Grantmaking Strategy and Evaluation

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

A Legacy Lives On: The Kaplan Family Foundation’s Successful Leadership Transition

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Dinaz Mansuri, Mollie Bunis

[Photo: Members of the next generation of the Kaplan family gather to discuss strategy.] Ask any family member and they are usually able to identify the current family leader. This is the person around whom everyone gathers; the person who takes responsibility for family networking, intervenes in family disputes, reminds others of the family’s history and generally serves as the… Read More

Great Grants: Porter Family Foundation

Posted on November 25, 2013

Tom Porter, president of the Porter Family Foundation, shares his “great grant” story, a grant to the Michigan League of Conservation Voter’s www.greatmichigan.org website. Thanks to the Council of Michigan Foundations for sharing this video from their “Great Grants” member profile series.  … Read More

Foundations Moving On: Ending Programmes and Funding Relationships

Posted on November 8, 2013 by GrantCraft

Whether you are part of a family foundation that runs its own programmes, a big corporate grantmaker, a small venture philanthropist, an NGO that re-grants resources from a back-donor, or a mix of any of the above, exits are inevitable. Funders move on, and relationships with grantees, partners, or investees change along the way. Exit decisions and strategies are complicated;… Read More

Impact Investing 2.0: The Way Forward

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Ben Thornley, Brenna Mccallick, Cathy Clark, Christopher Cox, Colby Dailey, Daniel Brett, Jed Emerson

But for every pioneer blazing a path forward in impact investing, there are many others waiting at the sidelines.They have indicated they need more robust data about the field’s track record. Equally if not more important, they are waiting for a clear vision of what success looks like. What reasonable combinations of social and financial returns can be expected in diverse segments of the industry?… Read More

The Power of Urgency – The Eckerd Family Foundation

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Jason Born

Organized from its inception as a limited life foundation, the Eckerd Family Foundation took a bold and strategic approach to using its assets to create significant change on issues affecting young people, including juvenile justice, foster care, and education… Read More

Communty Foundation Field Guide to Impact Investing

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Mission Investors Exchange

Community foundations serve people who share a common interest—improving the quality of life in their local areas. Given their place-based focus and commitment to activate resources to meet their missions, more and more community foundations are adding impact investments to their toolbox. Unlike grants, impact investments intend to generate both targeted social or environmental benefit and a financial return. To… Read More

Fast Forward to Greater Impact: The Power of Field Scans

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Christine Sherry

Field scans are emerging as a core tool for family funders inundated by increasingly larger numbers of nonprofits seeking funding, the ubiquity of social media pitches, and an almost limitless amount of data available on the web—data which can be more overwhelming than useful. Field scans are particularly valuable for family foundations that want to try a new strategy, find… Read More

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