News and Announcements

ZeroDivide is seeking candidates for its Board of Directors to serve for a three-year term commencing on February 1, 2009.

ZeroDivide believes in building and strengthening the capacity of underserved communities to use emerging technologies to influence public policy and business practices.

We know that a committed investment in technology has the ability to engage, amplify and create influential voices leading to healthy and vibrant California communities. Conventional forms of democratic activism are being transformed by technology. The Internet has proven to be a powerful force, capable of strengthening connections between citizens and representatives and facilitating new forms of public engagement.

The role of media is crucial to the development of a democratic society. The quality of the information an individual is able to access will, by necessity, greatly influence his or her ability to participate in the political process.

Journalists have a responsibility towards their fellow citizens to provide correct and analytical information. The concentration of media ownership/consolidation and the current economic conditions are causing the industry to pay less attention to diversity.

Recent layoffs have slashed many minority journalists from newsrooms already struggling to represent the communities they cover. According to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), the number of minorities working at newspapers has remained stagnant at 13% since 2004. Minorities only make up 11.4 percent of managers at daily newspapers.

Without diversity, important stories and key questions would never be asked.

As technology funders, we learned early on that in the rapidly changing arena of technology, simply providing cash is not enough. It is critical to provide access to skills and expertise to sustain technology enabled initiatives. Joining forces with the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) to create the Digital Storytelling Insitute (DSI) allowed us to provide direct training, technical support, technology and media tools to community-based organizations and community technology centers.

THREE FILMS CREATED BY TEENS IN THE COUNCIL'S YOUTH DIGITAL FILMMAKERS PROGRAM AT L.A. FILM FESTIVAL

A diverse group of young people in Long Beach, Los Angeles and the San Francisco East Bay area, who are part of the California Council for the Humanities' How I See It: Youth Digital Filmmakers program, have created three amazing films that premiered at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival.

At the heart of ZeroDivide’s values lies our belief in the power of civic engagement and in amplifying the voices of members of our communities.

We are building and strengthening the capacity of disadvantaged communities to influence public policy and business practices.

The Council on Foundations (COF) held a historic gathering in May. The Summit offered a rare opportunity for eligible organizations and individuals to discuss philanthropy’s future with other leaders from around the globe and to take part in programs and activities designed to enhance collaboration and impact.

ZeroDivide’s Director of Technology, Eugene Chan co-designed the session on Wired Philanthropy: Information Age Tools/Technology By and For Grantmakers and ZeroDivide’s Chief Community Investment Officer, Laura L. Efurd presented. Noted venture philanthropist, Josh Becker presented a session he designed entitled Mission-Related Investing: Leveraging Assets for Social Change.

At our annual board retreat earlier this year, we had the pleasure of hosting Josh Becker (New Cycle Capital) as a panel member along with Dr. Lucy Bernholz (Blueprint) and Geoff Yang (Redpoint Ventures) to discuss how nonprofits can adopt venture capital models to create new philanthropic markets. To view the video