The Presidio Institute today announced that it has received financial support to pilot an online talent and leadership portal, which will serve as a virtual resource for the development of individuals who wish to collaborate across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to solve major social challenges.
Major grants have been committed from the following esteemed donors:
- $500,000 from American Express
- $150,000 from the Kresge Foundation
- $35,000 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation
“We are proud of making the lead investment in moving social sector leadership development online,” said Richard Brown, vice president of Philanthropy, American Express. “American Express has led the charge for increasing access and reducing cost for nonprofit talent development, and we feel this portal will help foster a pipeline of emerging leaders to ensure nonprofit and social sector organizations thrive in the future.”
The grants will fund a year-long pilot that will include development and customization of an online learning platform, the migration of high-quality content into an online format, and a substantial beta testing campaign.
“We are truly fortunate to work with partners that recognize the need for investment in leadership development of social sector leaders,” said David B. Smith, managing director of the Presidio Institute. “We’re grateful for their support and look forward to further collaboration as we move forward toward development of this unique online leadership destination.”
Funding for the portal builds upon past grants from American Express and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop the portal’s business plan and research conducted by the Taproot Foundation. A coalition of businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies has supported the development of this portal since the idea was spawned during a White House Forum on Nonprofit Leadership in November 2011.
This grant announcement was made at the 2014 Independent Sector Conference in Seattle, WA.
About the Presidio Institute
The Presidio Institute is located at historic Fort Scott, a stunning 20-acre campus overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, and the former command center for the Army Coast Artillery Corps. Building on the Presidio’s legacy of service and public-private partnerships, the Presidio Institute provides transformational experiences that inspire, encourage, and empower leaders to make measurable, positive impact in their communities. The Presidio Institute is an initiative of the Presidio Trust, and engages individuals, non-profits, foundations, academic institutions, government agencies, and private businesses to build a stronger pipeline of leaders who collaborate to solve social challenges. To learn more, visit: http://institute.presidio.gov
About the Presidio Trust
The Presidio Trust, a federal agency, is an innovation in the management of a treasured American place. The Trust was created to save the Presidio and transform it for a new national purpose. The Trust's vision is that the Presidio will be forever a public place: vital to the Bay Area, important to all Americans, and recognized for achieving broad benefits for the nation. Today, the Presidio welcomes visitors, is home to a vibrant community of residents and tenants, and inspires greater good through programs that draw on its history and natural resources. The Presidio Trust serves the public with events, lodging, venues, and recreational opportunities. The Presidio Trust’s strategic direction includes a mission to create broad impact beyond its walls through initiatives like the Presidio Institute. To learn more, visit www.presidio.gov
About American Express: Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow
One of American Express' three platforms for its philanthropy is Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit and sectors, American Express is making grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century. Nearly 15,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs. Launched in 2008, the American Express Leadership Academy addresses the growing deficit of leadership talent in the nonprofit sector. The Academy brings together emerging leaders from a diverse set of nonprofit, social sector and non-governmental organizations. To learn more, visit http://about.americanexpress.com/csr/leadership.aspx
About the Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion private, national foundation that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, work in the environment, health, human services and community development efforts in Detroit. In 2013, the Board of Trustees approved 316 awards totaling $122 million; $144 million was paid out to grantees over the course of the year. In addition, our Social Investment Practice made commitments totaling $16 million in 2013. For more information, visit kresge.org or follow @kresgfdn.
About the Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. To learn more, visit aecf.org and follow @aecfnews.
