Minutes
ACBL Educational Foundation
Board of Trustees
Atlanta, GA
July 22, 2005
Vice-President Donald Mamula called the meeting to order at 8:00PM Friday, July 22, 2005
Present: Vice-President Donald Mamula, Treasurer Jerry Thorpe, Secretary Eugene Kales, Richard Anderson, Phyllis Harlan, Dewitt Hudson, Jonathan Steinberg.
Absent: Geoffrey Cross, Christopher Shaw.
[as per Bylaw V.3. absences were approved for cause, no dissent]
1. Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the March 12, 2005 Pittsburgh, PA meeting were approved without dissent as submitted.
2. President’s Report
In the absence of President Cross, Secretary Kales presented several communications
from him to the Board.
(i) Bridge Kids Canada update on requested funding and an itemization of how the previously granted amount was disbursed,
(ii) An update from the American Institutes of Learning on the Hawaii Bridge-To-Knowledge project, and
(iii) A note commenting on the Brazos Valley request about return of the equipment after the completion of the program and his ambivalence about whether we should fund it.
There were no disbursals from the President’s Discretionary Fund since the last meeting.
3. Treasurer’s Report
Foundation Treasurer Jerry Thorpe reported (Exhibit A) that Foundation net available assets declined compared to last June from $374k to $360k. He commented that some of the Restricted Funds, all of which total $170k, are “grandfathered” into the Foundation without having adhered to our current more stringent guidelines on their being more purely “educational” in nature.
4. Grants
4.a. Bridge Kids Canada request for $47,552 CD in additional funding was considered, and the consensus was that we want to continue to fund the program. After discussion that the full amount requested exceeds what the Foundation can afford, motion was made: Pending confirmation of an agreement that joint rights of distribution of the developed materials exist for both the ACBL Educational Foundation and for Bridge Kids, Canada, the amount of $30,000 is approved. Passed 6-0-1 (Hudson abstain; Cross, Shaw absent)
[Some confusion latter surfaced with regard to differences between the US and CD dollar. Clarification by President Cross to of the currency on which his discussions with John Gillespie were based specifies that the requested amount of $30,000 would be in Canadian funds, equivalent to approximately $25,600 US]
The Bridge Kids progress report was received and distributed at the meeting. It will be evaluated by the Trustees for our Denver meeting.
4.b. Educational Department applied for a grant of $20,000 for the North American College Bridge Team Championships. Motion was made to fund the 2006 N A C B Team Championships on a matching fund basis up to a maximum of $10,000. Approved unanimously.
4.c. Flo Belford applied for a grant of $12,500 CD to continue development of programs in Toronto area schools for teaching bridge both in math classes and extracurricularly. Motion was made to fund $10,000 CD, declining to fund several small “equipment” items, and contingent [as is our general practice] on mutual agreement that we both share joint rights of distribution to developed materials. Approved unanimously.
4.d. Karen Ammermann of the Fairfield Bay DBC applied for a grant of $575.40 for an outreach program of lessons to the local retirement community. Approved unanimously.
4.e. American Institutes for Learning J. J. Reyes applied for a substantial grant of $75,000 toward their ambitious $350,000 program of developing An After-School Program For Students From Poverty & Low-Income Families in Hawaii. The trustees discussed the proposal at length. Motion was made that the Foundation deny the request with regrets, and that we will notify the Charity Foundation of their project. Approved unanimously.
4.f. Brazos Valley Barbara Nance applied for a grant of $3,684 for a Lesson Program at three area schools. After discussion, motion was made to approve an amount up to $3,000 not including a computer-printer, and less the amount for such items as are covered by lesson programs available through the ACBL Educational Department. Approved unanimously.
Dewitt Hudson will monitor the progress of the program and report at our Fall meeting.
4.g. Brenda Simpson called Don Mamula and would like to get a grant for a program for the Spokane Regional and Denver Nationals and will be contacting us about it.
5. Old Business
5.a. Mahaffey Fund background documents from President Cross, Treasurer Thorpe, and Secretary Kales were distributed in the packet and at the meeting. [Attachments] The crux of the problem is not that the objectives of the Fund are in conflict with those of the Foundation, but that the donor has retained nominal control of the disbursal of the donated funds. This condition may, according to past and recent legal opinion, expose the Foundation to the danger of losing our 501(c)(3) exemption. Motion made that: Pending resolution of the transfer of funds according to recently received legal opinion [from Wm Fones, penultimate paragraph, "...it is our recommendation ... to terminate the program. The safest way ... would be to transfer the remaining funds to another Section 501(c)(3) organization that has been selected by Mr Mahaffey..."], all assets in the Mahaffey Fund shall be frozen except for programs already in progress. Passed 5-0-2 (Anderson , Harlan abstain; Cross, Shaw absent)
5.b. The Homer Shoop “King (or Queen) of Bridge” Fund has been depleted. President Geoffrey Cross contacted ex Trustee and President Gene Simpson to determine whether the promised additional funds from the Palace of Sports Foundation were or would be forthcoming; they will not. Trustees felt that we should have received some advance warning in the financial reports that a sizable liability was accruing. At this time, given that the Foundation would have to support any continuation of the program out of our general fund, motions were made to:
(i) Continue the King (Queen) of Bridge $1,000 annual award. Approved unanimously.
(ii) Abolish the $5,000 Preteen Award effective immediately. Approved unanimously.
(iii) Negotiate with the ACBL some division of fiscal responsibility for the unfunded liability of $28,000 in designated Shoop Preteen Awards not yet disbursed. President Cross and Treasurer Thorpe are authorized enter into agreement with the ACBL subject to approval by the Board of Trustees through a vote by electronic or other means if before our Denver meeting. Passed 5-0-2 (Anderson, Harlan abstain; Cross, Shaw absent)
It was additionally noted that we have a compendium of all programs which the Foundation funds on a continuing basis so that we have an inventory of our recurring liabilities from our general and restricted funds. Secretary and Treasurer to prepare this for Denver.
5.c. Review of the Feldman, Pender, Lebow, Lazard [restricted] Funds— motion made to defer until our Fall meeting in Denver. Approved unanimously.
5.d. Trustees discussed evaluation and disposition of the ‘Teaching Bridge in the Schools –The Marin Experience’ disks. It was noted during discussion that ‘Learn to Play Bridge’ is an excellent product already being distributed by the ACBL and the Foundation. Motion was made for the Secretary to inform Mr. Cohen that the Foundation thanks him for his efforts in developing the Marin Disks but does not feel the need for a second product which overlaps what we already have available, but that he is encouraged to distribute and use the disks as he sees fit. Approved unanimously.
6. New Business
6.a. Secretary Kales proposed having special pins made for emeritus Trustees of the Foundation at a cost not to exceed $15 per pin. Motion was made to have the Secretary obtain an appropriate number of the described pins. Approved unanimously.
7. Miscellaneous
7.a. Trustees were reminded by the Secretary that voting members of the ACBL Educational Foundation –the BoD– will be electing three Trustees to the Foundation at its Denver meeting and that the deadline for nomination is approaching. Richard Anderson and Donald Mamula are completing their ‘first’ terms and are eligible for reelection; Eugene Kales is completing his second consecutive term and is ineligible for reelection. Notice must be submitted to Director of Elections Galen Hardy.
The meeting adjourned at 10:45pm.