Community foundations play vital roles across the country—they serve as hubs for donor engagement, capital, and learning. As dedicated partners in the philanthropic sector, NCFP’s goal is to help you more effectively serve your donors. The Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network brings together foundation staff to create shared tools, exchange insights, build capacity for the field, and create new connections.

Get Involved

Molly Rand (The Chicago Community Trust), Caroline Kuebler (Community Foundation of Greater Memphis), Tony Macklin (NCFP program consultant), and Ellen Grill (The Foundation for Delaware County) tackle how to measure progress at the 2019 Community Foundations Workshop in Chicago.

NCFP’s Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network supports the special role community foundations play with philanthropic families as a trusted resource and partner. A National Advisory Committee, chaired by Jennifer Curry, provides strategic guidance.

Learn from Peers and Experts

Network members exchange ideas, tools, stories, and effective practices through quarterly Spark Session webinars and monthly topical calls, an annual retreat, and an online library of network specific resources. In addition, Network members are eligible to attend the National Forum on Family Philanthropy. Ahead of each Forum, there is a low-cost, in-depth, skill-building workshop for Network members specially designed for community foundation staff and board.

Family Philanthropy Playbook

The Family Philanthropy Playbook organizes resources into 9 training modules that focus on key issues community foundations face when planning and delivering family philanthropy services. The basic information in each module is free to the public. Webinar recordings, topical calls, and most downloadable templates and examples are only available to NCFP’s subscribers.

Family Philanthropy and Donor-advised Funds

Over the past 20 years an increasing number of donors and families are choosing donor-advised funds (DAFs) as the primary vehicle for meeting their philanthropic goals, in large part thanks to the nation’s more than 750 community foundations. NCFP’s online guide, Family Philanthropy and Donor-Advised Funds, offers donors, families, and advisors guidance and real-life examples of the benefits and complexities of the DAF vehicle. Whether you are a donor exploring DAFs for the first time or a philanthropic or wealth advisor working with families, this guide will help you answer key questions and determine whether a DAF is the right tool for all your goals.

Diane Higginbotham of the Greater Houston Community Foundation (right) and Kathleen Wagner of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (left) at the 2019 Community Foundations Workshop in Chicago.

Access New Resources and Tools

NCFP continually develops new case studies, articles, issue briefs, and other content to help Network members increase their capacity to effectively serve philanthropic families. In addition to the Knowledge Center, Network members have a private digital library of resources and events.

Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Readiness Self-assessment Tool

NCFP created the Family Philanthropy Readiness Self-Assessment in June 2017 to help community foundations assess their current level of readiness to undertake or expand services to multi-branch and/or multi-generational families. The online survey and resulting report help frame internal questions and decisions about offering family philanthropy services.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to the Lilly Endowment and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the initial funding which allowed the network’s creation.

 

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