Letter from the President

This past year has been an electrifying time for Threshold Foundation. There was a major 
reorganization of our grants committees last year and this year was the time to see if the fruits
of our labors would be realized. Had we listened long and hard enough to what direction the
community was trying to take us? Was all the hard work and due diligence of the previous year
going to pay off?
Al Gore met with us at a Threshold conference two years ago, before he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
His message was clear at that time: a sustainable planet and the democracy to allow it to happen
are where the world needs us to focus our time and energy. He confirmed what we already knew.
This past year Bill McKibben, Harvey Wasserman and Mark Ritchie spoke to us at our June
conference. Again we heard how important sustainability and democracy are to our future and the
planet’s future.
Our community was convinced. Last year we brought one of the largest grants pools in recent
history to the table. Our two core grant committees, Sustainable Planet and Democracy were able to
make some of the most significant and substantial grants in their areas of focus. Sustainable Planet
targeted work that addresses Community-based Solutions, Ecological Hotspots and Averting Mass
Extinction. They also accelerated two timely grants in 2007 to support work on Climate Change,
which the committee has taken on as a new area of focus for 2008. The Democracy Committee
funded efforts to: ensure integrity in election processes and voting equipment; empower marginalized
communities to register, vote and challenge barriers to voting access; and limit the influence of big
money special interests in governmental processes, especially elections and legislation.
A spectacular one-two punch.
This was all done in the midst of also generously funding our new Funding Circle initiatives;
Restorative Justice, International Microcredit, and Gulf South Allied Funders. Funding Circles were
our response to the varied and specific interests that we see in our donor community that fluctuate
with time and the current state of affairs globally. We wanted to harness this energy and bring it
back into the Threshold fold for everyone’s benefit.
Restorative Justice sought to promote alternatives to the modus operandi of the American criminal
justice system. International Microcredit provided funding for indigenous microfinance institutions
 (MFI’s) and critically needed capital for local entrepreneurs in developing regions throughout the
world. Gulf South Allied Funders is a donor initiative formed in response to the devastation by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It was also a way for us to build ties between donor communities — with
whom GSAF is in collaboration — to strengthen our ability to work together and fund strategically.
While still in its infancy, Funding Circles look like a homerun. Initially there was concern that this
initiative might affect our core committees’ capacity to give. How could we fund both of these areas
in a meaningful way? Would we be competing with ourselves?
The answer was a resounding “no.” Not only did we increase our grants pool giving, we exponentially
expanded our capacity to give as a community in all of our initiatives. There was a 15.7% increase in
the number of people giving and a whopping 56% increase in dollar amount given to all initiatives
from last year. A great lesson…In my own life I refer to it “Act as if” or faith with due diligence. We
acted as if we had the capacity to hold all of these wonderful initiatives, did our homework and
watched it manifest itself. Thank you.
Looking into 2008 we are riding a wonderful wave of momentum. There is increased vigor in our
two core grantmaking committees and an increase in the number of funding circles from three to
five. The three funding circles returning for their second year are Restorative Justice, International
Microcredit and Gulf South Allied Funders. The two new funding circles are Complementary
Currency and Arts for Social Change.
Will we be able to sustain our capacity to give? I think so…with faith and the perseverance to do our
homework, I believe we are nowhere near our limit to manifest what we seek!

With love and gratitude,

Michele Grennon
Threshold Foundation
2007 Grants List

Following a two-year process of change 

and development, Threshold launched a
newly re-designed Grants Program in 2007.
We established two new Core Committees:
Democracy and Sustainable Planet, and
introduced a new philanthropic form for
Threshold: Funding Circles.

The Democracy and Sustainable Planet

Committees are the more permanent,
institutional fixtures in Threshold’s
philanthropic constellation. Funding Circles
are authorized in a yearly charter process and
remain in the foundation’s orbit for a more
limited scope of work or length of time.

For more information about current

Core Committee and Funding Circle
guidelines and funding criteria, please visit
the Threshold Foundation website at
www.thresholdfoundation.org
 Democracy Committee
2007 grants—$342,000

“ To save t he democracy we thought we had, we must take

aemocracy to where it ’s never been” Frances Moore Lappé —

 To save our democracy we must put citizens at the center of the problem solving. We must ask, “How corrupt
has our system of government become?” “Why are Americans voting in such low numbers, especially low income
people, the young, marginalized constituencies and the formerly incarcerated?”
In 2007, the committee supported efforts to: ensure integrity in election processes and voting equipment;
empower marginalized communities to register, vote and challenge barriers to voting access; limit the influence of
big money special interests in governmental processes so that they do not enjoy favored status or unfair access
to decision makers.

