senator Richard Stevens, two senior executives at the pharmaceutical giant GSK and others.

Corbett did not return calls about the lack of insurance.

“It’s not what I expected,” said board member Burley Mitchell, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court. “I guess there were a lot of things I didn’t know.”

Mitchell, who said he had little interaction with NC New Schools over the past three years, said state law protects nonprofit board members more than those who sit on the boards of for-profit corporations.

Hazen agreed, saying state law grants nonprofit board members almost complete immunity from liability. But directors would be liable for legal fees, which are typically covered by insurance.

The court-appointed bankruptcy trustee will investigate NC New Schools’ finances and can seek to recover funds disbursed by the organization.

The News & Observer has reported how chief executive officer Tony Habit knew at least as early as June 2015 that New Schools could face a $2.1 million deficit. In the months before the collapse, emails showed that Habit told his staff to delay the disbursement of federal funds in violation of federal regulations.

When the N&O asked Habit about the lapsed insurance policy, he replied by email, “It was not my decision.” He said another employee allowed it to lapse.

Habit then sent an email saying he had replied by mistake and asked the newspaper to delete his original email.

Hazen, the law professor, said it seemed strange that the insurance policy was allowed to lapse as financial difficulties loomed. Officers, such as Habit and his senior staff, are more exposed to liability under state law than the board of directors.

“The insurance is primarily there to protect him,” Hazen said.

Joseph Neff: 919-829-4516 , @josephcneff

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article85962707.html#storylink=cpy

The Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Obama Administration’s immigration executive actions that would have expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and created Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA). Despite this setback to immigration reform, we would like to highlight the work of an organization in Greater New Haven that creates a welcoming community: Apostle Immigrant Services.

In 1906, a small congregation of nuns from the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus left their home in Tuscany to perform missionary work in New Haven. The United States was in the midst of a great wave of European immigration, and the Sacred Heart sisters were called to help other newly arrived Italians in need. They took in orphans, taught sewing classes, provided religious instruction to children, and assisted new arrivals with the difficult transition of starting over in a strange place. Read more here.

Dance party at True Colors annual conference. Image Source: True Colors.

When a young person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is rejected by family and friends, the toll can be devastating. Self-harm, drug abuse and homelessness become very real risks. For more than two decades, True Colors has supported LGBT youth to avoid such destructive outcomes.

"Things have come a long way in general, but it depends on who the kids are. The kids who have the support from their family and school do well. For the kids who are rejected, their entire world implodes,” said True Colors Executive Director Robin P. McHaelen. Read more here. 

In a Philadelphia Inquirer article, in a story about the purchase of Muhammad Ali's childhood/young adulthood home, the current owners stated:

The museum was not set up as a nonprofit. "I did not want anyone else to tell me how best to re-create the home or how to preserve Muhammad's most important legacy. This was to be the purest vision of the legacy of Muhammad Ali, without interference or baloney from committees," said Bochetto.

Neither he nor Weiss will get one red cent out of the project.

Bochetto serves (without pay) as managing director of the museum and has hired a program director, tour guides, and security. "My goal here is to get the entire setup to be self-sustaining in perpetuity and we will do this with ticket sales, gift-shop purchases, donations," said Bochetto, who's planning an annual black-tie dinner as a funding source. Admission prices are modest, $8 for adults, $5 for teens and seniors, children free.

Does this arrangement mean then that the basic governance difference between a for-profit "charity" and a nonprofit is that the former is owned and directed free and clear of community direction and the latter is directed by community members? Mr. Bochetto certainly appears to believe that a shared, community ownership can only mean he would not get his say about how Mr. Ali's legacy should be represented.

Too bad (although it doesn't seem to matter) in exchange for no shared governance, Mr. Bochetto must bear the possible tax burdens! There is no Lc3 tax structure in Kentucky to provide all the tax benefits of a nonprofit but the governance of an LLC. Oh well.

All Our Kin in New Haven seeks a bilingual (Spanish-English) Economic Development Consultant to support family child care providers in planning and running sustainable and profitable small child care businesses. We are searching for an enthusiastic team player who is looking to make a difference and is excited about being a part of a high-impact, growing and dynamic non-profit organization

All%20Our%20Kin%20Economic%20Development%20Consultant%202016.pdf

Band%20Practice%20with%20Glenn%20Miller%2006052016%20PBI.docx

Dear Friends,

Well, the baseball season is underway like it has been since C1850's. It was coined as the "national pastime" or the "national game." There were baseball players from all over the States. Since 1895 until approx. 1910 there were board games and we find "trading cards" to be found in cigarettes packs. The first fully professional baseball club formed was in 1869 - "The Cincinnati Red Stockings:. A quick history.....

In Grove Street, we have a wonderful memorial stone given to the cemetery by the Cofrancesco family to honor Mr. Miller his music and his giving to the US Military Troupes during World War  II. However, you ask and what does baseball have to do with that monumental musician from the 20th century. Well - I am attaching a file about a great story about Glenn, baseball and New Haven.

Please enjoy the story and then come for a visit to the cemetery to enjoy our summer garden.

