Pride of Place: Sustaining a Family Commitment to Geography

The original motivations for a donor to have a place-based giving program are likely intuitive… What has been more elusive are the motivations for subsequent generations to continue to be loyal to place.

How has place-based family philanthropy evolved over time? Pride of Place: Sustaining a Family Commitment to Geography is a study of place-based foundations and funds. A place-based foundation or fund is committed—often exclusively—to a particular geographic region of the country.

Courtesy of the JF Maddox Foundation

Courtesy of the JF Maddox Foundation

Rather than look first to comparing the contrasting decisions—why a place or issue basis for giving—this study is designed to examine how family foundations and funds committed to place are sustaining (or not sustaining) that commitment over generations.