Because customer service is essential to the life of any business, leading customer service experts will be sharing their insights and tips through a free online webinar conference May 11-15.

With sessions like “Mastering the Four Customer Experience Competencies,” by Bruce Temkin managing partner of Temkin Group, and “Wowing Your Customers: Inspiring Employee Happiness and Engagement,” by Maura Bailey, senior manager of customer loyalty at Zappos.com, the week promises to be a learning experience.

To register, go to www.cxweek.com

Apply for a 2015 Smart Women Grant

Zions Bank is accepting applications for its 2015 Smart Women Grants, open to anyone whose proposal promotes the empowerment of women or directly benefits women or low-income and underserved populations in Utah and Idaho.

Six $3,000 micro-grants will be awarded, one in each of the following categories:

Small business start-up and expansion

Community development

Continuing education and teacher support

Child and/or elder care

Health and human services

Arts and culture

Visit www.zionsbank.com/smartwomen or call 1-800-737-6586 for more information or to obtain an application. Grant recipients will be announced in September.

Priority consideration for funding will be given to proposals that promote the empowerment of women, emphasize collaboration between women entrepreneurs or non-profit entities supporting women, directly benefit women or low-income and underserved populations, support endeavors that immediately benefit communities in which Zions Bank has a presence and for proposals that provide a sound plan for measuring performance and results.

Applicants need not be clients of Zions Bank nor are they required to be residents of Utah or Idaho. Employees and immediate family members of Zions Bank and its affiliates are not eligible.

“The Smart Women Grants are an extension of our ongoing commitment to empower women in achieving financial independence,” said Lori Chillingworth, Zions Bank executive vice president of Small Business Banking. In addition to Freeman, last year’s recipients included a meal program for low-income students, an organization that provides emergency rent assistance, a fair trade nonprofit organization that supports artisans in rural Idaho and on Tribal reservations, a costume and dress sewing business and a tutoring program for children.

Dental grants awarded

Delta Dental Insurance Company announced last week that 11 dental clinics in Utah received a total of $110,000 in grants in 2014 part of more than $5.5 million overall given by the dental carrier and its affiliated companies to improve access to oral health.

The dental clinic grants, awarded by the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, are designed to help improve the oral health of underserved children and adults, particularly in rural locations where access to dental care may be limited. “We are pleased to further extend the ability of clinics and organizations already providing dental care to those in need, and who might otherwise go without, due to financial barriers.”

The Utah clinics include:

Mountainlands Community Health Center, Provo

Bear Lake Community Health Center, North Logan

Community Health Centers, Inc., Midvale

Doctors’ Volunteer Clinic of St. George

Enterprise Valley Medical Clinic, Inc., Enterprise

Green River Medical Center, Inc., Green River

Midtown Community Health Center, Inc., Ogden

Salt Lake Donated Dental Services, Salt Lake City

Southwest Utah Community Health Center, Inc./Family Healthcare, St.

Baltimore Community Foundation Press Release 05/04/2015. Thomas E. New York Times 05/01/2015.
Funding for Black Male Achievement Increasing, Report Finds April 14, 2015 Racial Inequality Significant Across All Areas, Report Finds March 25, 2015

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National peak body Philanthropy Australia has written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott calling for a better tax regime to support international philanthropy.

The letter, signed by some of the country’s leading philanthropists, claims Australia’s regulatory and taxation framework for international giving “imposes some of the highest barriers to international philanthropy in the world”.

“This framework represents a form of red tape that results in fewer funds being available to support important charitable causes in countries within our region and beyond, and means that Australian philanthropy is less able to support the achievement of Australia’s foreign policy objectives,” the letter said.

The letter is signed by the Chair of Philanthropy Australia Alan Schwartz along with leading philanthropists including Allan English and Maureen and Tony Wheeler.

The letter points out that currently, “income-tax exempt” trusts and foundations are required to pursue their objectives and incur their expenditure principally in Australia.

“In practice, this means that a majority of their grant-making must be within Australia, which is problematic if a trust or foundation wishes to focus their efforts on international philanthropy,” the letter said.

“In the case of trusts and foundations with ‘deductible gift recipient’ status, such as Private or Public Ancillary Funds, the restrictions are even more problematic. These must be established and operated only within Australia.

“In practice, this means that the only way in which a Private or Public Ancillary Fund can support charitable causes overseas is by distributing to another organisation in Australia which operates an approved overseas aid fund.

“Using such an arrangement involves paying a fee, in the range of 7-10 per cent of the amount distributed, to the organisation operating the approved overseas aid fund. Therefore, this red tape results in less funds being available to support charitable causes.”

A recent report by the Council on Foundations in the US into the legal framework for global philanthropy cited Australia as an example of one that is particularly restrictive.

In addition, the letter said philanthropists were concerned with proposed legislation which will seek to “restate and centralise the special conditions for tax concession entities” by:

“re-stating” the “in Australia” special conditions for income tax exempt entities, ensuring that they generally must be operated principally in Australia and for the broad benefit of the Australian community (with some exceptions), and
“codifying” the “in Australia” special conditions for deductible gift recipients ensuring that they must generally operate solely in Australia, and pursue their purposes solely in Australia (with some exceptions, such as overseas aid funds, some environmental organisations, some touring arts organisations and medical research institutes).

