The Cedarmere Foundation is a small foundation that my husband, George, and I founded in 2006. We started the foundation to involve our children and grandchildren in philanthropy. We wanted to create something that would bring them together for years to come—to make decisions together, learn more about their community, and give them a focus... Read More
To kick-start your thinking about leadership at the organizations you fund: Start by building trust—To assess leadership well requires an honest dialogue between funder and nonprofit, and building the trusting relationship that facilitates such dialogue takes time. To build trust, be forthright in your communications with nonprofits and clear about your expectations. Make your grant... Read More
Bringing grantees together is an important aspect of work at the Access Strategies Fund. The fund not only provides grantees with financial support but helps them create a network of organizations in Massachusetts that are working to ensure that the electoral process is fair and open. The work that this foundation funds requires a long-term... Read More
For foundations, supporting start-ups comes with challenges, including taking risks on unproven ideas and helping to build organizations from the ground up. Your small foundation colleagues who fund start-ups, though, say that this extra commitment is anything but a negative. It can be incredibly rewarding—both personally and professionally. Take The Lynch Foundation in Boston. Founded... Read More
Just as each company has its own personality, each company has its own way of giving. That said, companies can get the social thumbs-up in two common ways: through corporate philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Corporate philanthropy includes a range of voluntary charitable activities, such as giving cash, contributing products or services, volunteering, or... Read More
“Innovation is in the eye of the beholder,” says Sandy Herz, director of global partnerships at the Skoll Foundation. “Different foundations see it in different ways.” Convening grantees may be innovative for some foundations, even though others have been doing so for years. Or, another foundation might add program related investments to its grantmaking portfolio,... Read More