2016-11-04T10:31:25-07:00 2015-12-31 ALLAN LIU CPA 201 WILLOW AVE MILLBRAE CA 940302536 990 2015-01-01 943214166 Common Counsel Foundation COMM 5108342995 1624 Franklin Street Oakland CA 94612 Dan W Ringer Chairman 2016-11-04 true Allan Liu P01432586 6506921172 X 2015 2017-02-10 21:41:12Z X 4364588 false false X www.commoncounsel.org X 1988 CA CCF advances equity and environmental health through a combination of direct grant making and strategic philanthropic advising for client member funds and manages projects focused on organizational development, leadership sustainability and donor education. 7 7 11 0 1480229 3705219 582425 523561 8753 290 3456 1002 2074863 4230072 1142100 1442061 0 537215 633925 0 139975 1115772 1087390 2795087 3163376 -720224 1066696 1669215 3047765 106491 418345 1562724 2629420 Common Counsel Foundation advances equity and environmental health through a combination of direct grant making and strategic philanthropic advising for client member funds and manages projects focused on organizational development, leadership sustainability, and donor education. false false 1442061 Strategic Grantmaking During 2015, Common Counsel Foundation (CCF) disbursed over $1.4 million indirect grants to charitable organizations. See philanthropic services sectionregarding the additional $1.5 million granted by independent foundations CCFadvised. CCF has disbursed and advised a cumulative total of over $2.9 millionin grants to charitable organizations that are advancing effective solutions tolongstanding social and environmental inequities.CCF supports organizations that work to develop community leadership,to advance systemic solutions defined by community members themselves, andto ensure health and equity for everyone. In order to aggregate the power anddevelop the scale required to implement change at local, regional, state, andfederal levels, CCF invests in the collaborative endeavors of organizations whoshare values and have a common vision of solutions. CCF looks for groupspromoting innovative, community-led solutions to the most intractable social andecological issues. Through its different funds, CCF is able to support mature andsophisticated organizations, which tend to have greater capacity, as well asnewly emerging organizations with pioneering ideas. CCF is often one of the firstto invest in good ideas and new organizations.Below are a few examples of CCF grant recipients, which demonstrate the rangeof organizations and issues that we support.All of Us or None, a project of Legal Services for Prisoners With Children, inSan Francisco, CaliforniaAll of Us or None (AOUON) is a project of Legal Services for Prisoners withChildren. The project works to organize and build leadership among formerlyincarcerated people who in turn work to advance criminal-justice reform and towin full restoration of civil rights for people with incarceration or convictions intheir past. The organization is working to eliminate the many forms ofdiscrimination that exclude people with prior convictions from eligibility foremployment, education, housing, voting, or public benefits. AOUON alsoadvocates for alternatives to prisons and policing. The organizations efforts areheadquartered in the Bay Area and include six other chapters in California andtwo outside the State in Texas and Oklahoma. The year 2015 was historic for Allof Us or None. The organization conceived of the Ban the Box campaign overten years ago to combat discrimination against people with criminal records in employment and public housing. The successful adoption of Ban the Box policiesin San Francisco and Oakland was then parlayed statewide. Today more than100 cities or counties and 22 states have removed questions about convictionhistory from their public-employment applications. After coordinated advocacy atthe federal level, All of Us or None and their allies announced their biggestvictory yet when, in November 2015, President Obama took executive action toban the box on applications for federal employment.Causa Justa :: Just Cause in San Francisco, CaliforniaCausa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC) is a multi-racial, grassroots organizationbuilding community leadership to achieve justice for low-income Bay Arearesidents, with a focus on housing rights and access to affordable housing.Despite the Bay Areas reputation as one of the most progressive places in thenation, persistent racial and economic inequality, in combination with the out-of control housing market, is leading to the rapid displacement of working families.Elected officials throughout the region have acknowledged that the acceleratingdisplacement of low-income Black and Latino communities and lack of access toquality affordable housing constitutes a