Thank you......Happy Summer

Patricia Illingworth

CVLC seeks applicants to direct its development and communications work. This position requires a range of skills including:

• grant identification, writing, editing and reporting
• event management including sponsorship solicitation, event planning and execution
• overseeing external marketing communications such as email  and print newsletters, media and news pieces and annual report
• managing volunteers, interns and the Board of Directors in development and communications activities
• donor stewardship through public recognition and personal relationships
• attending and representing CVLC at conferences and events

This is a full time position that offers an ambitious applicant the opportunity to take on significant leadership and management responsibility in a dynamic and growing organization. Salary is based on experience and is commensurate with other non-profit development positions. Benefits include health insurance, generous paid vacation and sick leave, and a family-friendly work place. This position reports to and works closely with CVLC’s Executive Director.

For a full job description and directions on how to apply, please visit the idealist posting: http://www.idealist.org/step/discover/share/jr/view/job/zHkGJtB2SBJd/

The following article from the Cape Cod Times reveals how challenging and how much time the bringing together as "one" a nonprofit merger process can take. I of course don't know all the details but given the differences in size between the two organizations, acquisition may be a better label for what is being negotiated. While indeed, the two may become one, one museum is larger with more resources. The reality being faced by the smaller institution, that it is losing money, may be the appropriate motive for discussions but remains a hard and bitter pill to swallow for board members. Still, in today's economy with the need to achieve efficiency and outcomes, mergers and acquisitions between two "like" institutions becomes the most appropriate action.
Thornton Burgess Society, museum still in merger talks
By Sean F. Driscoll
Posted May. 29, 2016 at 6:22 PM

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History and the Thornton Burgess Society have been in merger talks for two years, but a decision may be coming early this summer, the head of one of the organizations said.

The two nature education nonprofit groups started talking about joining forces in late 2014 and went public with the matter in May 2015, but the groups haven't inked a deal yet. Robert Dwyer,president and executive director of the museum, said they're in the "ongoing due diligence component" that can be lengthy.

"When I started it, I was told it can take two to three years. I didn't think it would be true, but I'm living it," he said.

Gene Schott, executive director at Thornton Burgess, said the two organizations may chart a path forward soon. Several meetings are scheduled in the upcoming weeks that could give everyone a better handle on where the issue is headed and how — and if — the merger will proceed.

"When you're talking about two nonprofit boards, a lot of people on the boards have particular issues and thoughts and they want to have them expressed," he said. "We're still trying to piece things together."

The merger discussions began over lunch between Dwyer and Schott. The two organizations had collaborated in the past, most notably on a 2010 joint exhibit, and as the men talked they realized both groups had strengths that complemented the other.

In 2014, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History had nearly $3.8 million in net assets and about $83,000 in net revenue, according to its tax filings. In the same year, Thornton Burgess had $1.3 million in net assets and expenses outstripped revenue by about $21,000.

— Follow Sean F. Driscoll on Twitter: @seanfdriscoll.

Photo credit: Square Foot Theatre

When taking in a show at the Square Foot Theatre, you can bring your own food and drink. And if you’re so inspired, you can bring your own talent to the next performance. The nearly ten-year-old company puts the community in community theater.

“Our name is the Square Foot Theatre because it’s everyone’s feet, all these square feet that make it all possible,” said Executive Director Jared Brown.

Now in its ninth season, Square Foot Theatre is about to stage its 50th show. Its season has eight productions - seven musicals and one play. 

The company offers a summer camp, a summer program for young people, and opportunities for college students. With support from Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation it also brings programs into area schools, including the St. Martin De Porres Academy and Amity Middle School. 

Prior to its current home, the company was living out of a suitcase and renting space, which limited it to one or two productions per year. 

“It’s the perfect atmosphere,” Brown said of the company’s permanent venue in Wallingford. “We seat 80 people so it’s intimate. You feel like you’re in the show.”  Continue reading.

Resource regarding Children of Incarcerated Parents with your networks.

The Spanish edition of the Children of Incarcerated Parents Library is now available http://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/resources/library/cpl-espanol/

This edition of CIPL was funded by Church World Service Latin America and the Caribbean and translated by Maria Eva Dorigo.

For the past few years, CWS has led and financially supported the formation and strengthening of a regional platform aimed at making  visible, the needs of children with incarcerated parents. Their coalition, known as NNAPES, works to raise awareness throughout Latin America about the impact of parental incarceration on children and to move governments and civil society organizations serving these children to action.

The translation of the CIPL is part of our ongoing collaboration with CWS in Latin America and the Caribbean most recently in the Dominican Republic. http://cwsglobal.org/invisible-children/

New Haven is a great city for tennis. Besides playing host to the Connecticut Open professional tournament, the Elm City has many well-maintained public courts. New Haven Youth Tennis and Education, otherwise known as New HYTEs, is working to make sure that kids from underserved neighborhoods not only have access to this life-long sport, but also thrive on and off the court. 

“Tennis is a sport about resilience, about being able to rely on yourself. The amount of pride that comes to student athletes through a sport can have a ripple effect throughout their entire life,” said New HYTEs Executive Director Mavi Sanchez. Continue reading.

