Written by family philanthropy practitioners and experts in the field, the NCFP blog offers perspectives on effective family philanthropy, sector news, and more.
Subscribe to NCFP’s monthly e-newsletter and we’ll deliver blogs, resources, and events directly to your inbox.
Having an impact on deeply entrenched problems often requires funding at scale over long periods of time. While family funders use many tools to support their grantees and communities, few are employing endowments as a way to sustain nonprofits over the long term. Here, leaders from the Field Foundation of Illinois, Grand Victoria Foundation, and Schott Foundation share the benefits of endowments, particularly when funding social and racial justice organizations. Endowments not only allow capital to grow over time, but they shift power and decision-making to nonprofits in meaningful ways.
Through her NCFP fellowship Dilnaz Waraich sought to explore Muslim American giving through storytelling. In the process of developing an exhibit—Inspired Generosity— to showcase those stories, Dilnaz and the WF Fund engaged a wide range of people. Here, Dilnaz and Tamela Spicer discuss misconceptions about Muslim Americans and how the process of curating the Inspired Generosity exhibit changed the perspectives of those involved.
While many family philanthropies have an expressed commitment to equity, disability and its intersectional relationship with other identities is rarely considered—even while about one in four adults in the United States have a disability. National Forum speakers Christie Cawley, Ryan Easterly, Gail Fuller, and Dr. Zakiya Mabery shared their expertise for advancing disability inclusion in family philanthropy. Here, Cara Binder-Kopchick synthesizes their experiences and recommendations, offering ways that philanthropic leaders can make their grantmaking, governance, and operations more inclusive and effective.
Racial justice and systemic inequities can be tough topics to grapple with as a family. Impact Experience’s Jenna Nicholas and Olabayo Allen-Taylor consider the ways that racial equity learning journeys not only provide an education for philanthropic families, but also draw families together across generations through shared experiences and knowledge as well as increased empathy.
While change is inevitable in most pursuits, managing it well in the practice of family philanthropy can be particularly complicated as so much of philanthropy is deeply personal. National Forum speakers Rebecca Cisek, Tina Kimbrough, Sylia Obagi, and Kyle Peterson shared their tips for managing a wide-variety of change. Here, Cara Binder-Kopchick synthesizes their recommendations, offering ways that philanthropic staff leaders can support their teams while focusing on their missions and taking care of themselves.
As a second-generation family member, Liz Norton outlines the process she and her siblings undertook to honor the work of their parents, forge their own philanthropic path, and embrace transparency in the next era of the foundation’s work.