real housing crisis. However, there hasbeen a distinct void in government leadership for the kind of bold andcomprehensive solutions that are required to effectively address this crisis. In2015, CJJC continued to ramp up its housing-rights education, organizing, andadvocacy work. CJJC provided urgent tenant-rights education to nearly 4,000residents in San Francisco and Oakland who are facing the threat of eviction orother tenant-rights violations. The organization has been stretching to meet therapidly increasing demand for housing-rights counseling due to the sharpincrease in evictions, rent increases, and incidents of landlord harassmentintended to push out low-income tenants. CJJC helped lead one of the mostsignificant policy improvements to tenant protections in San Francisco in recentyears: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approvelegislation dubbed Evictions Protections 2.0, which will help stem the rapidincrease in evictions.Native American Community Board in Lake Andes, South DakotaThe mission of the Native American Community Board (NACB) is to addresshealth issues pertinent to their community through cultural preservation, womenshealth programs, environmental and natural resource protection, and communityempowerment. NACB serves Native Americans in its home community of theYankton Sioux Reservation in eastern South Dakota and nationally. NACB has helped numerous survivors of domestic violence, they have significantlyexpanded access to emergency contraception, and they have helped strengthenthe voices of Native women and their families in the public-policy arena. NACBswork has had a tremendous impact in their community, and the organization hasextended their work to support community clinics in Oklahoma and New Mexico.Four Directions Mission, South DakotaFour Directions is committed to the full enfranchisement of Native communities.Their work began in 2002 with voter-registration drives on Sioux reservations inSouth Dakota. Since then, the organization has expanded to partner with tribes inNevada, Arizona, Montana, North Carolina, Minnesota, North Dakota, and SouthDakota. Four Directions together with a group of allied organizations and civilrights attorneys has successfully demonstrated that barriers to voting for ruralNative communities are a violation of the Voting Rights Act. As a result, theyhave pushed state governments to establish new satellite offices for early inpersonvoting on reservations in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. FourDirections has secured these offices through negotiations on behalf of the tribesand their members or through litigation by filing suit over voting-rights violationsin Federal Court. Four Directions also conducts get-out-the-vote efforts in IndianCountry and has been successful in increasing Native voter turnout over a seriesof election cycles in South Dakota and more recently in Minnesota, Montana,Nevada, and North Dakota. Through the groundbreaking satellite-office model,the organization has increased voter turnout in some target areas by 100 percentor more. In May of 2015, Four Directions was pleased to announce that theDepartment of Justice has put forward the Tribal Equal Access to Voting Act,new draft legislation intended to ensure that American Indians and AlaskaNatives have the same opportunities to vote as other Americans.Got Green in Rainier Valley, WATargeted Local Hire Victory: Got Green organizes in the Rainier Valley, WA,where 77% of residents are people of color and the unemployment rate is doublethat of Seattle as a whole. A new study shows that less than 10% of constructionjobs on City-funded projects go to city residents. Got Greens South Seattle JobsCommittee has successfully waged a grassroots campaign to pass a citywideordinance in the Seattle City Council to guarantee construction jobs and trainingopportunities for workers living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.They were able to achieve this by recruiting and training 20 unemployed workers,Southeast Seattle residents, and coalition partners to testify at hearings,mobilizing their membership to make over 100 phone calls and emails to targetedcouncil members, and convening a TLH coalition of over 40 groups with a united media strategy. Got Green is currently in the midst of working with labor,community groups, and City officials to make sure this ordinance is implementedand enforced.CEJA, California Environmental Justice AllianceYears of hard work paid off for the California Environmental Justice Alliance(CEJA), in 2015, when the group establish the nations largest solar programdedicated to expanding access to low-income Californians. The new MultifamilyAffordable Housing Solar Roofs programcreated from the passage of