NEW Dues Structure & FAQs

Over the past decade, Exponent’s dues have remained nearly flat, even as the cost of delivering the high-quality programs, member services, and personalized support you rely on has risen sharply. Despite our best efforts to manage expenses, inflation has increased the cost of doing business by more than 35%.

Today, dues cover less than 40% of our annual operating budget. The new model helps us reach a more sustainable 60%, while reducing administrative complexity and strengthening the membership association you rely on to support your philanthropic goals.

This change also supports Goal 4 of Exponent Philanthropy’s 2024–2027 Strategic Plan: to “expedite a sustainable organizational future” and ensure Exponent remains strong and sustainable for decades to come.

Throughout 2025, the Membership Committee and staff engaged in a comprehensive, member-centered exploration of dues restructuring. Together, we:

• Conducted a landscape analysis of peer philanthropy infrastructure organizations.
• Developed several potential dues models for exploration.
• Communicated the dues restructure exploration and invited your input through a series of focus groups and interviews.
• Refined the asset-based dues model based on your feedback.
• Communicated the revised asset-based model and sought your input through a member-wide survey, with 25% of the membership responding.
• Announced the Board’s final decision.

This new structure reflects a full year of member input and exploration. The Membership Committee hosted focus groups, interviews, and a member-wide survey to ensure the final recommendation aligned with member realities — not just internal goals. Feedback directly informed the final recommendation, which the Board unanimously approved on November 12, 2025.

There are two key elements to the change:

1 – Dues Structure: We’re moving from a flat-rate dues model to a tiered, asset-based structure.

Dues Calculation: Beginning January 1, 2027, annual membership dues will be calculated based on an organization’s average assets over the past three years.

Grantmaking Public Charities: Community foundations and other grantmaking public charities will calculate dues based only on their discretionary assets, excluding donor-advised funds and pass-through dollars.

Individual Members: Individual philanthropists not affiliated with a grantmaking organization are eligible to join at the base tier.

Under the new dues model:

• • 75% of members will pay $2,000 or less.
  • 19% of members will see no change from 2026 rates.
  • 13% will see a modest increase of $130.
  • Only 9% of members — those with $100M+ in assets — will pay above $5,000.
  • The top dues tier is intentionally capped at $10,000, acknowledging that even our largest members abide by the lean funder philosophy of keeping costs low so they can invest maximum dollars into the communities and causes they care about.

2 – Membership Cycle: Beginning January 1, 2027, all memberships will move to a calendar year: January 1–December 31. In the second half of 2026, new and renewing members will have the option of prorating their dues to help ease the transition.

New members: The new dues chart takes effect for new members on January 1, 2026.

Current members: The new dues chart takes effect for renewing members on January 1, 2027. Please note that if you are a current member, your 2026 dues remain unchanged: $870 for Signature members and $2,020 for Signature PLUS.

Two-year memberships will be temporarily paused in 2026 and will resume under the new model in 2027. If your organization renewed for two years in 2024 or 2025, your membership term and rate will be fully honored. When your current two-year period ends, you’ll receive an invitation to renew under the new structure.

Dues will be adjusted annually based on the U.S. inflation rate published each fall. Over the last few years, this has ranged between 4.2% and 5.7%.

Throughout this process, you asked us to keep Exponent strong and sustainable while enhancing the value you receive. To underscore our commitment to serving you, we’re rolling out and expanding several benefits in 2026, including:

New Peer Circles:

• CEOs – a confidential space for senior leaders to share challenges and ideas.
• Board & Trustees – connect with fellow foundation board members and trustees to exchange perspectives, explore governance and leadership challenges, and learn from peers serving in similar roles.
• Finance & Operations – a collaborative space for operations staff to exchange practical tools, strategies, and solutions.
• Spend Down Funders – a space to explore the many facets of the spend down process, from planning for impact to engaging grantee partners and managing investments, with insights and tips from those who’ve been there.
• Family Office – a space for philanthropic leaders in family offices to connect with peers, share insights, discuss common challenges, and learn from others navigating the unique dynamics of family office philanthropy.
• International Grantmakers – a space to network with grantmakers from different parts of the world.
• Catalytic Philanthropy – connect with fellow foundation leaders in a trusted peer-learning space to gain fresh perspectives, test ideas, navigate challenges, and strengthen your Catalytic Leadership practice.
• Disability Funders – a confidential space for members who fund in the disability space to engage in conversation and connection.