Arizona Advocacy Network and 3) to present an effective alternative in an open and

accountable government that is responsive to the needs of
A statewide progressive coalition working for economic
all Californians.
security, environmental protection and social justice
$30,000 — General Support
by making political power accessible to all Arizonans,
Los Angeles, CA • www.caclean.org
regardless of socio-economic conditions, gender
identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or geography.
Its mission is to build a broad-based, non-partisan Center for Civic Action
coalition of grassroots and advocacy organizations Seeks to engage voters in socially responsible policies and
and leaders throughout Arizona that develops and support organizations and emerging leaders. Through its
strengthens leadership, promotes social justice, and Statewide Clean Elections Campaign, CCA hopes to assist in
articulates and advocates a peoples’ agenda for Arizona. winning statewide clean elections for New Mexico.
$30,000 — Democracy and Elections Project $40,000 — Statewide Clean Election Campaign
Phoenix, AZ • www.azadvocacy.org Albuquerque, NM • www.civicpolicy.com

California Clean Money Campaign Columbus Institute for Contemporary

Works to bring about progressive social change Journalism
through education about campaign finance reform; Dedicated to promoting media independence through
specifically, full public financing of California state alternative and diverse voices. Its outlets are the internet,
elections. Its mission is 1) to educate organizations a bimonthly journal, book publishing, radio programs and
and the general public about the alarming, non-stop video production. For its 2008 Election Protection project,
escalation of political campaign costs; 2) to foster CICJ will organize a grassroots coalition to investigate,
understanding of how money in politics distorts public report on, and monitor the electronic voting system in Ohio.
policy, deters potential candidates from running,
$12,000 — 2008 Election Protection
and compromises the entire democratic process; Columbus, OH • www.freepress.org
Democracy Unlimited of Humbolt build a progressive governing majority in our lifetime.
County / California Center for The League’s Unlock the Vote project in PA focuses on
increasing voter turnout and awareness about voting
Community Democracy
generally among ex-offenders in the Pittsburgh area
Educating citizens regarding the corporate seizure of (Allegheny County).
our government, DUHC has a demonstrated history of
$30,000 — Pennsylvania League’s Unlock the Vote
successfully designing and implementing innovative Project
grassroots strategies that exercise democratic power Brooklyn, NY • www.indyvoter.org
over corporations. Building from its own sucesses, its
Community Rights Project will produce tools to assist
other communities interested in passing ordinances to
MAPLight.org
forbid corporate political contributions. A groundbreaking public database, MAPlight.org
$30,000 — Community Rights Project illuminates the connection between campaign
Eureka, CA • www.duhc.org donations and legislative votes in unprecedented

ways. Elected officials collect large sums of money
to run their campaigns, and have been suspected
Families United for Racial and of paying back campaign contributors with special
Economic Equality access and favorable laws. MAPLight.org makes
A multiracial, woman led membership organization money/vote connections transparent, to help citizens
made up of low-income and no-income workers, hold their legislators accountable.
FUREE organizes to affect the welfare system so $30,000 — Outreach
that all people’s work is valued and all people have Berkeley, CA • www.maplight.org
the right to choose their own destinies and earn
the economic means to live them out. The Electoral
Engagement for Power Project uses political
Velvet Revolution
education, leadership development and grassroots Dedicated to clean, transparent, and accountable
mobilization to increase voter engagement and government. Its Election Protection Strike force for
turnout of low-income families in New York City. 2008 will work with partners and whistleblowers to
investigate and expose election fraud issues in order
$30,000 — Electoral Engagement for Power
Brooklyn, NY • www.furee.org to educate the public and officials before the next
election.
$25,000 — Election Protection Strike Force 2008
Latina Initiative Washington, DC • www.velvetrevolution.us
A non-partisan voter outreach and civic engagement
organization whose mission is to cultivate, support
and maintain the civic involvement of Latinas in
Voter Action / International
Colorado. Latina Initiative is the premier nonprofit
Humanities Center
increasing civic engagement of the Latina community. Provides financial, legal, research and logistical
$30,000 — General Support support for grassroots efforts with the goal of
Denver, CO • www.latinainitiative.org ensuring the integrity of elections in the United
States. A lawsuit was filed in state court on January
14, 2005. The primary purpose of this action is
League of Independent Voters to obtain a permanent injunction against use of
Organizes 17–35 year olds to build a progressive the voting machines that have been linked to the
governing majority in their lifetime. It develops problems in the 2004 general election.
leaders and builds political power to fight for public $55,000 — General Support
policies which reflect their core values and seeks to Seattle, WA • www.voteraction.org
 Sustainable Planet Committee
2007 grants—$352,000
How do we meet the needs of people now without compromising the
needs of future generations? How do we bring all human activities
into harmony with nature for the benefit of all beings?
 To face these questions, we must transform both human culture and technology to live within the physical
limits of the local and global ecosystems. Most urgently, this implies protecting threatened ecosystems to
preserve biodiversity and prevent extinction. This in turn will require addressing global ecological issues such
as climate change, empowering local and indigenous communities and deploying new clean technologies.
In 2007, this committee funded in three areas of focus: Community-based Solutions, Ecological Hotspots, and
Averting Mass Extinction.

