Branch and family dynamics

FAQ: How to apply for a discretionary grant

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Knott Foundation

This FAQ page describes The Knott Foundation’s guidelines around discretionary grantmaking, and provides a good example for other family foundations. The Knott Foundation provides a limited number of Discretionary Grants on a rolling basis throughout the year… Read More

Over the River and Through the Woods: Geographic Dispersion in Family Philanthropy

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Evan Wood, Irene Siragusa, Jack Siragusa, Una O. Osili

With family members living far apart, what steps can families take to build family identity and bonds that once evolved naturally from living in close proximity? How can family members whose lives have taken different paths forge a genuinely collaborative team driven by a mission derived from and embraced by the family? How are families balancing the commitment to the foundation's "home town" and their growing concern for their own region?… Read More

Discretionary Grants: Engaging Family… or Pandora’s Box?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Susan Crites Price

If you asked at a gathering of family foundation folks whether using discretionary grants is a good idea, you’d never reach consensus. Many family foundations don’t use them. Those that do have widely varied policies governing how much money is available, who is eligible to make the grants, and whether the grants must be within the foundation’s mission and guidelines… Read More

Family Boards: Why Can’t We Just All Get Along?

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Judith K. Healey

Every family has occasional disagreements when they engage in grantmaking together. How do you handle such common dilemmas as: family members who disagree on grantmaking, discretionary dollars or payouts; members who act out at board meetings or don’t do their share; a leader that’s not willing to step down; individuals who carry their family baggage or branch differences into the board room?… Read More

Family Governance Meets Family Dynamics: Strategies for Successful Joint Philanthropy

Posted on October 28, 2007 by Fredda Herz Brown, Patricia Angus

This Passages issue paper explores the interplay of family dynamics and family governance in family philanthropies, concluding families who think about their governance systems, including how decisions will be made, are less likely to be encumbered by family dynamics than families who begin their philanthropies informally, progressing to formality over time. In addition, families who openly address their underlying internal… Read More

Grantmaking with a Compass: Geographic Dispersion in Philanthropic Families

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Diane Bryant, Nancy Brain

In our increasingly mobile society, family philanthropies once defined by their proximity now encounter a new obstacle: geography. How does geography affect a philanthropy’s mission? How do you keep the family and the philanthropy together? Nancy Brain and Diane Bryant, sisters and trustees of the Frances Hollis Brain Foundation, explore how philanthropies can meet the challenges of dispersion… Read More

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