AB 693,which was authored by Assembly Member Susan Eggmanwill install 300megawatts of solar directly on apartment buildings in disadvantagedcommunities, and has dedicated funding of $1 billion over ten years. Thisground-breaking program is one of the largest statewide renewable investmentsin disadvantaged communities. It presents an unprecedented opportunity toblanket low-income neighborhoods with rooftop solar energy systems, whilecreating thousands of local jobs, investing millions of dollars in theneighborhoods that need it the most, and creating a nationwide model forequitable energy democr 1068557 Fiscal SponsorshipCommon Counsel Foundations fiscal-sponsorship programensures the health and vitality of the sponsored community-led organizations andtheir leaders and promotes coordination and learning in the philanthropic sector.In 2015, CCF acted as fiscal sponsor for the Kindle Project, The Windcall Institute, RoadMap and the Bay Area Justice Funders Network.The Kindle Project seeks to foster creative ideas to inspire and supportpossibilities for transformational change.The Windcall Institute supports the development and sustainability of leaders,which is a key to ensuring strong, healthy visionary organizations.RoadMap is a national network of organizational-development consultantsdedicated to serving social-justice organizations. Roadmap serves as a forum forpeer exchange and innovation among organizational-development consultants.The Bay Area Justice Funders Network promotes learning and coordinationamong donors to strengthen grantmaking for social justice. 220541 Philanthropic Services Common Counsel Foundation provides strategicphilanthropic advice, grants management, and administration and accountingsupport to independent foundations that share our commitment to equity andenvironmental health. CCF assists its clients in streamlining their grantmakingprocesses and deepening their impact. In addition to the services already noted,CCF helps clients refine their grantmaking strategy and provides research, duediligence, grant recommendations, trustee support, and legal compliance.CCF taps community advisors, each of whom is a leader in the philanthropicsector and has deep connections to community-led organizations and whoseknowledge and expertise adds to the knowledge and expertise of CommonCounsels staff. CCFs community advisors and staff ensure that the organizationis aware of the latest innovations emerging from local communities and ofpioneering solutions developed by local leaders. CCFs staff and advisors are able to identify community leaders who have exciting vision and organizationswith promising new models and approaches. 2731159 true true false true false false false false false false true true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false true 55 0 true 11 true false false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false false false false X 7 7 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false CA X X Common Counsel Foundation 5108342995 1624 Franklin St Suite 1022 Oakland CA 94612 Dan Ringer-Barwick Chair 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Michelle Natividad Rodriguez Secretary 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Anthony Reese Treasurer 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Laura Livoti CEO 40.00 0.00 X X 96062 0 10767 Mark Kelley Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Denns Quirin Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 China Ching Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ron Rowell Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Carly Hare Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Garrett Collins Trustee 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 96062 10767 0 false false false Emily Goldfarb 1521 Rivera Street San Francisco CA 94116 Consulting 131778 1 35750 3669469 380537 3705219 Fees 561000 523561 523561 523561 1511 1511 0 0 0 133295 134516 -1221 -1221 -1221 0 0 0 Misc 900099 1002 1002 1002 4230072 524853 X 1442061 1442061 0 0 0 80582 13338 33622 33622 0 455691 317120 90559 48012 0 54651 35215 12411 7025 43001 26257 9839 6905 0 1095 1095 14685 14685 0 0 0 886107 765983 99336 20788 0 35288 21852 5126 8310 19483 17798 1003 682 0 27971 18308 6675 2988 17649 10303 2814 4532 0 42999 31673 4782 6544 0 0 3538 3538 3185 3185 Events 23637 23637 Member Fund Expenses 4686 4686 Equipment Rental 3140 1755 1068 317 Misc. Expenses 2754 2504 250 1173 1173 3163376 2731159 292242 139975 19421 6311 1341900 2019081 79930 265500 35808 10598 0 0 0 0 6848 6871 20599 13683 9184 6916 0 174115 730219 0 0 2009 2269 1669215 3047765 100713 146659 265811 5778 5875 106491 418345 X 1421360 2394559 141364 234861 1562724 2629420 1669215 3047765 1066696 X false true X true false X 4187185 2088858 1663097 1480229 3707787 13127156 0 0 4187185 2088858 1663097 1480229 3707787 13127156 5465702 7661454 3116 60333 50574 9774 209 124006 0 4879 22458 3456 1002 31795 13282957 2111892 0.57680 0.47420 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED false false false 293851 304156 289754 887761 1331642 6300 8000 7000 21300 73463 76039 72439 221941 332912 5000 5000 Part II-B, Line 1i - Other Activities Description Grants were given to the following groups to travel to meet with legislators or their staff on specific legislation.