Alliance for Sustainable Colorado systems. It is its mission to catalyze, strengthen, and
connect these local networks.
Works to achieve environmental, economic and social
$20,000 — General Support
sustainability in Colorado through building broad
San Francisco, CA • www.livingeconomies.org
support among individuals, nonprofit organizations,
businesses and government. The Alliance facilitates
relationships and common goals and agendas among California Academy of Sciences
individuals, nonprofit organizations, businesses and Enables scientists to conduct vital research around
government to unify support behind jointly backed the Bay Area, across the United States, and in the
policy initiatives that consider long-term impacts. It world’s hotspots of biodiversity. It plays an important
provides the nucleus for a statewide sustainability role in empowering teachers across the state with
movement for Colorado and a model for sustainability resources and training, and providing education
movements in other states. outreach programs directly to underserved youth.
$25,000 — General Support Steinhart Aquarium and world-class exhibits are
Denver, CO • www.allianceforcolorado.org one example. As a project of California Academy
of Sciences, the mission of Center for Biodiversity
Business Alliance for Local Living Research and Information (CBRI) is to foster and
Economies disseminate integrative, multidisciplinary research
based on the biodiversity data residing in CAS
A rapidly growing alliance of 35 local business
specimen collections. CBRI applies a wide range of
networks comprising over 12,000 entrepreneurs and
geospatial tools and analysis to museum biodiversity
small company owners from across the U.S. and
data to understand and communicate changing
Canada who are collaborating to build diversified local
patterns of species distributions.
economies that support community life and natural
$35,000 — Center for Biodiversity Research and
Information
San Francisco, CA • www.calacademy.org
Energy Action Coalition / Earth Global Cooling / Planetwork
Island Institute An informal group of collaborating scientists from the
A coalition of more than 40 organizations from across the US and UK examining an idea for creating a controlled
US and Canada, founded and led by youth to help support global cooling to balance global warming resulting
and strengthen the student and youth clean energy from burning fossil fuel. Its Cloud Seeding to Avert
movement in North America. Funding supports the Catastrophic Global Warming project will assess and
Lobby Day and Rally components of Power Shift 2007. develop a scheme for mitigating global warming via
$25,000 — Power Shift 2007 low lying maritime clouds.
Washington, DC • www.powershift07.org $25,000 — Cloud Seeding to Avert Catastrophic
Global Warming
Boulder, CO • http://planetwork.net/climate/cooling
Environmental Law Alliance
Worldwide
Global Response 
Gives public interest lawyers and scientists around
the world the skills and resources they need to Empowers people of all ages, cultures, and nationalities
protect the environment through law. Its advocates to protect the environment by creating partnerships for
serve low-income communities around the world, effective citizen action. At the request of indigenous
helping citizens strengthen and enforce laws to peoples and grassroots organizations, Global Response
protect themselves and their communities from toxic organizes urgent international letter campaigns to help
pollution and environmental degradation. Its advocates communities prevent many kinds of environmental
are building a sustainable future by helping citizens destruction. Global Response involves young people as
participate in policy decisions about the environment. well as adults in these campaigns to develop in them
By giving grassroots advocates access to critical legal the values and skills for global citizen cooperation and
and scientific resources, E-LAW strengthens these earth stewardship.
advocates to challenge environmental abuses and $30,000 — General Support
pursue environmental justice. Boulder, CO • www.globalresponse.org