“We believe this proposed legislation would affirm Australia’s unduly restrictive and inflexible regulatory and taxation framework for international philanthropy, and further inhibit the wider contribution that Australian philanthropy could make beyond our borders. This framework should provide certainty and support rather than inhibit the contribution which Australian philanthropy can make beyond our borders, whilst maintaining appropriate safeguards to ensure funds distributed overseas are used for the charitable purposes for which they are intended.

“As the national peak body representing trusts and foundations, businesses, families and individuals who want to make a difference through their philanthropy, Philanthropy Australia would welcome the opportunity to engage as part of such a process.”

Additional funding announced for Warrnambool community grants However, as in past years,
demand for these grants has again substantially exceeded these funds.

In response to this demand the Foundation has been delighted
to receive an additional contribution of $15,000 from Deakin University for
immediate distribution.

These funds will form a new Deakin University Community Fund
within the Foundation. This Deakin Community Fund will be managed and
distributed as part of the Foundation’s granting round.

Foundation Chair, Barrie Baker, welcomed the new Fund.

“This is a wonderful gesture from Deakin in support of the
community in which they work,” he said.

“It is wonderful that the Foundation is being recognised as
a significant support organisation for charitable causes and organisations in
our region, and anything that assists in fulfilling this role is very welcome.”

Professor Gerry Quinn, Head of Deakin University’s
Warrnambool Campus, is proud to extend the University’s commitment to the South
West Community Foundation.

“Deakin’s Warrnambool Campus has played a vital role in
developing the economic, social and knowledge fabric of south west Victoria for
the past 25 years,” Mr Quinn said.

“Deakin is thrilled to partner with South West Community
Foundation and continue supporting the many organisations who do great work in
regional communities.”

Applications for 2015 grants from the Foundation have now
closed with 64 requests for support having been received.

Consideration of the requests is currently underway, with
results due to be announced by the Board in May.

Kidd Mine, Minister Gravelle announce legacy fund | Timmins Press

Ontario Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle speaks to a crowd gathered that Timmins Museum for the announcement of a new $1 million legacy fund being set up by Kidd Operations and the Trillium Foundation. The fund is meant to support non-profit organizations in Timmins after the Kidd mine closes in 2021.

On Monday, the mining company announced that it and the Ontario Trillium Foundation will spend $500,000 each over the next six years to create a $1-million “legacy” endowment fund.

According to Kidd Operations’ general manager, Tom Semadeni, the deal to create the new fund with the government-run foundation was two years in the making.

“One thing that both Kidd and the foundation find important is that we are investing in the right things for the Timmins community, which is more important than making sure the fund lasts a certain number of years.”

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Help local charities raise money through Give STL Day Tuesday, May 5 area residents are being asked to donate to area non-profits for Give STL Day.

The 24-hour online giving event is organized by the Grater Saint Louis Community Foundation to help 790 local non-profit organizations try to raise as much money as possible.

Celebration Express travels the District KISD Education Foundation sets $132,690 record – Your Houston News: News Celebration Express travels the District KISD Education Foundation sets $132,690 record Celebration Express travels the District KISD Education Foundation sets $132,690 record Celebration Express travels the District KISD Education Foundation sets $132,690 record

The Klein ISD Education Foundation (KEF) set a new record in its 15-year history by awarding $132,690 in grants for the 2014-2015 school year. To have a bus full of community members and Klein ISD supporters making lots of noise as they travel the hallways of campuses awarding well-deserved teacher grants is just so incredibly heartwarming,a said Cindy Doyle, director of community relations and KEF.

The first stop of the day for the Celebration Express was to award Eiland Elementary a grant for their aGot Code?a program sponsored by Joiner Architects.

Eiland Elementary was also awarded a grant for their aItas a New ERA (Eiland Reader Award).a The grant, sponsored by Durotech, Inc., will focus on having students learn about national book awards and then read, critically analyze, and vote on their favorite books.

After visiting Grace England, the Celebration Express bus stopped at Brill Elementary to award the biggest grant of the day, a Lead the Spark grant, for the schoolas aThe Partridge Family Moves One Direction: From a Library to an Active Learning Commonsa program.

The last stop for the day was to Zwink Elementary to award a grant, sponsored by Layer 3 Communications, for the schoolas aLEGO and Learn Ona program.

Since 2001, the Klein ISD Education Foundation has awarded more than $1.29 million in educator grants to teachers in the Klein ISD.

24 hour Silicon Valley Gives fundraiser to benefit Valley Community Foundation“>Silicon Valley Community Foundation | abc7news.com

News Release: BrightFocus Foundation Awards Grants to Seven Leading Researchers in Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration BrightFocus Foundation Awards Grants to Seven Leading Researchers in Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration

Denver, CO, May 4, 2015 The BrightFocus Foundation today honored seven outstanding scientists in the fields of macular degeneration and glaucoma, awarding them research grants named in honor of leaders in vision research and advocacy.

Noriko Esumi, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins received the Helen Juanita Reed Award to study molecules that can reduce inflammation or increase resistance to harmful stresses in the retina.

Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin received the Charlotte & Alexander Danilevsky Memorial Award for Macular Degeneration Research to understand how certain aggregates form, how they impact cell function, and whether a treatment strategy can help prevent the formation of aggregates and preserve healthy vision.

Yonju Ha, PhD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch received the Marguerite Wilke Memorial Award for Glaucoma Research to test whether two proteins called CXC10 and CXCR3 are involved in retinal inflammation and neuronal cell death during glaucoma.