A grantmaker’s guide to evaluating a nonprofit’s theory of change “If we just start nailing that lumber together, we’ll end up with your dream house.” —No architect, ever Nonprofit mission statements evoke powerful visions of social change. To translate these lofty rallying cries into action, many thoughtful organizations have developed a detailed blueprint illustrating the... Read More
Exponent Philanthropy recently revised The Foundation Guidebook, our signature publication for those new to foundations or philanthropy. Below is an excerpt from the 128-page resource. Get your copy >> Many foundations use a combination of methods to settle on a focus. Once you consider the approaches that follow, it is important to recognize when you may... Read More
“Whatever may be said about human beings, they are, as a whole, a family.” Our co-founder, Helene Foellinger, stated this publicly in 1954 and cast the vision for the foundation she and her mother would create four years later. They believed that, as individuals and a community, we have a duty to uplift each other... Read More
On Friday, May 8, Exponent Philanthropy hosted another live discussion for lean funders to share how they’re responding to COVID-19. We’ll continue hosting these discussions every Friday at 2 p.m. EST to give all lean funders the opportunity to connect around their responses. We are also compiling COVID-19 information and resources relevant to lean funders. Lean funders are responding to... Read More
Our small foundation is among the few private funders in our rural area of Northeastern Colorado. We look for ways to make the most of our dollars, relationships and knowledge to serve our community. For example, we support local economic development directly by giving grants to and partnering with our local economic development agency. And... Read More
The 2026 Foundation Operations and Management Report is available now! This is the only resource of its kind for foundations operating with few or no staff. The full Foundation Operations and Management Report offers key philanthropy benchmarks and long-term data on the evolution of lean foundations. Based on our annual survey of members, this report... Read More