$25,000 — General Support

Eugene, OR • www.elaw.org Green Empowerment
Promotes community-based renewable energy,
Friends of Calakmul potable water delivery and related watershed
Works to conserve 350,000 acres of prime jaguar restoration internationally to generate social and
habitat in the southwest Buffer Zone of the Calakmul environmental progress. It emphasizes local leadership,
Biosphere Reserve, by providing local owners with community participation, and long-term economic and
economic benefits derived from conservation of their environmental sustainability.
land. To date, FOC has signed landmark agreements $20,000 — General Support
with more than 200 families that permanently protect Portland, OR • www.greenempowerment.org
more than 250,000 acres of rainforest.
$25,000 — General Support
Tahoe City, CA • www.calakmul.org
 National Council of Churches Species Alliance
For 25 years the NCC has worked through its 100,000 Works to raise public awareness of the impending mass
local churches and 45 million members to mobilize the extinction and the threat to Earth’s life support systems
faith community around such issues as global warming, due to this loss of biodiversity. Through films and other
energy, water conservation, toxics, and sustainability. Its media, its website, and outreach, it seeks to ignite a
Faithful Stewardship campaign will mobilize America’s new sense of community empowerment and purpose,
faith community around the global extinction crisis. in order to stimulate creative and effective changes in
$25,000 — Faithful Stewardship’s Project to Mobilize public policies and human behavior that will assure a
America’s Faith Community on the Global Extinction Crisis healthy future for all life on Earth.
New York, NY • www.nccecojustice.org $37,500 — General Support
Emeryville, CA • www.speciesalliance.org
Red de Permacultura en el Peru
An NGO of permaculture experts skilled in Amazon Sustainable Connections
sustainability projects. The Rainforest Protection- Works with local, independently owned businesses
Achual Sustainable Harvests Project supports the that have the autonomy to make any transformational
Achuales, a native people of the Peruvian Amazon, who change in their business that they can imagine to
wish to protect their 4,000 acres of native rainforest reexamine where we buy goods and services, how we
land through stabilization of their native community, consume energy, grow and distribute our food, build
permanent agriculture and reforestation. homes, and even, how we define success in business.
$14,500 — Rainforest Protection-Achual Sustainable $20,000 — General Support
Harvests Project Bellingham, WA • www.sconnect.org
Pucallpa, Peru • website not available

The Regeneration Project

Seeks to deepen the connection between faith and
ecology. TRP educates and encourages faith leaders
and their communities, across all religions and
denominations, about their responsibility to be good
stewards of Creation.
$25,000 — Interfaith Power and Light Campaign
San Francisco, CA • www.theregenerationproject.org
 2007 Funding Circle
Gulf South Allied Funders
2007 grants—$177,000

Mission Gulf South Allied Funders (GSAF) is a donor initiative formed in response to the devastation by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Its objectives include:


• Generating at least three years of steady financial support from individual donors, donor
communities and foundations, for equitable rebuilding of the Gulf South.
• Discussing the ongoing human rights violations in the region, and the ways in which the very
personal tragedies of the people in the area have national implications.
• Building the ties between donor communities in order to strengthen our ability to work
together strategically.
• Raising the capacity and visibility of the Twenty-First Century Foundation (21CF) - one of
the few national and publicly endowed Black foundations in the United States.
• Facilitating positive changes in public policy.

Twenty-First Century Foundation

The destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed the lives of thousands of
individuals and families along the Gulf Coast. 21CF responded within days of the disaster, by
establishing the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund, with a mission to provide targeted support
to rebuild the lives of black and low-income people and communities directly impacted by
the hurricanes. This special initiative involves collaborating with partner organizations in the
affected regions and mobilizing individuals and organizational allies from different parts of
the country to ensure that resources get to the people who need them most. Its priority is
to make strategic grants for relief, recovery, and advocacy efforts that provide a voice for all
people in the rebuilding plans for the region, and that promote long-term equitable solutions.
$177,000 — Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund
New York, NY • www.21cf.org
 2007 Funding Circle
Restorative Justice
2007 grants—$146,000

10
Mission The mission of the Restorative Justice Funding Circle is to promote humane alternatives to
the current modus operandi of American criminal justice. It supports efforts to (1) prevent
imprisonment, particularly lengthy, Draconian sentences; (2) transform imprisonment from
a period of suffering and debilitation into a period of healing, growth and empowerment,
including victim-offender dialogue and reconciliation, spiritual and emotional healing, and
vocational endowment; (3) diagnose and treat prisoners with mental health and/or substance
abuse problems; (4) support prisoners’ families during and after incarceration; and (5) steward
and mentor prisoners when they return home. In 2007, the Funding Circle focused on endeavors
to transform, heal, motivate, and empower prisoners, all with the principal goal of reducing
recidivism and uplifting the communities to which ex-prisoners return.

