1. Obtaining Funding from Foundations and the USC Process
Hossein Pourmand
Sr. Executive Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations
August 15, 2017

2. Agenda USC Advancement: Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) Central
School/Unit based
Foundation Types
Process for Obtaining Grants from Foundations
Prospecting and Outreach

3. Organization Structure
Corporate and Foundation Relations is part of USC Advancement
~ 35 professionals
Decentralized: Corporate and Foundations professionals in most Schools and Units
Primary point of contact for faculty and researcher
Small Central CFR
Top 25 Corporations and Foundations
Interdisciplinary Initiatives

4. Types of Foundations
Private Foundations: funds come from an individual, a family, a corporation or some combination of related parties
Public Foundations: funds come from multiple unrelated donors; may include individuals, private foundations as well as government grants

5. Private Foundations Corporate Foundations
Receive funds from a publicly held company
Separate legal entity than the corporation.
Arts, Community Development, Education or Human Services
Communities in which parent company has major operations or HQ

6. Private Foundations Corporate Operating Foundations
Most by Pharmaceutical companies
Distribute medicines to people who cannot afford them

7. Public Foundations Community Foundations
Public charity with funding from multiple sources
800 in the US; geographically focused
California Community Foundation
Based in LA
Arts, Civic Engagement, Health, Housing and Economic Opportunity
Grants to USC

8. Foundation Fundraising
Very few foundations give 7 or 8 figure gifts or grants
Mandate or Mission Driven
Priority Areas / Focus Areas
Deadlines or rolling basis
Program Officers
Influencers
Subject matter experts
Board of Directors
Final Decision Makers

9. Foundation Fundraising Resources
The Foundation Center
Most comprehensive database of U.S. and global foundations and grantmakers

10. Process Overview Salesforce.com All entities are registered
Assignments
Primary Relationship Manager
Secondary Relationship Managers
All contacts (visits, s, calls) are logged
All proposals are entered
Centrally Managed Foundations
Presidential Foundations

11. Process Overview Some foundations have institutional limitations
Number of submissions per year
No additional funds until a current pledge is fully paid
Most (if not all) foundations have processes in place
Usually starts with a Letter of Interest (LOI) submitted by a USC CFR Officer
Full proposal only if invited

12. Centrally Managed Foundations
Institutionally limited submissions per funding cycle
Institutionally limited total dollars per funding cycle
Area(s) of interest align with a strategic University initiative (ex. Convergent Bioscience)
Foundation request (ex. Ahmanson Foundation, California Endowment)

13. Examples of Centrally Managed Foundations
Ahmanson Foundation
WM Keck Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Ford Foundation

14. Presidential Foundations
20 Foundations (and 5 corporations)
List given to School-based CFR officers
President engagements and contacts
Any contact or outreach has to be cleared with Central CFR and may only be done by a CFR officer

15. Summary
Foundations represent an important source of funds for USC programs, initiatives and research
USC Corporate and Foundation Relations officers are well positioned to work with faculty and researchers and pursue proposals to appropriate foundations