The Community Foundation of Utah

We have decided to change the name of our day of giving to LOVE UTAH GIVE UTAH - and we are delighted to announce that Pam Bowers with Canvas Sky Graphic design has agreed to take on our new look and name. We love the way our plans are shaping up, and are grateful for the many organizations, companies and people who have already told us they plan to 'give where they live' on March 22.

Watch this space for her fantastic work - and for more news about our efforts!

Estate Planning for Same Sex Couples CLE

Sponsored by The Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar and the Community Foundation of Utah’s LGBT Community Endowment Fund

Tuesday, November 6^th from 12:00 to 1:00 pm at the Utah State Bar 645 South 200 East.

There are over 50,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in Utah. Many of these are in domestic relationships currently not recognized by Utah law. In addition, over 30% of same sex couples in Utah are raising children. These families face complex estate planning issues, including inheritance, taxes, guardianship of children, and planning for emergencies.

The Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar along with the Community Foundation of Utah’s LGBT Community Endowment Fund will sponsor a CLE on estate planning for LGBT individuals and families. The CLE will offer an overview of key issues and important topics related to estate planning for LGBT clients, and others in committed relationships outside of marriage. A panel of experts in on the subject will present including Laura Milliken Gray, Doug Fadel, and Jim Alder.

Save your spot by calling the Community Foundation of Utah, 801 559-3005 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sponsored by The Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar and the Community Foundation of Utah’s LGBT Community Endowment Fund - Tuesday, November 6th from 12:00 to 1:00 pm at the Utah State Bar 645 South 200 East.

There are over 50,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in Utah. Many of these are in domestic relationships currently not recognized by Utah law. In addition, over 30% of same sex couples in Utah are raising children. These families face complex estate planning issues, including inheritance, taxes, guardianship of children, and planning for emergencies. The Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar along with the Community Foundation of Utah’s LGBT Community Endowment Fund will sponsor a CLE on estate planning for LGBT individuals and families. The CLE will offer an overview of key issues and important topics related to estate planning for LGBT clients, and others in committed relationships outside of marriage. A panel of experts in on the subject will present including Laura Milliken Gray, Doug Fadel, and Jim Alder. Save your spot by calling the Community Foundation of Utah, 801 559-3005 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

10 years ago I moved from Mexico to U.S. I felt welcomed in my new school, neighborhood, and community. My peers thought "it was cool" to be from Mexico and wanted to learn more about me. We exchanged experiences and learned about each other's cultures. Over the past few years however, I have seen how the discourse around immigration has changed in Utah.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, Utah’s immigrant population increased by 42.7 percent between 2000 and 2008. In addition, Utah was designated as one of the top destinations for refugee resettlement, with an estimated 25,000 refugees currently living in our state, nearly one-third of whom have arrived within the last ten years. These dramatic demographic shifts have led to increased anxiety among native-born U.S. residents that are not accustomed to the presence of immigrants and refugees in their neighborhoods. This anxiety has in turn led to mistrust and fragmentation within communities.

To build on the existing efforts on immigrant and refugee integration in the state, Comunidades Unidas / Communities United has launched the Welcoming Utah initiative. Through Welcoming Utah, we are part of a group of 20 affiliate organizations from different states that belong to the national initiative Welcoming America. Welcoming America is a national, grassroots-driven collaborative that works to promote mutual respect and cooperation between foreign-born and U.S.-born Americans. The ultimate goal of the Welcoming initiative is to create a welcoming atmosphere – community by community – in which immigrants are more likely to integrate into the social fabric of their adopted hometowns.

Welcoming Utah is working to build communities that embrace and celebrate the diversity and positive contributions that immigrants and refugees bring to our state. Welcoming work focuses on helping communities understand and appreciate new residents by promoting cross-cultural dialogue and interaction, support from community leaders, and positive messaging that shines a light on the many values that we all share.

A new study released by the National Conference on Citizenship titled “Civic Health and Unemployment II: The Case Builds” suggests that the presence of an organized nonprofit sector is linked to a lower level of local unemployment. The study found that there is less unemployment in counties with a higher density of nonprofits than in similar counties with fewer nonprofits. Also, the study described “the organizations that appear to be helpful” in addressing unemployment as “organizations that provide direct, tangible benefits to their members” and those groups “whose supporters perceive themselves as genuine members.”

The median increase in salaries for nonprofit directors was w whopping 1.6 % in 2010 - and for the second year in a row, a large share saw their pay either stagnate or decline in 2010. And the 'tradition' of women EDs being paid less than their male peers continues, across all size of organization, though closing (slowly). The bigger the agency, the bigger the discrepancy.  The gap between median chief-executive pay for men and women was 10.4%  in 2010 at organizations with budgets of $250,000 to $500,000, compared with 17.8%  in 2000. For organizations with budgets of $50-million or more, the gap was nearly 25% in 2010, compared with 45.6 % in 2000.  You can buy the full study here. But beware ... it is $349!

On the other side of this issue - A hike in parking fees at the Getty Museum in LA raised annual income to the Getty Trust by $1.74-million, about the same amount by which the foundation increased salaries for officers, directors, and trustees. Hmmm.

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy report The Philanthropic Landscape: The State of Multi-Year Funding found that multiyear funding declined significantly across all foundation types and regions over the 2008-10 period. One exception: The Gates Foudnation.

Nominations for the 2012 Bank of the West Philanthropy Awards are now open for the Innovation in Philanthropy Award category.  For more information and to submit a nomination, visit Bank of the West’s Facebook page at http://GoWe.st/ Nominations are due September 17, 2012.

Got the summer movie blahs? Don’t despair, the fourth annual Salt Lake City Film Festival is right around the corner! Set aside some time the weekend of September 20- 23 and catch a few of the 40 new features, documentaries or shorts selected to show this year. Screenings will be held at the Broadway & Tower theaters, and Brewviews Cinema Pub.

The opening night feature, Duck Beach to Eternity, by native filmmaker Laura Naylor, follows LDS singles as they look for love in Duck, North Carolina. Among other films, the festival is also presenting Fever Year, a documentary about musician Andrew Bird, and Intro, a brilliant documentary about local musician David Williams.

This year the festival is offering $5.00 tickets for students for any evening screening and $1.00 (with ID) for all matinees! This is an unheard of discount at ANY festival (Discount is not available with online ticket purchases)

Executive director Matt Whittaker of the SLC Film Society says, “We are so thrilled to be entering our 4^th year as an organization! We see this festival as a critical piece to the community and are so excited by the number of excellent films we received for 2012. This is going to be such a great year!”

For more information about the event, a complete schedule, and to purchase tickets, please visit the Salt Lake City Film Festival’s website at www.slcff.com or www.saltlakecityfilmfestival.com.

Read about our 2012 Equality Leadership Fund Scholars http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/neighborhoodvalleywest/54658224-129/killian-scholarship-lgbt-utah.html.csp