Clearly we have arrived at a pivotal moment.  The climate is warming faster than even the most extreme predictions, with both foreseen and unforeseen consequences.  Many issues that the Compton Foundation has focused on for years are being affected.  For example this summer, for the first time ever, salmon fishing is being banned along most of the Pacific coast of the United States as a result of the depletion in numbers of fish returning upstream to spawn.  Western fresh water sources, and the wildlife dependent on them, are threatened as never before, and this summer water is likely to be rationed in some Bay area communities. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, increased drought and flooding threaten fragile infra-structures and put pressure on uneasy relations between neighboring tribes and countries, increasing the risk of environmentally induced violent conflict in already overpopulated areas.

    This is also a pivotal moment because in the United States cities, states and regions are starting to take serious action in response to the climate crisis, sometimes vying for the most ambitious goals and plans for cutting carbon emissions, even as the means to fully achieve these goals remain elusive.  However, time is of the essence.  According to a majority of climate change experts, the progress we make in reducing greenhouse gases over the next five to ten years is critical if we want to avoid irreversible, catastrophic change.  This is a very short window in which to make many difficult, vital decisions and put them into action.

For a foundation like Compton, created sixty-two years ago after a war that ended in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the need for global cooperation and the political will to move beyond narrow self-interest has always been essential.  Since the Foundation’s inception, it has been concerned with global human survival and well being, through a continuous focus on the fundamental importance of building peace and human security, stabilizing global population growth, and ensuring the integrity of the natural environment. 

Given this legacy, and the challenging nature of the present moment, the Compton Foundation’s Board has decided to focus our grantmaking on a few areas where we think we may be able to make a difference, emphasizing interdisciplinary research that may show new connections and opportunities, promising new approaches that have the potential to serve as models, and effective organizations that have a good chance of informing and advancing public policy.  Recent examples include: a research grant to explore the impact of different global population projections and policies on projected climate change; funding to ensure that water conservation becomes a requirement for regulated California energy and water agencies; and support for military and civilian personnel to meet together to develop more effective policies for ensuring human security and building peace in areas emerging from violent conflict. These and other grants are described in greater detail in the Highlights section of this website.

The Foundation’s two Fellowship programs support young leaders in our three fields of interest from both the U.S. and developing countries.  The Compton International Fellowship Program funds twenty to twenty-five promising scholars from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, whose crosscutting research links two or more of our areas of interest as they apply to the scholar’s home region.  The Compton Mentor Fellowship Program provides support for ten outstanding American college graduates who have developed unique service/learning projects and identified experienced non-academic Mentors to help guide them during the year following graduation.  Climate change & energy policy is a special new focus of this program.

    Sometimes the best catalyst for the kind of change our society needs to make is not a scientific report, an item on the evening news, or even an election.  Sometimes theatre, poetry, sculpture, or dance can reach us at a level much deeper than evidence-based rhetoric.  Since 2004 the foundation has focused its funding for the Arts on projects that directly address the challenges of environmental threats and global warming, violent conflict, reproductive health and rights, and population growth.

    At the end of the day, however, the effectiveness of all our grantmaking is ultimately determined by the passion, creativity and commitment of the people whose work we support.  Many worthwhile projects and dreams come over our doorstep, and we often wish we had a larger grants budget.  However we count ourselves very fortunate to learn from all who apply, and to be able to choose from a very impressive collection of proposed ideas and work.

Finally, 2007 brought a change in the Foundation’s leadership as Carol Wall, a staunch supporter of reproductive health, rights, and justice, rotated off the Board. However the year also brought us two new Board members: Betty Farrell, a lifelong provider, educator and advocate for population and reproductive health services; and Terry Tempest Williams, renowned author, teacher and naturalist.  And in 2008 the historical visionary values and practices of the Compton Foundation continue as we welcome Vanessa Compton, the first great grandchild of the Foundation’s founders, to the Board.
   

Edith T. Eddy

May 2008