Voices from the Field

At the Sillerman Center, we think about youth philanthropy programs as those that support young people making grants directly to nonprofit organizations and projects, while also mentoring and supporting the youth grantmakers. We view these programs as a form of participatory grantmaking and civic engagement in which young people, who are closest to the problems faced in their own communities,… Read More

Grapevine, an online platform for giving circles, interviewed one of its community members to shed light on their origin story, the power of giving together, and how they have built community. We’d love to hear your origin story. How did your giving circle come to be?  The giving circle came as a result of our inaugural Southeast Region EcoWomanist Institute… Read More

This article was originally published by Phila Engaged Giving and is re-posted here with permission. Having tough conversations are often a necessary part of social change — both in funding it and in carrying it out. But how do we have a tough discussion that gets our point across without it coming across as a personal affront? I was recently asked to present… Read More

This article was originally published by GMA Foundations and is re-posted here with permission. Many family foundations have taken the time to develop a values statement that guides board behavior and decisions.  While a board may have this deeply-held set of values, the board members might not always agree on how to interpret them. Reality can be complex, and gray… Read More

The Trustee Education Institute is one of NCFP’s signature events, offering family foundation board members and CEOs a comprehensive overview of family philanthropy trends and topics. The virtual Institute this September featured conversations on values, racial equity, board chair leadership, next-gen engagement, and much more. Here are short video highlights from a few of those sessions. Give Big and Give… Read More

This article was originally published by Foundant Technologies and is re-posted here with permission. Last fall we asked our clients to share the work they’re doing in the areas of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and, no surprise, they went above and beyond. We are truly inspired by their responses and our follow up conversations, and look forward to sharing these… Read More

Family funders are regularly seeking opportunities to amplify their impact in the communities in which they live, work, and serve. Although they may not always have the scale or scope of larger national foundations, all family funders can still draw many lessons from larger funders about how to anchor their giving at the community level. TCC Group evaluated the Annie… Read More

This article was originally published by Forbes and is re-posted here with permission. We often think of a good leader as someone who goes first. A person who wouldn’t ask her team to do anything she wouldn’t do. But what happens when the one out in front doesn’t have the crucial information to make good decisions? What if that information… Read More

We’re all waiting to find out what is going to come out of COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference that starts at the end of October. For me, the dream scenario is: Just as the global climate change conference is set to take place, the US passes President Biden’s $3.5-trillion economic plan, sending an unmistakable signal to the international… Read More

This blog was collaboratively written by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s Executive Team A few years ago, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation embarked on a mission to explore how we could play a role in building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future. Like many other foundations on this journey, a core part of our process has been documenting and sharing what… Read More