Voices from the Field

Recognizing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-wealth people and communities of color in the United States and around the globe, we signed the Divest Invest pledge, a global movement calling for investors "to divest from the fossil fuel industries deepening the climate crisis and invest instead in climate solutions." … Read More

Let’s start listening to (seeking first to understand) our grantees, before responding with answers and solutions. Let’s facilitate the solutions of a problem by asking questions such as, “What are the outcomes you/we want from this situation?” “What support do you need from me?” “How can you hold me, as the funder, accountable?”… Read More

Many families turn to community foundations to solve challenges ranging from geographic dispersion to anonymity, and to learn about community issues or make grants outside of the family’s core mission. … Read More

Once a donor has decided that a DAF is the right giving vehicle, she has to make a very important decision: where is she going to house her fund? Mark Neithercut, a donor and philanthropic advisor with offices in Traverse City and Chicago, shares four reasons why he chose to house his DAF in his local community foundation… Read More

Maya Patel, President of The Tarsadia Foundation, reflects on how philanthropy has brought her family closer together through a variety of domestic and international site visits and volunteer opportunities… Read More

Helping others has not only become a significant part of who my children are and what they choose to do, but it now influences how we interact with each other and where we choose to spend our family time together… Read More

A simple internet search for “Syrian refugees” yields millions of results— a testament to how much press coverage and national attention the impact of Syria’s civil war has received in the United States. Lisa Parker, the president of LWFF, saw it as an opportunity for herself and her family to learn about the experiences of refugees when they come to the US… Read More

This underutilized tool has been gaining traction recently for social impact investors and entrepreneurs as a middle ground between charitable grants and for-profit investments that can provide low-cost capital to mission-driven companies while allowing foundations to stretch their limited dollars for maximum impact. … Read More