The Rockefeller Foundation’s Program-Related Investments Portfolio

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Arabella Advisors

From the Executive Summary: The Rockefeller Foundation’s Program-Related Investments (PRIs) have generated modest financial returns for the Foundation, contributed to investees’ financial sus- tainability and generated positive social returns on a variety of fronts. Individual invest- ments have helped organizations promote asset ownership, extend access to products and services on more equitable terms and in new ways to previously excluded… Read More

Can young people (under the age of 18) legally serve on our board?

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Youth on Board

“Three states have laws supporting youth board involvement – Michigan, Minnesota, and New York.  Forty states have laws that are silent on youth board involvement, meaning that the laws say nothing explicitly regulating or prohibiting involvement based on age.  Seven states prohibit youth board involvement – Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah.  Members of boards must be… Read More

Family Foundations May Advocate

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Alliance for Justice

Family foundations may participate in many forms of advocacy activities and may fund advocacy. Although family foundations do incur a prohibitive tax on any lobbying expenditure, lobbying is only one type of advocacy and there are many permissible advocacy avenues for private family foundations. This short paper from Alliance for Justice provides a quick and helpful overview of the rules… Read More

Payout requirements for Type III supporting organizations that are not functionally integrated

Posted on March 11, 2013

This document contains both final regulations and temporary regulations regarding the requirements to qualify as a Type III supporting organization that is operated in connection with one or more supported organizations. The regulations reflect changes to the law made by the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The regulations will affect Type III supporting organizations and their supported organizations. The text… Read More

Family Offices and Family Philanthropy

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Anne Etheridge, Craig Muska, Elizabeth “Buffy” Minkin, Jim Frey, Sara Hamilton

As the field of family philanthropy continues to evolve, the options available to families for managing and making the most of their giving are expanding at a rapid pace. One option that a growing number of philanthropic families are considering is the creation of a family office - a private entity that manages the investments and trusts for a single family, while also providing a variety of other personal services, among them philanthropic advising or the housing of a family foundation… Read More

Ethics in family philanthropy: Right vs. right decision-making

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Rushworth Kidder

Ethical issues affect every facet of a family’s philanthropy from its structure and mission to its investment, grantmaking strategies, and perhaps most importantly, governance structure. The role of ethics and values is so integral to how families define and carryout their missions, and the expectations for ethical behavior among philanthropists so high that it’s easy to become overwhelmed or stymied… Read More