In news that could affect the finances of orchestras, Ian Wilhelm writes in Friday’s (7/17) Chronicle of Philanthropy that “Philanthropy continues to feel the effects of the economic recession as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation said it is offering buyouts to 40 percent of its staff members, while the Ford Foundation announced that almost 11 percent of its employees have left the grant maker after accepting a voluntary severance package. Sixty-eight of Kellogg’s 167 workers have been offered a severance deal, said Joanne K. Krell, the organization’s vice president of communications. While she said the move was ‘largely driven by economics,’ the foundation is also revamping its grant-making programs, which requires some personnel changes. … The Ford Foundation, in New York, is facing a similar drop in its endowment, and 60 of its 550 staff members decided to take the severance package. In addition to its buyouts, which were announced in the spring the grant maker eliminated 30 positions by closing offices in Vietnam and Russia. Both foundations stressed that the staff reductions and other budget cuts would help the organizations maintain their giving.”
Posted July 20, 2009