Freedom Project Manalive Violence Prevention

Supports the transformation of prisoners into Programs
peacemakers. It offers trainings in concrete skills of Conducts direct services, training, and community
Nonviolent Communication and mindfulness leading to action activities designed to impact the cycle of
reconciliation with ourselves, our loved ones and the violence that devastates the San Francisco community.
community. Its work addresses the healing of relationships Its mission is to end violence, especially men’s violence
ruptured by violence and the forging of community against women and its programs support this.
founded on genuine safety through connection. $20,500 — General Support
$23,500 — General Support San Francisco, CA • www.manaliveinternational.org
Seattle, WA • www.freedom-project.org

Mediation Works
Insight Prison Project Empowers individuals and organizations to resolve their
A community organization that believes community differences peacefully. It teaches conflict resolution
members need to play an active role in the prisons sur- skills and provides mediation services, thereby building
rounding a community. IPP is dedicated to creating and understanding and respect in its diverse community.
conducting effective programs for inmate rehabilitation $13,000 — Empowering Incarcerated Youth
and to support the reinstatement of rehabilitation as a Medford, OR • www.mediation-works.org
core operating principle within the penal system.
$28,500 — General Support
San Rafael, CA • www.insightprisonproject.org
Stop Prisoner Rape 11
A national human rights organization seeking to end sexual
violence against women, men and youth in all forms of detention.
It works to advocate for policies that ensure institutional
accountability, to change society’s attitudes toward prisoner
rape, and to promote access to resources for survivors of sexual
assault behind bars.
$25,500 — Survivor Connections Project
Los Angeles, CA • www.spr.org

The Treatment Advocacy Center

Dedicated to eliminating legal and clinical barriers to timely and
humane treatment for Americans with severe brain disorders
who are not receiving appropriate medical care. Focusing on
schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder),
it works to prevent the devastating consequences of non-
treatment: homelessness, suicide, victimization, worsening of
symptoms, violence, and incarceration.
$15,500 — Manual for Implementing Assisted Outpatient
Treatment
Arlington, VA • www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org

Urban Justice Center

Engages in legal services and grassroots and systemic
advocacy for members of marginalized populations. Its Rights
for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disorders is the only
grassroots, self-governing, direct-action organizing group in the
country that is fighting to reverse current trends and end the
criminalization of mental illness.
$19,500 — Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric
Disabilities
New York, NY • www.urbanjustice.org
 2007 Funding Circle
International Microcredit
2007 grants—$148,000

12
Mission The International Microcredit Funding Circle funds microlending institutions in regions of
the world where people are living in poverty. It directs funds through existing microfinance
institutions that primarily lend to women, and that provide training in business practices,
and if necessary, technical assistance. The funding circle seeks opportunities in which the
money gets recycled into a lending pool and becomes a permanent endowment for change.
Microlending empowers people with ‘an arm and a leg up’ to sustainable self-sufficiency; it
preserves their dignity and promotes self-esteem in the process, rather than providing a
handout, which can be disempowering.

Friendship Bridge NamasteDirect / Namaste

Provides small business loans to women in Guatemala Foundation
and Vietnam who have the energy and foresight to Dedicated to providing loan funds for rural first-time
emerge from the shadows of war and long-standing women borrowers in Central America who have no
poverty. In addition, Friendship Bridge helps organize other source of credit. NamasteDirect links donors
and support village-based health projects while it also with borrowers through providing donors with
provides educational scholarships to over 700 rural information on the loan cycle and the community
school age children. where their funds were distributed as microcredit
$34,000 — Credit and Education program in Guatemala loans.
Evergreen, CO • www.friendshipbridge.org $34,000 — Las Mujeres Rurales 100+ Group
San Francisco, CA • www.namaste-direct.org
Kiva.org
The first online platform for retail microfinance Permacultura America Latina
lending, Kiva.org allows individuals to lend as Works to teach and preserve permaculture and
little as $25 to specific micro-businesses in the create models of sustainable agriculture, appropriate
developing world. It works with a network of housing and alternative technology in Central and
microfinance institutions (MFIs) who use its website South America. The organization’s mission is directed
as a marketplace to attract debt for their clients. Its towards indigenous communities, ethnic minorities,
mission is to connect people through lending for the women’s groups and farmers.
sake of alleviating poverty. $25,000 — Permabanco project
$25,000 — Web and Cell based Microfinance Santa Fe, NM • www.permacultura.org
San Francisco, CA • www.kiva.org
 13

Small Enterprise Foundation

A developmental microfinance institution with the
goal of working towards the elimination of poverty
and unemployment in a sustainable manner by
providing credit for self employment, combined
with savings mobilization and a methodology
that substantially increases the poor’s chances of
successful self-employment.
$30,000 — Microloans program
Limpopo Province, South Africa • www.sef.co.za
 Informal Funding
2007 grants—$248,126

14 Informal Funding occurs at Threshold meetings and raises funds for organizations presented by members to members.
These are closed funding cycles and as such do not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry.

