Final Report of the Joint Task Force on Managing a Changing Portfolio
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/pdfs/portfolio_report.pdf
The national Cooperative Extension System (CES) has undergone significant change in the past 30 years; 1890
institutions and 1994 tribal land-grants were added, and programming has expanded in the human sciences. The
CES has also become a trusted source of professional training and certification programs. However, despite the
growth in partnerships and program portfolios, financial resources have shifted. Base federal funding has
remained flat with a shift to core competitive funding models. Many states have increased support for CES, but
that trend is not uniform. Support at the local level is patchy with some local governments increasing support
and others providing none. As state and local governments increased appropriation levels in line with federal
funding, more attention has been placed on state and local issues, possibly leading to a more fragmented
national CES that is more responsive to state priorities rather than national priorities. While changes in funding
models are unlikely, the CES must identify the most attractive opportunities for enhanced programmatic and
resource generation and proceed in a manner that maintains the quality and integrity of the CES. To that end,
the task force developed the following recommendations to bring a more consistent approach to several of the
critical issues facing the CES as the funding models continue to change:
Best Practices for Extension Directors/Administrators to Ratify:
Fundraising:
• State CES organizations should take an active role in the coordination of all private fund raising and
program operations related to Extension within a state.
• State Cooperative Extension Systems (i.e. host LGUs) which do not already have a professional fund-
raising/development unit should add such a function.
Fees:
• Charging fees for CES programs is appropriate in several circumstances. The decision to esta