Blog | Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

How Family Philanthropies Can Support Community Organizing to Strengthen the Fabric of US Democracy

June 17, 2025 | Loren McArthur
Family philanthropy is uniquely positioned to support a healthy democracy by funding community organizing, which often aligns well with their values and can fill funding gaps in meaningful ways, argues Loren McArthur.  Many family donors are worried about the state of American democracy. Today, just 34 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the United Read More

Ashley Davis

May 14, 2025
As Chief Operating Officer, Ashley provides oversight of the Foundation’s operations, grant administration, performance measurement and communications. She leads the implementation of the Foundation’s grant management system and grantmaking processes, as well as the development of the Foundation’s performance measurement and communications strategies. Ashley has served in various roles in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors over the past 20 years Read More

Elizabeth Gonzales

April 4, 2025
Elizabeth Gonzales is a passionate nonprofit leader with nearly a decade of experience in philanthropy and community engagement. As the Events and Engagement Coordinator at the Greater Houston Community Foundation, she supports the planning and execution of events that connect donors to impactful causes. She also leads youth-focused initiatives like the Family Giving Circle, empowering the next generation of philanthropists Read More

Sandy Ho

March 27, 2025
Sandy Ho began as the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum in June 2024. She was most recently the program director of the Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) at Borealis Philanthropy. Prior to her role in philanthropy, Sandy was a disability policy researcher at the Community Living Policy Center at Brandeis University. She was a member of the inaugural 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leaders Read More

Ryan Easterly

March 27, 2025
Ryan Easterly lives and works at the intersections of race, class, disability, and sexual orientation. Ryan serves as Executive Director of WITH Foundation. WITH promotes comprehensive healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities in the United States. Ryan previously served as manager of the National Youth Transitions Initiative at the HSC Foundation. He has also worked across the federal sector and Read More

Brittany Schulman

February 4, 2025
Brittany Schulman is an enrolled citizen of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and grew up in rural North Carolina. As a traditional storyteller, Brittany’s perspective is grounded in her experience growing up with her mother, siblings and grandparents on their family farm and her Waccamaw Siouan community. She has been an active citizen since she was a child and continues to Read More

Sarah Slobodien Dovere

September 5, 2024
Sarah Slobodien Dovere is the senior director of advancement at NCFP. For more than 20 years she has partnered with mission-driven organizations to increase their impact. For more than a decade, she has held leadership positions in nationally recognized innovative nonprofits. Most recently, Sarah served as the vice president, external Aaffairs at Youth Invest Partners (formerly Venture Philanthropy Partners), where Read More
Blog | Ask NCFP

Ask NCFP: Should we add discretionary giving to our grantmaking strategy?

July 3, 2024 | Miki Akimoto
NCFP receives a number of questions about family philanthropy and is particularly equipped to answer inquiries about philanthropic purpose, governance, next-generation engagement, family dynamics, and succession and legacy. This series is designed to answer commonly asked questions and provide resources and considerations for family funders. If you have a family philanthropy question, consider posting to NCFP’s Peer Exchange Platform for Read More
Blog | Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Declining Applications and Inquiries: How Funders Can Do Better

March 6, 2024 | Peter Marks
Peter Marks, executive director of The L.B. Research and Education Foundation, received positive feedback from grant seekers who were not selected to move forward in the foundation’s application process. The feedback affirmed Peter’s own experience as a nonprofit grantseeker: funders often fail to provide helpful information in their declination letters. Here, Peter shares a template for other funders to employ. Read More
Blog | From NCFP, Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Improving Philanthropic Practice by Prioritizing Reflection & Learning

February 6, 2024 | Emerald Adeyemi, Don Chen
Family philanthropy done well can achieve lasting and meaningful change in the world and within the families themselves. To be effective, NCFP believes funders must employ four principles: accountability, equity, relationships, and reflection and learning. Despite being essential to impactful funding, a commitment to reflection and learning is often the first practice to be left behind when the day-to-day is Read More