Knowledge Center | Ask the Center

What is a private operating foundation, and should we consider using this option?

June 14, 2017 | Jason Born
The IRS distinguishes between public and private foundations and, within private foundations, between operating and non-operating (grant-making) foundations. While private operating foundations may choose to make some grants to other charitable organizations, they must engage primarily in direct charitable activities by running their own programs (i.e., using their own facilities, staff and resources to directly further their charitable operations). Read More
Knowledge Center | Ask the Center

Should our foundation focus on being “strategic” or “responsive” in our grantmaking?

When your board approves a grant, you are hoping and expecting that your philanthropic investment will make a significant impact. In order to become an effective grantmaker, your giving should always align with the core beliefs of your foundation. Beyond this, there are two common approaches that boards take when considering how to allocate the foundation’s resources: strategic or responsive.  Read More
Events & Webinars | Peer Networks

December 2016 NCFP Non-Family Staff Peer Network Call

This session will feature a conversation on the strategies and challenges of connecting with community and building an equity lens into your grantmaking and internal operations. It’s a great chance to talk in a private space about this timely and complex topic with your peers around the country! About the NCFP Non-family Staff Peer Network The NCFP Non-family Staff Peer Read More
Knowledge Center | Passages Issue Briefs

Things We Wish Our Founders Had Told Us: Interpreting Donor Legacy

November 29, 2016 | Susan Packard Orr
This special NCFP Distinguished Fellow Essay by Susan Packard Orr explores the questions that Susan and her fellow trustees wished they had asked of the founders when they were still alive. From the introduction: This year marks the 20th anniversary of our father’s death. Our mother has been gone almost 30 years. During this time, we have worked to build Read More