Executive Director's Annual Report

So as you guys know, blog posts have become our

communications bread and butter.

And as I've already mentioned, we published over 110 original

pieces on our two websites this year.

So even though we're moving the digest to a quarterly

schedule, the need for this kind of original content doesn't

dissipate. Um, we'll be continuing with the monthly brainstorming sessions

and Monica is going to remain available to anybody who

needs support in writing and publishing their pieces.

Staff produced a number of original videos this year, including

this one, which is an interview with the mayor of

Melbourne pennsylvania, who championed for a land value tax in

his town, talks about that experience and then talks about

the on the ground effects that happened after it was

implemented. Uh looking forward.

I actually think that videos are going to become a

more significant part of the work that we're doing.

They allow us to reach different audiences who might not

take the time to read a longer written piece, but

will read a, you know, or will watch a short

video so we're probably going to be doing more videos

in the coming year.

Okay. The final area of focus in our plan is

research and education.

So our in house research is conducted through the center

um and a lot of it is visible to the

public through our G.

I. S.

Tools, the tax shift explorer and the new york city

vacant land maps.

Um We've also, as I mentioned, recently hired our first

part time researcher.

And what that position is going to let us do

is really to expand our focus beyond the sort of

applied uh notions of land value tax to some of

the more related but peripheral issues like racial equity and

assessment. So I think that that's a big step forward

for us and I'm excited about it mm in fiscal

20 and 21 so sort of spanning the change of

fiscal years, we support pro jesus christ.

So at the end of fiscal 20 and beginning of

fiscal 21, we granted some grants to uh three.

So at the end of fiscal 20 we made some

research grants um to three individuals, Michael guten tag allure

Raymond and Rocco rue Bellini.

Um and their work was actually probably not surprisingly delayed

by the pandemic.

So we were hoping to get their deliverables which are,

uh, each of them will host a virtual event about

their research and also provide us with a blog post.

We hope to get those this year.

Everything was delayed, which I guess is understandable.

Um, and so we're now anticipating getting all of that

next year.

Um, the program committee in the past year didn't make

a huge number of new grants, but they did make

a very important decision which is to move our grant

making activities from a relatively um sort of unstructured Approach

to one that relies on twice a year RFP processes.

And so our hope is that that is going to

allow us to attract a wide variety of researchers because

we'll be able to better promote these opportunities.

Um and we really are looking at the Prosper Australia

model um to potentially um replicate here, which is essentially

bringing in external researchers and then um presenting their findings

in a sort of um branded and promoted by the

Foundation kind of way.

So I think that's gonna in addition to our new

research position, that's going to help us to really expand

what we're doing in the area of new research.

Okay, so this year we did a lot of prep

work related to the new scholarship program that we're building.

Um We actually expect that the first beneficiaries, meaning the

first recipients are going to be in the fall of

2022 which is actually fiscal 23 for us.

So if you look at our budget, you'll see that

the funds that are allocated really are for this planning

phase. Um We also have to get I.

R. S.

Approval to make these grants.

Um and I know that matt's already spoken about this,

so I'm just going to leave it at that.

But scholarships are exciting new area for us and something

we're going to be focused a lot on in the

coming years.

All right, so looking forward, I think that this coming

year is going to be a really interesting one for

us and hopefully a really successful one.

Um Some of our efforts are really going to start

to bear fruit for the first time as we have

been in the process of sort of retooling what the

foundation does and we're now at a moment where we're

doing that work and we're going to start seeing the

results. Um I think it's very opportune that we've changed

to a project based budget structure again, because that allows

all of us myself included to really understand where our

resources are going in support of our priorities.

And I think that that's important and I think the

sort of companion piece of looking at our policies and

um trying to make sure that they're appropriately flexible is

going to just help us do even more in this

coming year and then the years ahead, I also want

to say that just like last year where um June

of 2020, we didn't really know where we'd be in

June of 21, which is right now.

Um we're probably looking at a really exciting and somewhat

unpredictable year to come.

Um, so when we come back for the next board

meeting and I do a presentation like this again, um

I'm I'm looking forward to seeing all the good things

that I'll be able to talk to you about that

we've accomplished.

So when I thank you all for a really wonderful

year, um this board has been extremely dedicated to the

work of the Foundation.

Um each of you has spent your own time and

talents to make sure that we're realizing our mission and

the staff and I greatly appreciate that.

Um I also really appreciate the opportunity to lead this

organization. It's a lot of fun.

It's a big challenge, um, but overall it's a great

experience. So thank you.

Executive Director's Annual Report

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