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The President's Comments on the 2008 Funding Year You may have noticed that the Turrell Fund has recently harnessed a new medium. It is one which, we believe, has the potential to give new reach to the voice of the grant seeker. As you may know, grant proposals will now be received electronically, by the Turrell Fund. Of course, the tactical benefits of this new interface are obvious…instant receipt of information, and a welcome reduction in the sheer volume of paper, which must be moved from place to place. However, there is an even more significant opportunity which this technology will enable. It is one which will not be so readily apparent to those who seek the support of the Turrell Fund. Essentially, the ‘on-line’ process has made it possible for the Trustees of the Fund to read, virtually unfiltered, the narrative provided to us by the applicant. Until now, and for reasons of practicality, the Board of Trustees has relied on staff summaries to convey the essence of a requesting organization’s mission, and the purpose for which the sought funding would be applied. This advent of unfettered access should, of course, be heralded as great news by all of you. However, with opportunity can come risk…at least a bit. Now, more than ever, the ability of applicants to communicate, with convincing clarity, the purpose and values of the organization for which they speak, and the merits and specifics of the project to be funded, will command a new premium. We are proud to know that our financial support relationship with many of you is longstanding. It is natural to conclude that we have come to know each other well. However, we encourage each of you to investigate our materials anew. Vision and Mission Statements are often, understandably, dismissed as vague ‘boilerplate’, and greeted with glassy-eyed indifference, or even avoidance. In the case of the Turrell Fund, this would be a mistake. It is not so much that our direction has changed, but, to be sure, our focus has sharpened. We are unanimous in our belief that the Vision and Mission Statements contained on our website, and in the Annual Report of the Turrell Fund, are the most accurate possible expression of our funding priorities, as we apply them. They are nothing less than the secrets of success, for those who would receive our support. To summarize briefly, we place the highest priority on services and initiatives which benefit the very youngest children. In addition, the financial needs, of the children served and the agency seeking funding, are decision criteria of paramount weight. With this in mind, the Board always reserves, to itself, the right to authorize grants which may not fit this profile, in the strictest sense. It must also be said, here, that, for reasons of fiscal balance and necessity, even agencies which have benefitted from many years of Turrell funding, and whose proposals continue to have undeniable merit, may not receive funding in a given cycle. In fact, the changed financial climate will, by necessity, lead this foundation to be more selective and rigorous in its funding decisions, and levels, for the foreseeable future. We know that the organizations which seek our funding, in many cases, support program initiatives beyond those of direct and greatest interest to the Turrell Fund. These may include programs for older children, or, more broadly, families. We have a sincere interest in any information which an applicant may deem appropriate to convey. It should be noted, however, that funding decisions can, and will, be based only on the description of the specific program presented for review, and its fit with our priorities. Every program of every agency may be effective and important to its base of clients. However, programs which are tangential to our core focus, are, ultimately, somewhat less competitive, in an environment of constrained funding capacity. All of us, here at the Turrell Fund, welcome the new interface for the benefits it can provide, and as a fabulous opportunity to learn from you. We will seize every opportunity to make technology the servant, and not the master of our connection with you. It can and will never compromise our proud, founding tradition of visits to the sites where the important work all of you do is performed. For seventy-five years, this has provided us with an invaluable platform for learning, assessment and collaboration, which no technology, however clever, could supplant. I invite your questions and comments.
Curtland E. Fields
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