1+1+1=ONE George Washington Carver

$8,600 — We Got Issues! Art and Civic Participation Community Center / Carver
Project Foundation of Norwalk
Brooklyn, NY • www.somosarte.com/Web/WGI
$7,720 — Youth Development Program
Norwalk, CT • http://carvercenterct.org
The 50% League / Zing Foundation
$4,850 — General Support Code Pink / Environmentalism
Arlington, MA • www.50percentleague.org Through Inspiration and Non
Violent Action
Advancement Project $53,900 — Code Pink’s Occupation Project
$12,550 — General Support Venice, CA • www.codepinkalert.org
Los Angeles, CA • http://www.advanceproj.org
Comunicacion Indigena S. C.
Art in Action Youth Leadership $33,050 — Indigenous Media Projects
Program / Youth for Environmental Oaxaca, Mexico • www.clacpi.org
Sanity
$11,400 — Scholarships Deep Streams Institute
Oakland, CA • http://www.artinactioncamp.org
$13,400 — Coming Home Project
San Francisco, CA • www.cominghomeproject.net
Bill Oliver Productions / Classical
Music Consortium of Austin Fund for Reconciliation &
$6,550 — Mother Earth Festival at the Springs: Development
Interactive Arts and Nature
$25,750 — Peter Yarrow Performance and Advocacy
Austin, TX • www.mrhabitat.net
Tour of Vietnam
Dobbs Ferry, NY • www.ffrd.org
One Water Project / Hygeia Soldier’s Heart / International
Foundation Humanities Center
$13,600 — One Water Project in Bolivia $18,350 — General Support
New York, NY • www.hygeia.org Albany, NY • www.mentorthesoul.com/soldiersheart

Non-GMO Project / Ecology Center The New World Foundation

$8,000 — Outreach and Education $16,250 — Arts for Justice Program
Berkeley, CA • www.nongmoproject.org New York, NY • www.newwf.org

Nonviolent Peaceforce TransparentDemocracy.org

$26,300 — Emergency Rapid Response Team to $21,650 — Develop its technology platform for use in
Guatemala the 2008 electoral cycle
Minneapolis, MN • www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org Los Altos Hills, CA • www.TransparentDemocracy.org 15

Peter M. Goodrich Memorial PeaceKeeper Fund / Triskeles

Foundation Foundation
$10,000 — Greenhouse Project in the Wardak region $10,300 — Ja and the Pattaya Home for Street Children
of Afghanistan Glenmoore, PA • www.triskeles.org
Bennington, VT • www.goodrichfoundation.org

True Story Theater

Planetwork $11,700 — Theatre for Dialogue and Reconciliation
$16,500 — Conserving Life: Averting Mass Extinction Project
of Species Arlington, MA • www.truestorytheater.org
Nicasio, CA • www.planetwork.net

Urban Word NYC / Bowery Arts &

Reuniting America / Mediators Science
Foundation $22,800 — General Support
$16,100 — General Support New York, NY • www.urbanwordnyc.org
St. Louis Park, MN • www.reunitingamerica.org

urbanPEACE / Wind Beneath My

Sharon House Garden Project / Wings
Waterbury Baptist Ministries $12,300 — PeaceWELL GREEN Renovation Project
$10,220 — General Support Emeryville, CA • www.urbanpeace.org
Waterbury, CT
 Discretionary Grants
2007 grants—$114,188

16

Alliance for Sustainable Colorado

$10,000 — General Support
Denver, CO • www.allianceforcolorado.org

Climate Trust
$2,180 — General Support
Portland, OR • www.climatetrust.org

CODEPINK Action Fund

$100,000 – Don’t Buy Bush’s War and Occupation
Project
Venice, CA • www.codepinkaction.org

Sustainable Energy and Economic

Development Coalition / Texas
Fund for Energy and Environmental
Education
$2,008 — TXU Action Camp
Austin, TX • www.seedcoalition.org
Information for Grantseekers

Threshold Foundation’s annual grants program includes two Core Grantmaking Committees — the Democracy 17
Committee and the Sustainable Planet Committee — and a number of funding circles, which change on an annual
basis. For current information about Core Committee and Funding Circle guidelines and funding criteria, please
visit the Threshold Foundation website at www.thresholdfoundation.org.

