Network News

October 2019: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on September 30, 2019 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

Colorful pumpkins on wooden background
Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their cutting edge work. This month features updates from the Brinson Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Surdna Foundation and Walton Family Foundation. Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or good news about your foundation that you would… Read More
Voices from the Field

Passages: Bridging the Power Divide with Edgar Villanueva

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

Editor’s Note: The following is a conversation with Edgar Villanueva, author of Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance and board member of the Andrus Family Fund. It is an excerpt from the forthcoming Passages Issue Brief: Bridging the Power Divide that will address power dynamics in family philanthropy.   “One of the most critical conversations we… Read More
Voices from the Field

Why We Created a Center for Family Philanthropy in Israel

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Efrat Oppenheimer

Photo of an Israeli beach
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published by Jewish Funders Network and appears with permission. In 2018, Jewish Funders Network created a new initiative: the Center for Family Philanthropy at JFN Israel, the first program in Israel to tackle the distinct issues and opportunities that family philanthropy presents. The National Center for Family Philanthropy in the U.S. is a model and has been working… Read More
Voices from the Field

12 Chicago Family Foundations: Enough with the Hate

Posted on September 6, 2019

This article originally appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business, 7/31/19. Sometimes words are sticks and stones. Particularly when the words are used as threats against a group of people, specifically people of color. Those not targeted by the words might just shake their heads; others hear the words and feel sick, fearful, angry, and unwelcome. Xenophobia and hatred of immigrants isn’t… Read More
Voices from the Field

Funder Spotlight: Hill-Snowdon Foundation

Posted on August 29, 2019 by The Whitman Institute

Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series by the Whitman Institute (TWI), featuring foundations that practice trust-based philanthropy, that acknowledge the power dynamics and realities facing nonprofits, and that invite more authentic relationships and communication with grantees. This piece originally appeared on the Whitman Institute’s website and appears with permission. The Hill-Snowdon Foundation is a DC-based foundation committed to supporting… Read More
Network News

September 2019: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on August 26, 2019 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

autumn leaves
Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their cutting edge work. This month features updates from the Allen H. & Selma W. Berkman Charitable Trust, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Zeist Foundation, and the Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation. Are you a current Friend or… Read More
From NCFP

In Celebration and Gratitude: Alice Buhl

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Virginia M. Esposito

Ginny Esposito and Alice Buhl
This month, Alice Buhl will step down as Senior Fellow of the National Center for Family Philanthropy after more than 24 years of service in one leadership capacity or another. Most of Alice’s contributions have been, by her choice, quiet and uncelebrated. But this transition means that I get to throw caution (her wishes!) to the wind and offer a… Read More
Voices from the Field

Improving Philanthropy with a Public Resource Library

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Jeffrey J. Fairfield

It’s been my privilege to manage The Ruth and Hal Launders Charitable Trust since its inception in 2006. When I took on this challenge, I never imagined how something as simple as giving money for charity could be so complicated. Mastering the private foundation rules, adopting best practices, keeping abreast of trends in modern philanthropy, and searching for outsized impact can make the head spin… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Blacker The Circle

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Valaida Fullwood

Collage of photos from New Generation of African American Philanthropists, Charlotte, NC
Jolted by a stream of recent events, I have been reminded of the value and myriad benefits of Black-led giving circles and why I am a member of one. Hardly alone in this consciousness, I joined two chroniclers and members of giving circles to write "The Sweetness of Circles." In that opinion piece, we share our collective views on why giving circles have growing appeal among Black Americans in these trying times… Read More