- 9 to 5 Los Angeles, National Association of Working Women $1,000;- Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy & Leadership $500;- California Environmental Justice Alliance $1,000;- California Nail Salon Cooperative $1200;- Desis Rising Up & Moving $600;- Mujeres Unidas y Activas $2,000. 19948 13264 6684 651 419 232 6916 730219 4262805 32733 32733 4230072 4230072 3196109 32733 32733 3163376 3163376 true 501c3 330 7th Avenue 19th Floor New York NY 10001 521332694 25000 0 Economic Justice Alliance for a Just Society PO Box 113 Butte MT 59703 911635554 501(c)3 15500 0 Native American Community Empowerme American Jewish World Service 45 W 36th Street New York NY 11222 222584370 501(c)3 10000 0 Economic Justice California Calls 4801 Exposition Blvd Los Angeles CA 90016 462301623 501(c)3 20000 0 Voter Rights/Civic Engagement California Indian EnviromAli 526 Grand Avenue Oakland CA 94610 270861293 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme Causa Justa PO Box 3596 Oakland CA 94609 550883038 501(c)3 41000 0 Housing/Homelessness/Tenant rights Center for American Progress 1333 H St NW 10 Flr Washington DC 20005 300126510 501(c)3 100000 0 Immigrant and Refugee Rights Center for Civic Policy 3415 Carlisle NE Albuqueque NM 87110 100869701 501(c)3 6667 0 Native American Community Empowerme Center for Constitutional Rights 666 Broadway New York NY 10012 226082880 501(c)3 25000 0 Human Rights/ Civil Rights Center for Food Safety-Hawaii 1132 Bishop Suite 2107 Honolulu HI 96813 522165893 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme Center for New Community 47 West Division 514 Chicago IL 60610 364017728 501(c)3 145000 0 Immigrant and Refugee Rights Chief Seattle Club 410 - 2nd Avenue Extension So Seattle WA 98104 910852503 501(c)3 5013 0 Native American Community Empowerme Chinese Progressive Association 1042 Grant Avenue 5th Floor San Francisco CA 94133 237404756 501(c)3 20000 0 Economic Justice City College Fund 160 Convent Ave Shepard Hall 166 New York NY 10031 131760098 501(c)3 25000 0 General Operating Support Coalition of Large Tribes 28596-279th Ave -POB 194 Mission SD 57555 461954879 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme Cooperation Texas 5604 Manor Road Austin TX 78723 274436029 501(c)3 10000 0 Economic Development Dolores Street Community Serv 938 Valencia Street San Francisco CA 94103 942919302 501(c)3 20000 0 Workers' Rights Earth Ways Foundation Inc PO Box 184 451 Meadow Way San Geronimo CA 94963 954021351 501(c)3 5500 0 Media Access East Michigan Environmental A 4605 Cass Avenue Detroit MI 48201 237241219 501(c)3 11000 0 Environmental Justice Fuerza Unida 710 New Laredo Hwy San Antonio TX 78213 742615917 501(c)3 10000 0 Workers' Rights Gwichin Steering Committee PO Box 70164 Fairbanks AK 99707 920131608 501(c)3 10500 0 Environmental Justice Hawaii Alliance for Progress 1525 Pensacola St303 Honolulu HI 96822 465537123 501(c)3 10520 0 Native American Community Empowerme Institute for Policy Studies 1112 16th St NW Ste 600 Washington DC 20036 520788947 501(c)3 25000 0 Policy/Research Justice Now 1372 Mission Street San Francisco CA 94103 421559699 501(c)3 20000 0 LGBT Rights Kentucky Coalition 402 King Avenue Fayetteville WV 25840 311113237 501(c)3 10500 0 Environmental Justice Legal Services for Prisoners 1540 Market St Suite 490 San Francisco CA 94102 943080408 501(c)3 51500 0 Criminal Justice Movement Strategy Center 570 14th Street Ste 6 Oakland CA 94612 201037643 501(c)3 52000 0 Economic Justice Mujeres Unidas y Activas 2783 East 12th Street Unit 2 Oakland CA 94601 202986926 501(c)3 41000 0 Immigrant and Refugee Rights National Domestic Workers All 395 Hudson St 4th Flr New York NY 10014 352420942 501(c)3 12500 0 Workers' Rights Native American Community Boa PO BOX 572 Lake Andes SD 57356 460392867 501(c)3 10520 0 Native American Community Empowerme Native American Community Dev 1414 E Franklin Ave Minneapolis MN 55404 412117257 501(c)3 20500 0 Native American Community Empowerme Native Movement PO BOX 613 Flagstaff AZ 86002 680535413 501(c)3 10500 0 Native American Community Empowerme Native Public Media Inc PO BOX 3955 Flagstaff AZ 86003 800672072 501(c)3 6667 0 Native American