Grants Process
The annual grant cycle begins in September emergency or discretionary grants outside of the
with the submission of Letters of Inquiry (LOI) annual grant cycle.
by organizations interested in seeking grants
Grant amounts typically range from $5,000 to
from Threshold Foundation. Threshold members
$25,000.
may sponsor organizations with a letter of
recommendation or organizations may submit an Organizations seeking grants must have 501(c)(3)
unsolicited LOI. Threshold Foundation does not tax-exempt status or 501(c)(4) lobbying status
match organizations with Threshold members for from the IRS or must be exclusively organized for
sponsorship into the grantmaking process, but charitable or educational purposes, inside or outside
all LOIs are given an initial review. From the LOIs the United States.
the grant committees select a limited number
of organizations to which are sent a Request for
Applying for a Grant
Proposal (RFP). After reviewing the proposals, the
grant committees select a subset of organizations The first step in applying to the annual grant cycle
for a site-visit and evaluation. Once the site-visit is to submit an online Letter of Inquiry through our
and evaluations are complete evaluations are website at www.thresholdfoundation.org. Note that
reviewed and grant committees finalize their grant guidelines for applying to the annual grant cycle
recommendations to the Circle (Board of Directors) often change, as we are continually trying to improve
in June. Grant agreement and funds are disbursed at our process based on feedback from grantees and
the end of July. committee members. Therefore, we recommend that
grantseekers visit the Threshold Foundation’s website
in August for the most up-to-date information
Grant Types and Sizes regarding the deadline and application process for the
Threshold Foundation provides grants for general following year’s cycle.
operating expenses as well as special projects.
Grants are primarily single year though occasionally
grants may be for two to three years. We do not give
 Endowment Investment Report

18 The endowment investment Program Related Investment Loan Amount

principles of Threshold
Foundation complement Accion International $55,000
Boston, MA
its philanthropic goals. www.accion.org
The entire portfolio has
Chicago Community Loan Fund $25,000
a social investment focus Chicago, IL
with positive and negative www.cclfchicago.org
screens: seventy percent is
Community Bank of the Bay $25,000
in socially screened stock, Oakland, CA
www.communitybankbay.com
bonds, and cash with Boston
Common Asset Management, Cooperative Fund of New England $20,000
Calvert, Miller/Howard Amherst, MA
www.cooperativefund.org
Investments, and Trillium
Asset Management; twenty E&Co $50,000
Bloomfield, NJ
percent is in Program Related www.eandco.net
Investments, primarily
Enterprise Corporation of the Delta $35,000
Community Development Jackson, MS
Loan Funds that are listed www.ecd.org
here; the remaining ten
Human/Economic Appalachian Development $20,000
percent has been designated Community Loan Fund
Berea, KY
for high growth, venture-
www.headcorp.org
type investments.
Institute for Community Economics $50,000
Springfield, MA
www.iceclt.org
 Endowment Gifts 19
You can make an endowment
National Federation of Community $50,000 gift to Threshold Foundation
Development CU through a charitable trust, real
New York, NY
estate gift, or by means of a
www.natfed.org
bequest in your will. Because
New Mexico Community Development $30,000 grantee organizations, grantee
Loan Fund needs and other conditions
PO Box 705 change over the years, it will
Albuquerque, NM 87103-0705 often avoid legal complications if
simple unrestricted language like
Opportunity Finance Network $100,000 the following is used in wills:
Philadelphia, PA
www.opportunityfinance.net “I hereby give and bequest _____
______ to Threshold Foundation,
Root Capital $20,000 a not-for-profit tax-exempt
Cambridge, MA public charity founded under the
www.rootcapital.org
laws of the State of New York,
having as its principal address
Self-Help Credit Union $25,000
Durham, NC PO Box 29903, San Francisco,
www.self-help.org California 94129-0903, for the
general purposes of Threshold
Self-Help Enterprises $45,000 Foundation.”
Visalia, CA
www.selfhelpenterprises.com If you want to discuss the
language of your bequest, or
Shared Interest $35,000 if you want more information
New York, NY on planned giving possibilities
www.sharedinterest.org (including real estate gifts),
the staff or Circle (Board of
ShoreBank Enterprise Pacific $50,000
Directors) would be happy to
Ilwaco, WA
www.eco-bank.com meet with you. To schedule a
meeting contact the Foundation
Manager at 415-561-6400.
 Independent Auditor’s Report

20 Board of Directors
Threshold Foundation

We have audited the accompanying statement of financial position of Threshold Foundation (“the
Foundation”) as of December 31, 2006, and the related statements of activities and cash flows for the
year then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Foundation’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. The prior year
summarized comparative information has been derived from the Foundation’s 2005 financial statements
and, in our report dated July 28, 2006, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those statements.
We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of
America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis,
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing
the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the
overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the
financial position of Threshold Foundation as of December 31, 2006, and the changes in net assets and
its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America.

