Grant makers tap ex-GOP congressman
A former, moderate Republican congressman from Wisconsin, Steve Gunderson, has been named the new leader of the Council on Foundations, the national lobby for about 2,000 private, community, and family entities that fund nonprofits.
Gunderson, 54, has most recently been a Washington, D.C.-based principal of the Greystone Group, a consultant firm to both companies and nonprofit organizations. The former congressman, who will be paid $340,000, will take over at COF in six weeks.
The council's retiring president and CEO, Dorothy Ridings, has headed the group since 1996. Last year, she announced her desire to step down from the organization, which represents funders of more than $18 billion in annual grants.
Max King, the president of Heinz Endowments who headed the search committee, called Gunderson "a man of exceptional integrity and great values. He's a very good listener and a very good learner . . . He's someone who can look at both sides of the question."
Gunderson described himself as a Republican who appreciates efficiency and as a gay man who understands diversity. He also said that philanthropy is becoming more important.
"There can be no dispute on the moral and civic responsibilities" of the nonprofit sector, Gunderson said.
Gunderson, representing a rural district, was elected to Congress in the Reagan landslide of 1980 and served eight terms before retiring in 1996. He was a supporter of the Contract with America, which called for internal reform of the House of Representatives as well as sharp limitations on the ability to raise new taxes, and helped rally voters to bring the GOP to majority status in Congress in the 1994 elections.
Gunderson's appointment comes at a critical time for both foundations and the operating nonprofits to which they distribute money. Stories in the media in recent months have reported on instances of self-dealing, exorbitant pay, and lax oversight within the sector. Members of Congress, in particular Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, have been calling for greater scrutiny of nonprofits.
"I look forward to contributing to that discussion," Gunderson said. "I think the whole movement toward improving the stewardship, the accountability of philanthropy [is essential]."
Meantime, the COF's number-two position, chief operating officer, has been vacant since the departure early this year of Donald I. Tharpe, who now heads the Black Congressional Caucus Foundation. Jeff Martin, a spokesman for COF, said that one of Gunderson's first tasks would be trying to fill that position.