Community Empowerme Native Youth Leadership Allia PO BOX 241 Pine Ridge SD 57770 272503270 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme NEO Philanthropy 45 West 36th St 6th Flr New York NY 10018 133191113 501(c)3 45000 0 Climate Justice New Israel Fund 703 Market St Ste 1503 San Francisco CA 94103 942607722 501(c)3 25000 0 Peace & Justice New Israel Fund 703 Market Street Suite 1503 San Franscisco CA 94103 942607722 501(c)3 25000 0 Peace & Justice New Venture Fund Groundwells 1201 Connecticut Ave NW 300 Washington DC 20036 205806345 501(c)3 35000 0 Reproductive Justice Open Arms Perinatal Services 2524 16th Ave S Ste 207A Seattle WA 98144 911868021 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme PODER Earth & Resources PO Box 6237 Austin TX 78762 742682311 501(c)3 10000 0 Environmental Justice Praxis Project 7731 Alaska Avenue Washington DC 20012 300044814 501(c)3 6000 0 Resource for Organizing Proteus Fund 15 Research Dr Suite 8 Amherst MA 10002 043243004 501(c)3 30000 0 Racial Justice Public Campaign 1133 19th Street NW 9th Flr Washington DC 20036 522003442 501(c)3 10000 0 General Operating Support Red Lodge Transition Services 165 NE Morgan Street Portland OR 97238 208341064 501(c)3 10000 0 Native American Community Empowerme REDOIL PO Box 241614 Anchorage AK 99503 262650809 501(c)3 10000 0 Environmental Justice San Francisco Jewish Film Festiv 145 Ninth Street Suite 200 San Francisco CA 94103 942854068 501(c)3 7500 0 Film/Documentary/Publication Seventh Generation Fund 120 Broadway Ste 105 Santa Monica CA 90401 680227247 501(c)3 6667 0 Native American Community Empowerme SFOPPIA 1336 Arroyo Avenue San Carlos CA 94070 942716470 501(c)3 20000 0 Housing/Homelessness/Tenant rights Sunflower Community Action 1751 N Ash Av Witchita KS 67214 481126805 501(c)3 10000 0 Environmental Justice Texas Organizing Project Educ 2404 Caroline Street Houston TX 77004 271481855 501(c)3 10000 0 Environmental Justice Tides Center 1012 Torney Avenue San Francisco CA 94129 943213100 501(c)3 20500 0 Immigrant and Refugee Rights Virginia Org Project South PO Box 905 Applalachia VA 24216 641674992 501(c)3 10000 0 Environmental Justice Western Native Voice 220 South 27th St Suite C Billings MT 59417 453771715 501(c)3 10520 0 Native American Community Empowerme Womens Donors Network 565 Commercial St Suite 300 San Francisco CA 94111 500542397 501(c)3 8000 0 Resource for Organizing Womens Foundation of Californ 340 Pine St Suite 302 San Francisco CA 94104 942752421 501(c)3 25000 0 Workers' Rights Workers Center for Racial Jus 500 East 61st St 2nd Flr Chicago IL 60637 454461270 501(c)3 6000 0 Racial Justice Workers Defense Proj Proyect 5604 Manor Road Austin TX 78723 352296166 501(c)3 10000 0 Workers' Rights World Trust 8115 McCormick Avenue Oakland CA 94605 943362739 501(c)3 10000 0 Racial Justice 55 42 Grantmaker's Description of How Grants are Used Grant Selection team determines that recipients are qualified to receive grants for charitable purposes. Program Officers verify that grants were used for appropriate charitable purposes based on programmatic and financial reports grantees provide to CCF. Many grantees are groups with which the Program Officers have had knowledge of over many years. Program Officers often attend grantee events to observe grantee activities. X 3 450882 false false false Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process The draft Form 990 is reviewed by staff before being forwarded to the Board Chair and Treasurer, who review the Form 990 and make comments or corrections. Prior to filing, the completed Form 990 is distributed to the full Board of Trustees Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts All Trustees of the CCF Board have read and understood the conflict of interest policy as indicated by their signature on the form. Trustees are asked to renew their commitment to the policy and to re-sign the form annually at the first meeting of the Board of Trustees each year. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a: Compensation Review & Approval Process - CEO, Top Management The Board of Trustees reviews salary surveys from various sources, including the Council on Foundations and Exponent Philanthropy and determines the salary for the CEO based on comparable data and the CEOs experience. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b: Compensation Review and Approval Process for Officers and Key Employees The CEO follows a similar process for determining the salaries of key staff, reviewing salary surveys from a variety of sources, including the Council on Foundations and Exponent Philanthropy. Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available CCF makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public by request.