Family Giving News Blog

In recent years, GMA Foundations has worked with the Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W. Farris Foundation to define and hone its grantmaking focus. The process involved deep listening and learning and strengthened grantee relationships.  Cohesive family giving across geography and generations is patient work. Trustees’ willingness to listen to one another and to invest time in grantee relationships translates… Read More

Family philanthropy benefits enormously from continuous inquiry. But it can be challenging to identify paths to deepen knowledge, explore new ideas, and ultimately, build a culture of curiosity. Embarking on a learning journey—a series of experiences designed to better understand your role in the funding landscape and how to improve your work—can be a creative and inspirational way to promote… Read More

Phila Engaged Giving’s Stephanie Ellis-Smith and Nancy Reid outline the benefits of changing “worth” to “wealth” in the term “high net worth.” This piece was originally published by Phila Engaged Giving and is re-published here with permission. Here’s something radical for you to consider: let’s retire the phrase “high net worth” (HNW), and the even more obnoxious, “ultra high net worth”… Read More

“I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself.” -Teton Sioux Tribe We’re in this together. Funders, grantees, and community. And while the dynamics of power and privilege exist, the values of collaboration, transparency, and responsibility define good philanthropy. At the Better Way Foundation, we work alongside grantees and… Read More

What does it look like to equitably compensate grantees and other partners and how can funders do it in a way that aligns with their values? The Kenneth Rainin Foundation explored this question and shares their process for paying stakeholders. This piece was originally published by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and is re-published here with permission. In 2022 we wrote about our… Read More

When the Rogers Family Foundation announced the sunsetting of our Oakland education strategy in October 2020, our team knew we’d reach a point of reflection on our grantmaking and practices over the last two decades. That time is now. This piece focuses on the concept of “Beyond the Grant,” which challenges funders to leverage internal organizational capacity to support their… Read More