Independent Sector to Honor Francie Ostrower of the Urban Institute with the 2006 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prize

(Washington, D.C., September 29, 2006) – Independent Sector will award the 2006 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prize to Francie Ostrower, senior research associate at the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, for her report, Attitudes and Practices Concerning Effective Philanthropy .

The Hodgkinson Prize was established by Independent Sector in 1995 to recognize outstanding published research that fosters the understanding of philanthropy, voluntary action, charitable organizations, and civil society in the United States and around the world. Ms. Ostrower will be honored at the 2006 Independent Sector Annual Conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul from October 22-24.

Attitudes and Practices Concerning Effective Philanthropy is based on an Urban Institute survey of nearly 1,200 foundation staff about their attitudes towards methods of measuring foundation outcomes. The findings show that foundation staff believe many practices influence their effectiveness, but they do not always implement these practices.

This report discusses an area of foundation performance that had not received as much rigorous attention as grantee effectiveness and provides a benchmark that can be used to track changes in practices of foundations. It presents a framework for classifying foundations using four scales that measure whether a foundation actively pursues funding initiatives and activities beyond grantmaking, supports management and capacity development among grantees, considers influencing social policy important, and develops and trains its staff. The study also provides practical recommendations to measure the status of foundation effectiveness over time.

“Francie's research sheds light on an important area of philanthropy, particularly in the midst of the national discussion about the accountability and effectiveness of charitable organizations,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “This study exemplifies the important research being done on the charitable sector and we hope it will make foundations reflect on their own practices.”

This is Ms. Ostrower's second time receiving the Hodgkinson Prize. She won the award in 1996 for Why the Wealthy Give: The Culture of Elite Philanthropy .

The prize is named in honor of Virginia Ann Hodgkinson, who is renowned worldwide as a driving force behind the development of research on the charitable sector and voluntary action. Dr. Hodgkinson served as Independent Sector's vice president for research from 1983 to 1996.

To learn more about the award and past recipients, visit www.independentsector.org.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit community.