The following is a letter sent by Jeff Stack, Chairman of the ULI Foundation Annual Fund:

During my time as Chairman of the ULI Foundation Annual Fund my top priority has been to make the campaign more transparent by emphasizing the connections between your gift and actionable outcomes. I want you to know why we ask for your support and what we’re able to accomplish with your commitments.

Since 2009, members have contributed over $8 million to the Annual Fund, providing vital support for action-oriented projects that have enlivened a broad sequence of outcomes in communities around the world. The significant impact of member contributions to the Annual Fund can be seen Minneapolis to Manila every day.

With your support, our goal is to raise $1.6 million in 2014 for the programs and initiatives listed below. I encourage you to click on the titles and learn more about how contributing today will make a difference for ULI this year.

Urban Innovation Grants

$300,000 for ULI District Council and National Council projects that recognize or launch innovative public-private partnerships and advance the responsible use of land in building thriving communities worldwide. In 2013, the Annual Fund provided funding for 17 grants to District Councils around the world.

Development Practice

The Annual Fund will provide $250,000 to the following programs:

Global Awards & Competitions

The ULI Global Awards & Competitions program recognizes development and practice excellence in seven areas of individual achievement: Global Awards for Excellence; Urban Open Space Award; Jack Kemp Housing Award; Robert C. Larson Workforce Housing Public Policy Awards; J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development; Hines Competition; and the Apgar Award. Support from the Annual Fund allows ULI to honor and celebrate important and innovative development practice.

Development Workshops

The Annual Fund will support ULI’s Real Estate Entrepreneur Program, a new initiative that focuses on providing education and real-world training for developers, investors, and other industry practitioners working on projects and deals characterized by entrepreneurial and innovative thinking and action.

Development Case Studies

ULI will produce twelve published case studies of development projects that will be supported in part by the Annual Fund.

UrbanPlan

The Annual Fund will provide $100,000 in support for UrbanPlan, ULI’s interactive teaching program designed to educate students on the decision-making involved in real-world urban planning and metropolitan land use situations. UrbanPlan has been taught to more than 4,000 students in 60 high schools and universities around the United States.

Core Programming and Research

The Annual Fund will provide $530,000 of support for specific projects implemented through the following content centers and initiatives:

ULI Daniel Rose Center for Public Sector Leadership

Contributions will support ULI’s efforts to empower leaders in the public sector to envision, build, and sustain successful 21st-century communities through the work of the Rose Center for Public Sector Leadership. Specific support will be directed toward the Rose Center’s annual fellowship program designed to encourage meaningful interaction with private sector professionals.

ULI Center for Sustainable Building

Contributions will support ULI’s programmatic focus on issues related to climate, land use, and energy. These programs will occur through specific initiatives occurring within ULI’s Center for Sustainable Building.

ULI Ronald J. Terwilliger Center for Housing

Contributions will support ULI’s efforts to implement a cross-cutting program of work designed to position ULI as a global thought-leader and advocate for innovative residential development and housing policy in inclusive communities. Specific funding areas will target programs that collect, curate, and share insights, ideas, and innovations from across the ULI network and other leaders in the housing industry to advance the ULI mission on the ground in communities around the world.

ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance

Support from the Annual Fund will enable the data collection, analysis, and related interpretation for the production of the annual ULI Greenprint Center Performance Report, which measures carbon emissions, energy and water usage, and waste output for commercial properties of member companies.

Building Healthy Places Initiative

Contributions will support programs and activities that enrich the understanding of the role of health in the built environment. Specific funding will cover expenses related to research and events designed to encourage land use practitioners and other key stakeholders in the fields of health and healthy communities to construct a dialogue around best practices and added value relative to real estate development and investment.

Women’s Leadership Initiative

Contributions will support programs and activities designed to expand the range of professional opportunities for women in the real estate and land use industry. Through ULI’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, the Annual Fund will support outreach, research, scholarship and professional advancement programs for women in the industry.

ULI Larson Leadership Initiative

Contributions will support ULI’s efforts to assure a legacy of leadership in the responsible use of land by focusing on infusing “leadership DNA” in ULI members, particularly the next generation of leaders. Support will enhance ULI activities and programs encouraging industry and community leadership.

Visiting Fellows

Contributions will support ULI’s efforts to attract leading industry and subject matter experts to serve as term-period visiting fellows. Funding covers expenses related to research, publication, and speaking engagements for individual fellows. The Annual Fund provided funding for visiting fellows in the areas of housing and public sector outreach in 2013.

Industry Trends Reports

Contributions will support ULI’s commitment to undertake the publication of topical reports covering the latest trends in real estate development practice and policy.

Finally, a core component of the Annual Fund allocation strategy is to provide resources for ULI’s CEO to act on new opportunities and support to key projects that emerge throughout the year.   We’ve set out to provide $320,000 for these special allocations in 2014.  Decisions for the allocation of these funds are at the discretion of the CEO and subject to approval from a committee comprised of the ULI Foundation Chair, ULI Chair, and the Chair of the Annual Fund.

I am pleased to share this plan with and ask that you join me in supporting the Annual Fund this year.

As always, thank you for your commitment to ULI and thank you in advance for your support of the 2014 Annual Fund.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Geoffrey L. Stack
Managing Director, SARES-REGIS Group
Chairman, ULI Foundation Annual Fund