Trust-based philanthropy practices

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

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

A guide to risk taking at NYSHealth

Posted on July 15, 2013

In April 2011, a group of staff from the NYSHealth Foundation met and considered the topic of risk taking in their grantmaking. This checklist was developed for staff to more systematically assess the potential level of risk when evaluating a proposal or project. To learn more about tht thinking behind this checklist, see the June 5, 2013 iarticle, “Nothing Ventured?… Read More

Share the Power

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Funders alone cannot achieve the change we hope to see without the knowledge, expertise and muscle of our collective grantees—just as our grantees cannot implement without funders. We are in a symbiotic relationship, and we should be happy about that. We can work together to achieve our mutual goals, but to do so, we—the funders—need to share the power. When… Read More

No Cost Extension Policy

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Anonymous

Sample language for extending the time required to complete goals of a grant: A no cost extension formally authorizes you to take more time to complete the original purposes of your grant. Please contact your grant team if you would like to request a no cost extension. … Read More

Budget Modification Policy

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Anonymous

Sample policy for modifying a grants budget: We understand that changes in your grant budget may occur after your grant has been approved. You may modify the approved grant budget to reflect actual costs without the prior written consent of the foundation, so long as the modification falls under one the following categories: the change does not change any budget… 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

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