Resources & Tools
Our resource library is home to hundreds of resources on the practice of effective family philanthropy, including a diverse range of reports, articles, guides, tools, and sample policies. We encourage you to search and explore the library by clicking below.
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Explore our featured resourcesThe Family Giving Lifecycle
While every philanthropic journey is unique, there are points at which all families must make decisions. The NCFP Family Giving Lifecycle provides the tools you need to make decisions that lead to effective outcomes at each stage of your philanthropic lifecycle.
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The Successful Family Philanthropy Board Chair: Leading with Passion and Purpose
The Successful Family Foundation Board Chair equips board chairs and those who work with and support them with information about the roles…
Remaining Focused and Purpose-Led During Uncertainty: A Reflection Guide for Funders
This guide, originally published by FSG, is designed to support critical internal alignment conversations. Drawing from FSG’s work with a…
Overcoming Barriers to Giving: My Personal Story of Wealth Redistribution
This article is my story of wealth redistribution, which began in earnest in 2017 with the launch of our family foundation and peaked five…
Moving Beyond 5 Percent: A Values-Based Funding Shift
Earlier this year, our board made the decision to increase our annual payout from 5.7 percent to 7 percent for 2026, with a commitment to…
The Urgent Case for Funding Democracy
Family foundations can move quickly. That is a gift in this uncertain landscape when urgency is high. At the David Rockefeller Fund, we are…
Reflecting on 20 Years of Family Philanthropy Resources
You may have noticed that NCFP recently updated its website with a new look and navigation. Throughout the years, NCFP has remained…
Evolving Board Governance to Support Strategy and Accountability
Family foundations often confuse longevity with effectiveness. Boards can operate with good intentions even as the context around them…
Raising Generous Humans
This report by the Gates Foundation explores how generosity develops across generations, drawing from insights in behavioral economics…
Effective Family Philanthropy: The Roundhouse Foundation (Part 2)
Inside the Roundhouse Foundation’s Growth into a Rural Funding Powerhouse When I first connected with the Roundhouse Foundation in 2022, it…
How to Overcome Division and Act Boldly to Support Grantees Through Crisis
In October 2025 I received a call from an executive director of a nonprofit who shared with me that they would have to cease operations due…
Maximizing Your Resources: Structures and Tools
In this webinar, we will explore how family philanthropies can unlock their full philanthropic potential by aligning both traditional and…
Creating a Bold Vision: Rethinking Norms, Embracing Uncertainty
What if the way we’ve always done philanthropy is holding us back? How might we re-imagine governance, decision-making, time-horizons, risk…
Acceleration, Innovation, and Reimagination in Family Philanthropy
This article was originally published in the Nonprofit Times and is reposted here with permission. The social sector is facing unprecedented…
Sharing Power with Communities: A Field Guide
Through its work with nonprofits and foundations, Community Wealth Partners support the concept that those closest to the issues are also…
Investing in Capacity Building: Lessons from the Cedarmere Foundation
Relatively small amounts of money may be used by effective leaders to strengthen an organization’s people and infrastructure can be…
November 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Generations of Giving: Leadership and Continuity in Family Foundations
Based upon a study of foundations in the United States and Canada that have survived through at least two generations, the authors ask…
Unlocking Doors: Relational Reparations, Shared Liberation, and the Healing Power of Story
CC Gardner Gleser shares the results of her NCFP fellowship project, which focused on relational reparations in family philanthropy and how funders can address harm in a way that is meaningful for all participants.
Social Media Guidelines (Barr Foundation, 2025)
The Barr Foundation created these guidelines to ensure all of the Barr Foundation’s social media accounts provide a welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and safe environment, where all people can engage in thoughtful discussion and contribute their comments, questions, and suggestions.
Finance and Audit Committee (Laidlaw Foundation, 2023)
The Finance and Audit Committee is a standing committee of he Board responsible for establishing the overall financial priorities, controls, and oversight and approval processes of the Laidlaw Foundation’s annual budget.
Finance Procedures (Laidlaw Foundation, 2023)
Complete set of Finance Procedures for the Laidlaw Foundation, including financial controls, risk management, reimbursement, and other procedures.
Executive Committee Roles and Responsibilities (Laidlaw Foundation, 2023)
The Executive Committee may exercise all the powers of the Board of Directors in emergency or urgent circumstances in any period between regular meetings of the Board, subject to any regulations imposed from time to time by the Board.
Governance and Recruitment Committee Duties and Responsibilities (Laidlaw Foundation, 2023)
The Governance and Recruitment Committee of the Laidlaw Foundation is responsible for recommending procedures to expedite the Board’s function, including changes to Board structure, bylaws, and policies as well as self-evaluation.
Investment and Audit Committee Job Announcement (Russell Family Foundation, 2022)
Announcement of a search for two independent committee members to join the Russell Family Foundation’s Investments and Audit Committee, which provides oversight of the Foundation’s investment affairs, including managing its assets and recommending investment policies in alignment with its values and mission.
Independent Board Member Criteria (Sweet Geeks Foundation, 2024)
A job description for an independent, non-family board member who brings diverse perspectives and lived experiences in alignment with the Sweet Geeks Foundation’s existing funding areas.
The Value of Capacity Building to Increase Nonprofits’ Impact
As nonprofits face federal funding cuts and a shifting regulatory environment, many funders are turning to capacity building to provide additional support and ensure sustainability of their grantee partners.
Philanthropy in Complex, Multigenerational Families
In this community conversation, we invite family philanthropy practitioners to explore how giving evolves as families grow, diversify, and…
Practices for Engaging the Next Generation in Your Philanthropy
Leaders at multigenerational family foundations share successful ways to engage the next generation by providing meaningful opportunities to participate, sharing power, prioritizing learning, and more.
Relationships and Power: From Transaction to Trust
Join us for an interactive session that will examine how typical funder-grantee relationships often reproduce power imbalances, and how…
September 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Trends 2025—Results of the Third National Benchmark Survey of Family Foundations
The Trends report captures and tracks leading trends in the field of family philanthropy. Conducted every five years, this research…
August 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Using Your Voice and Influence to Complement Your Grantmaking
Funders can use their voice and influence to amplify their grantmaking, something that is particularly important as nonprofits face a dearth of funds. From signing pledges to signal solidarity and take action to bold peer-to-peer calls to action and transparent communication, family philanthropy is using its voice to meet the moment.
Planning for Effective Next-Generation Engagement
To improve its next-generation engagement and onboarding processes, the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation partnered with Grant Philanthropic Advisors to develop a ‘learning ladder’ that introduces the next generation to important skills and philanthropic knowledge and supports a smoother transition to board service.
July 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving
This report explores the behavioral science behind the ten most common barriers to giving—such as too many choices, fear of uncomfortable family dynamics, and lack of urgency—and provides effective and actionable ways for donors to overcome those barriers.
Ask NCFP: How do we set expectations about our funding capacity?
Being transparent and setting clear expectations about your funding capacity is necessary to be a good partner to your grantees, especially during times of uncertainty. But, even if you can’t sustain an increase funding, consider how your time, expertise, and connections can provide additional support to your nonprofit partners.
Finance Procedures (Laidlaw Foundation, 2023)
Provides an overview of the finance procedures for the Laidlaw Foundation, including budgeting, financial controls, approval of expenses…
Declination Letter for Request for Call (Anonymous Foundation, 2026)
A letter template to kindly decline a request from a former or potential grantee for a project or initiative that is not a fit for your…