During the first half of 2011, the Joyce Foundation staff and board worked to evaluate its Money and Politics Program. This process was part of the overall review of program policies that is completed every three years. Sadly, it also occured because Larry Hansen, who led this program, passed away in November 2010.

At its meeting last week, the Joyce Foundation board of directors reaffirmed its commitment to robust, strategic work to strengthen democracy in the Midwest. The Foundation will continue its Money and Politics Program and will begin a search for a new program officer who will hone the Foundation’s strategy and oversee day-to-day work with grant applicants and grantees.

For more than 15 years, Joyce has made grants to foster thoughtful, solution-oriented public policy debates about campaign finance reform, judicial selection and independence, elections, government ethics, lobbying, open government, and redistricting issues, among others. Through conversations, e-mails, memos and reports, Joyce grantees and other experts in the field shared their insights on what has been accomplished thus far, where obstacles and opportunities might lie, and where the Foundation’s grant making might make a meaningful difference going forward.

The new program officer will work with the board of directors to review and refine the current dimensions of the Program and its grantee portfolio in the first half of 2012. Given this, the Foundation is only able to consider grant requests for the December 2011 board meeting from organizations that are due for a potential renewal at that meeting.

For additional information about the Money and Politics Program, contact Vice President of Programs Gretchen Crosby Sims by calling 312-782-2464.