From NCFP

At our first retreat, twenty years ago this spring, the remarkable founding board gathered at Pocantico Conference Center and tackled this frustration. After some minutes, founding board member, Ira Hirschfield, of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, shifted the conversation. “We know what we are not,” he acknowledged, “but what do we stand for?”… Read More

How does the “B+” or even the “A+” organization stay that way, vigorously committed to the revitalizing promise of renewal? And what can members of newer family foundations learn from those who have successfully been meeting these challenges?… Read More

Why does your family give? This question is central to the work you do — because it helps understand the motivations behind your foundation’s mission. … Read More

But I will never forget that December day many years ago when a check arrived from David Rockefeller. Back then, I got to open the envelopes myself and what I pulled out looked like a personal check. I stared at it for a very long time, absorbing what it meant to me… Read More

Today marks the official launch of Splendid Legacy 2: Creating and Re-Creating Your Family Foundation. This new book, published by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, is an update to the popular, out-of-print 2002 first edition and includes advice from some of the field’s leading experts… Read More

Successful family foundation board chairs are able to both drive action and manage egos — and are often the difference between a foundation deftly navigating challenging situations and being tripped up by them… Read More

The start of a new year always inspires me to reflect on the blessings we’ve enjoyed and challenges we’ve faced together — and to think about the amazing opportunities that lie ahead for our field… Read More

My moments of reassurance come when a family funder tells me about a grant or project they’ve launched to restore and reinvigorate community. Often, these are efforts to ameliorate suffering but also to get at root circumstances and causes… Read More

Today’s philanthropists, however, are likely to be less connected to place. The modern economy is built less on geography and more on technology – and many of those who are earning wealth are doing so in a global marketplace… Read More

Today, the practice of philanthropy is under continuous review – and not just by our critics or those who look suspiciously at big endowments. Those who want the very best for our field and the greatest impact for our work are also looking beyond why we give to examine the how… Read More