Private foundations are permitted to pay for or reimburse ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in carrying out their activities, including the costs of travel by board members. These expenses typically include travel expenses for board meetings or philanthropy conferences, long-distance telephone expenses for conference calls, and expenses incurred while going on site visits (e.g., mileage,... Read More
The following checklist, designed for established foundations (not start-ups), offers recommended and legally required action items. We encourage you to make it your own. Governance Board meetings—Give notice, take care of business, hold elections, and set a meeting calendar (once per year at a minimum or more often, as appropriate). Meeting minutes—Take minutes and approve... Read More
All foundations rely on trustees for leadership, oversight, and planning. Many small foundations also rely on trustees for a considerable amount of the labor needed to run a foundation. To acknowledge the crucial role that trustees play in governance and operations, some foundations compensate for routine board service, such as attending meetings, reviewing proposals, and... Read More
Originally published by Idealware (March 2017) Can grants managers play a role in helping nonprofits get the technology funding they need to be successful? I led a discussion on this topic yesterday at the PEAK Grantmaking (formerly Grants Managers Network) conference in Hollywood, California. The breakout session, “How To Spot the Missing Tech in Grant Proposals,”... Read More
When my wife and I set up our family foundation in 2012, we engaged my three children (then in their late teens and early 20s) in deciding whether a foundation was something we wanted to do as a family. We pressed the kids long and hard, even handed out questionnaires, wanting it to be a... Read More
How often do we make decisions out of our own implicit biases? On September 26, the ballroom in the Chicago Marriott hotel buzzed with an energy not typical of most Monday mornings. Exponent Philanthropy CEO Henry Berman’s opening remarks at the plenary brunch set the tone for the rest of the National Conference. With raw... Read More