Power and Racial Equity: From Self-Assessment to Systemic Change

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Eleni Refu

NCRP’s Eleni Refu will lead a conversation around how family foundations can operationalize equity and work towards systemic change by interrogating the ways they build, share, and wield their power. Shifting power to those who have the least of it is necessary for philanthropic impact on equity and justice. Participants at this salon will learn how they can implement the… Read More

Board Chair Peer Network: Communication Tools to Improve Meetings and Navigate Uncomfortable Conversations

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Nancy Murphy, Ann Maddox Utterback

Meeting planning and facilitation are a significant responsibility of the board chair. Do your meetings feel more difficult than they should? Are you avoiding uncomfortable conversations for fear of conflict or straining family connections? Does your board sometimes struggle with making decisions? If so, this conversation is for you. These experiences often result from communication challenges. Learn from JF Maddox… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: Racial Equity Programming for Donors

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charisse Grant, Djaka Blais-Amare, Janeen Webb

What do organizational values of equity, justice, or even reconciliation look like in action? Join the Calgary Foundation and The Miami Foundation to discuss how equity permeates their strategic plans and work and learn about their racial equity programming for donors. Learn how these foundations have integrated living their values into better serving their donors and informed family philanthropy. This… Read More

Non-Family Staff Peer Network: Supporting Family Engagement and Philanthropic Impact through Conflict and Systems

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Rebecca Trobe

There are many priorities to consider when balancing family engagement with philanthropic impact. How do you navigate your role as a non-family staff leader? And how can you work with your board to develop systems that support formal and informal decision making to advance the foundation’s mission and goals? Join Dr. Rebecca Trobe for an interactive discussion. Dr. Trobe works… Read More

Board Chair Peer Network: Supporting Your Executive Director and Staff Team

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Jean Whitney, Jim Parsons

Relationships between board and staff are vital to success, effectiveness, and a positive organizational culture for the team and the family. How do you support your executive director through reviews, regular connections, and planning support? How do you intentionally connect with the executive director and staff team? Can you create a two-way street to encourage communication, partnership, and best practice… Read More

Pluralism in Family Philanthropy: Navigating Tensions and Bridging Divides for Impact

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Uma Viswanathan, Tegan Acton, Heather Templeton Dill, Brian Hooks, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Group of people of on top of the mountain at sunset
In an increasingly divisive society, people are facing complex, challenging dialogues around politics, ethics, and social issues, struggling to manage perspectives across the political aisle and facilitate healthy discourse with multiple viewpoints. What is taking place on a macro scale is mirrored within individual families—difficult conversations, distinct political and cultural divides, and in many cases gridlock or an inability to… Read More

Application Deadline: Racial Justice Learning and Action Cohort

Posted on January 11, 2022

The Racial Justice Learning and Action Cohort is an educational opportunity for family foundation trustees interested in advancing racial justice practices, both personally and professionally. Philanthropy has been slow to embrace equity and it is clear that effective and meaningful impact can only be realized with an active commitment to racial justice. The National Center for Family Philanthropy is committed… Read More

Interview Questions for Anti-Racist Consultants

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Andrus Family Fund, Surdna Foundation

A collection of questions created by the Surdna Foundation and Andrus Family Fund to help interview and screen candidates to serve as anti-racist consultants for a foundation’s management, governance, and grantmaking practices. Also included is a rubric of characteristics and experiences to look for in potential candidates… Read More

Lessons from Family Philanthropy: The Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Launching a family foundation is often the expression of donors’ desires to establish a lasting legacy and to instill in future generations the importance of giving. But family foundations face certain common pitfalls as well. They may initially unite family members through a shared sense of mission that could become less shared as the family grows and diffuses over time… Read More