Signed
Fontanello, Duffield & Otake, LLP
Certified Public Accountants
44 Montgomery Street, Suite 2019
San Francisco, CA 94104
Balance Sheet

Statements of Financial Position

Years Ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 2006 2005
21
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 349,900 $ 319,851
Pledges receivable 11,349 13,845
Deposits 121,900 84,552
Other current assets 13,059 8,225
Total current assets 496,208 426,473

Program related investments 535,000 535,000

Investments 2,553,970 2,482,300
Total investments 3,088,970 3,017,300

Total assets 3,585,178 3,443,773

Liabilities
Grants payable $ 6,525 $ 10,000
Accounts payable 13,771 28,399
Refundable deposits 7,845 7,000

Total liabilities 28,141 45,399

Net Assets
Unrestricted net assets
General operations 325,998 303,312
Designated for grantmaking pool 207,295 299,302
Designated for endowment purposes 2,797,629 2,698,680
Total unrestricted net assets 3,330,922 3,301,294

Temporarily restricted net assets 226,116 97,080

Total net assets 3,557,037 3,398,374

Total liabilities and net assets $ 3,585,178 $ 3,443,773

 Income and Expense
Statements of Activities Temporarily 2006 2005
Years Ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 Unrestricted Restricted Total Total

Support and Revenue

Grants and contributions $ 1,146,507 $ 226,116 $ 1,372,623 $ 1,008,770
Conference revenues 144,100 144,100 94,412
Investment income 251,135 251,135 102,601
1,541,742 226,116 1,767,858 1,205,783
Net assets released from restriction 97,080 (97,080) — —
22
Total support and revenue 1,638,822 129,036 1,767,858 1,205,783

Expenses
Program services
Grants 1,137,425 1,137,425 866,735
Conference expenses 67,659 67,659 46,870
Network communications 185,194 185,194 101,293
Total program services 1,390,278 — 1,390,278 1,014,898

Supporting services
Grantmaking support 91,903 91,903 85,450
Board/corporate support 127,014 127,014 122,362
Total supporting services 218,917 — 218,917 207,812

Total expenses 1,609,195 — 1,609,195 1,222,710

Change in Net Assets 29,627 129,036 158,663 (16,927)

Net assets at beginning of year 3,301,294 97,080 3,398,374 3,415,301

Net assets at end of year 3,330,921 226,116 3,557,037 3,398,374

2006 Revenue 2006 Expense

Board/corporate
support 8%
Investment
income 16% Grants and
contributions Grantmaking Grants
75 % support 6% 71%
Conference Network
revenues 9% communications 11%
Conference
expenses 4%
Cash Flows

Statements of Cash Flows

Years Ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 2006 2005
23
Cash flows from operating activities
Increase (decrease) in net assets $158,663 $ (16,927)
Adjustments to reconcile change in net assets to
cash used in operating activities:
Net investment return (251,135) (102,601)
Contibuted stock (146,070) (119,354)
Decrease (increase) in
Pledges receivable 2,496 (3,955)
Deposits (37,348) (26,552)
Other current assets (4,835) (646)
Increase (decrease) in
Grants payable (3,475) (5,000)
Accounts payable (14,628) (297)
Refundable deposits 845 (28,475)
Net cash used in operating activities (295,487) (303,807)

Cash flows from investing activities

Purchase of investments (505,857) (470,291)
Proceeds from sale of investments 817,324 601,168
Return of program related investments — 75,000
Distributions from partnerships 14,069 122,901
Net cash provided by investing activities 325,536 328,778

Net change in cash and cash equivalents 30,049 24,971

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 319,851 294,880

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $349,900 $319,851
 In Memory of
Jane Van D usen

24 Jane Van Dusen, a long time member of Threshold,

died December 10, 2006 at age 82. She suffered a
massive stroke after feeling unwell for a couple of
months and being diagnosed with an aortic embolism.

In 2001 Jane attended the first session of the

Threshold Leadership Institute (created by Grant
Abert and Marian Moore) with Lillie Allen. Jane
expressed great concern for three of her grandchildren who lived in an
unhealthy environment. She felt helpless and worried about their future.
She was encouraged by the group to take action, which resulted in her
taking the three (then aged 15–4) into her New Jersey summer home and
becoming their guardian. She made many sacrifices as a result, including
having to live where the state of New Jersey allowed her to live. She
missed Threshold meetings and friends a great deal, but had only rare
times she could leave the children. She gave up her freedom — including
to travel and have much of a social life — to provide a healthy, loving,
stable home for her grandchildren.

Jane suffered many losses in her life, most painfully the death of her
daughter, Janie, but kept on living her best. Jane loved her shore home in
Ocean County, NJ, and was beloved in her home community of Simsbury,
CT. She was a practitioner of bioenergetic analysis. Jane was the epitome
of maternal love and sacrifice, giving up her freedom in her last years to
nurture her grandchildren while encouraging what relationship they might
have with their mother. She was a wise woman, always seeking to learn,
a loyal friend with a charming sense of humor, and a loving mother and
grandmother.

Written by Molly Stranahan, January 2007