Expanded Regional Gatherings – More opportunities to connect locally, swap promising practices, and collaborate on funding solutions.

Member Chats – Each month, connect one-on-one with a fellow member navigating similar challenges and opportunities. Our team thoughtfully matches members based on interests, expertise, and experience, helping you make the right connection at the right time.

Member Concierge Service – Think of us as your personalized guide to the Exponent Philanthropy community. Whether you’re navigating a challenge, searching for a practical resource, or looking to connect with peers who truly understand the realities of lean philanthropy, our concierge team is here to help you quickly find the answers, insights, and relationships you need.

Discounts & Access to Field-Wide Events – Through Exponent’s strong partnerships with peer philanthropy networks, our members enjoy exclusive access and discounted rates to conferences and events across the sector.

You’ll also continue to have access to our high-value core offerings like our annual benchmarking insights, the online discussion community, Q&A service, sample resource library, and dozens of practical programs each year designed specifically for lean funders.  

Check out more member benefits here. 

The Exponent Philanthropy staff, Membership Committee, and Board are committed to supporting our members through this time of transition. Here are just a few of the ways we plan to help you navigate these changes in 2026 and beyond:

• Info sessions & office hours: Walk-throughs of the new membership model and implementation timelines, with live Q&A. Check out the most recent recording and keep an eye out the events calendar for upcoming sessions. 
• Personalized guidance: We’re available to talk through scenarios and budgeting, and are glad to join you for an upcoming staff or board meeting to discuss the changes and walk through your member benefits.
• Resources: At your request, we’ve developed an initial list of ​FAQs, a 2026 Member Benefits Overview, and a chart that calculates an organization’s 5% spend that the new dues comprise.  

2026 Member Benefits Overview 

Exponent Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 65-0617866). Payments to Exponent — including membership dues — may generally qualify as administrative expenses for private foundations and may be counted toward the foundation’s annual minimum distribution requirement under IRS regulations. Consult with your accountant, auditor, or tax lawyer for final determination.

The base membership tier (currently $870) represents the fair market value of goods and services received and covers administrative costs and member benefits. Any amount paid above $870 may reasonably be treated as a charitable contribution (grant) to Exponent Philanthropy in support of our work and mission.

Exponent Philanthropy does not produce custom grant reports for members paying dues as grants. However, we are happy to provide our annual report and audited financial statements to meet standard grant reporting requirements.

We know this is a real concern — especially for lean funders trying to balance operating costs and community investments. Here are a few points members have found helpful in making the case for membership:

• You are part of the nation’s largest network of funders — more than 1,500 organizations strong — and the only association dedicated to serving funders who practice philanthropy with lean operations. That scale gives us, and you, access to promising practices, robust benchmarking data, and a strong, unified voice in the national policy arena.
• Your dues are an investment in effectiveness, not overhead. Membership saves time and money by giving your team immediate access to templates, benchmarks, and peer advice that help you accomplish more while avoiding costly missteps.
• A single insight can transform your grantmaking or operations. Many members say one idea from a peer connection, publication, or program has directly influenced their grantmaking strategy, improved their operational efficiency, or saved them thousands on vendor relationships or annual tax filings.
• Compare membership dues to professional development costs. Even the highest membership tier is often less than the cost of a single staff training or consultant engagement — and membership gives your entire staff and board full access to everything we offer.

Many of our members also participate in their regional associations or issue-based affinity groups — and we encourage that. Exponent plays a distinct and complementary role to our colleague philanthropy infrastructure organizations:

• We are the only national network focused exclusively on funders who practice philanthropy with lean operations.
• Our community is practical, peer-driven, and grounded in real-world solutions. Members often tell us that Exponent is the space where they can ask the “how” questions others can’t answer.
• We provide research, resources, and peer connections that go deeper on operations, finance, and governance — the internal work that makes your external impact possible.

Exponent’s value goes far beyond D&O insurance discounts. While the insurance savings are a helpful benefit, with average savings of over $700 a year, members consistently tell us they stay year after year because of:

• Immediate access to expert answers on legal, tax, or governance questions.
• Benchmarking data that informs governance practices, investment decisions, salary and benefits reviews, grantmaking strategy, and more.
• Peer learning that strengthens both operations and grantmaking.
• Connections that open doors to collaboration and funding insights.

Quite the opposite. The new model includes calendar-year alignment, January through December, so you can handle your annual renewal in just a few minutes each January. With a consistent January renewal schedule, it will also be much easier to remember to keep your membership current.