Innovating Place-Based Grantmaking: An Evaluation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation “Strategic Co-Investor” Approach

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Annie E. Casey Foundation, TCC Group

When the Annie E. Casey Foundation launched Family-Centered Community Change™ (FCCC) in 2012, the Foundation set out to make improvements to their approach to place-based grantmaking. The programmatic aim was to support local partnerships to help parents and children succeed together in what is known as a “two-generation approach.” Rather than creating something new, Casey joined existing partnerships—located in Buffalo, New… Read More

Values Proposition: How and Why We Transformed Our Investment Model to Align Our Capital With Our Mission

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Nathan Cummings Foundation

Mission-aligned investing presents a compelling opportunity for philanthropic organizations to reimagine how they use their financial resources to affect change. All of the institution’s capital is harmonized in service of its mission — a total-enterprise approach to impact. Yet, such an approach is relatively novel and still often met with skepticism or confusion. This report by the Nathan Cummings Foundation… Read More

Menu of Communication Platforms

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Stupski Foundation

This document shows the options for how the Stupski Foundation uses communications to elevate the work of its grantees. Community members and grantee partners can reach out to the foundation to collaborate through social media, the newsletter, and more… Read More

Rural Funders Salon

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Erin Borla, Wynn Rosser

Registration is now closed. Family foundations and other funders and donors focused on serving rural communities face special challenges—lack of infrastructure, lack of partners, and often lack of urgency from state and federal government entities. As detailed in NCFP’s 2018 report, Pride of Place, family foundations are traditionally among the most place-based of all funders, with deep and lasting connections… Read More

Decision Making when Founders are Present

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Ann Shulman

This is an excerpt from Demystifying Decision Making in Family Philanthropy. Founders accustomed to making their own decisions in a business setting may bring unilateral decision-making to the foundation, often using it inappropriately. Founders may think of the foundation as “theirs” and feel impatient with or dismissive of group decision-making. At the same time, they genuinely want family members to… Read More

Water of Systems Change

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Mark R. Kramer

Foundations involved in systems change can increase their odds for success by focusing on less explicit but more powerful conditions for change, while also turning the lens on themselves… Read More

Impact Investing: Mapping Families’ Interests & Activities in 2020

Posted on June 4, 2021 by The ImPact

Impact Investing: Mapping Families’ Interests and Activities is part of a multi-year effort to study a problem that many ultra high net worth (UNHW) families have identified as critical, timely, and important: the existing impact investing opportunity set does not fully match their specific investment interests. The 2020 version of the survey, the second of three planned annual surveys, added… Read More

Sparking Cross-Sector Collaboration for COVID Recovery: How a Family Foundation Catalyzed Local Investment

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Nancy Rauch Douzinas, Kevin Law, Patrick Halpin, Gemma Deleon-Lopresti, Katie Smith Milway

 The Rauch Foundation of Long Island will describe how family foundations can play a unique role as a neutral hub to forge relationships across local business, government, and media that can multiply investment in regional economic recovery. Foundation President Nancy Rauch Douzinas and a panel of collaborators will articulate and illustrate five principles for using research, relationship networks, advocacy… Read More