The following Washington Post story highlights an issue that many nonprofit boards must face at some point: when is donor money "too" tainted? The question, presumably answered through long and tedious debates, is about values and of course, just how much a particular board's values are worth in the pursuit of mission. And, in the pursuit of mission, why doesn't "any means" justify the "ends"? The story about the National Parks asks these questions while recognizing that the "public" via Congress has opted to not fully support Park preservation and service. What to do? In the case of the Park Service, philanthropic sponsorship, corporate specifically, offsets the costs of doing its job. Is it really so bad that Budweiser or Subaru or Starbucks sees opportunity to position themselves as supporters of the Parks while simultaneously positioning their brand and sales opportunities? Is this really "selling-out"? At this point I am not so inclined to think the answer is "yes". I'm also not so imaginative that I can think of when these sponsorships begin to diminish what the Parks have to offer. I do however believe that it is incumbent upon the honchos or perhaps even the Congress to establish guidelines for what does diminish the Parks - put it in writing and make it clear. This is what I would expect of any nonprofit board who will likely face similar challenges. After all, are we really offended by all the corporations who have jumped on-board to support breast cancer research?

Here's the story.
Park Service and corporate advertising, a dangerous mix
By Joe Davidson | Columnist May 9

National Park Service (NPS) rangers won’t be decorated with corporate logos à la NASCAR drivers, but the agency’s plan to allow advertising-like recognition of donors, including a beer maker, flirts with making national parks resemble ballparks.

The plan is outlined in “Director’s Order #21: Philanthropic Partnerships,” as my colleague Lisa Rein also has reported, and is designed “to create positive philanthropic partnerships with the NPS and on its behalf.”

Those partners are donors who boost the Park Service budget. But they often want more than a good feeling in return.

Although NPS expects the proposal, initially issued in 2006 and updated in March, to take effect by the end of this year, the impact is already evident. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in December carries a photo of a Park Service car adorned with this Subaru advertising — “Built to take you to the place you’ve never been.”

The Park Service is being taken to a dubious place.

“Large corporate donations exert a not-so-subtle gravitational pull on park managers increasingly dependent on these donors for their budgets,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “We are concerned that influence peddling will soon become a major recreational activity in our national parks.”

GAO also is concerned.

A 2009 GAO report lists several potential risks to NPS from these donor relationships, including:

“Partner exerts undue influence over Park Service priorities”
“Public confidence in the Park Service is compromised”
“Parks and Park Service become commercialized.”

An indicator of the last risk, GAO said, is “Corporate donations made to parks or partners and tied to advertising.”

Already parks hoist banners with Budweiser beer and other corporate logos. Where will it stop? Can you imagine Disney presents Yellowstone?

While allowing corporations and other donors to get too deeply involved in any government service presents conflicts of interest, the Park Service apparently felt it was driven to this point because of inadequate government funding.

“DO21,” Park Service shorthand for the order, “is intended to empower NPS employees to take a more active role in the philanthropic process, but by no means requires it,” Park Service spokesman Jeffrey G. Olson said by email. “The realities of NPS funding or lack thereof mean that private dollars are going to be increasingly more important as we move forward and the expectations and responsibilities of the Park Service grow. DO21 simply recognizes this evolution.”

Does this evolution mean federal employees will become increasingly more involved with corporate pitchmen because Congress won’t adequately fund the parks?

Congressional appropriations for the Park Service fell 8 percent, adjusted for inflation, from fiscal years 2005 through 2014, according to GAO. Yet, “Fees, donations, and other funding sources … increased 39 percent after adjusting for inflation.”

Cozy relationships pay off, but at a cost – the credibility of a federal agency and its employees.

“For me as a federal employee and a taxpayer, I think it is unethical … to be advertising for a corporation,” said a Park Service superintendent who insisted on anonymity, fearing retaliation from superiors.

This employee said some NPS staffers are pressured to spend a significant amount of time fundraising and working with donors, who sometimes want special accommodations, such as access to park areas off-limits to the public.

“I was shocked when I read the director’s order,” the superintendent said.

Perhaps it should not be so shocking given the source.

The latest update on these donor partnerships comes less than three months after NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis was reprimanded. Michael Connor, the Interior Department’s undersecretary, said he would dismiss Jarvis from his role as manager of the Park Service’s ethics program after the director wrote a book with an ironic title: “Guidebook to American Values and Our National Parks.”

In February, the department’s inspector general reported the book was “published by Eastern National, a nonprofit that has cooperating agreements with NPS to operate stores and sell merchandise in numerous national parks.” Jarvis was not charged with receiving any money from the publication. Nonetheless, the inspector general’s report said Jarvis “approved Eastern National’s use of NPS’ ‘arrowhead’ logo on the book’s cover” and did not inform the department’s ethics office of his activity.

After reviewing the findings, Connor, in a memo to the inspector general’s office, said the department has “come to the conclusion that Director Jarvis did violate Federal employee ethics standards.”

Now, with his order, the entire Park Service is adopting Jarvis’s ethical standard — such as it is.