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
In growing numbers, Exponent Philanthropy members are heading online to receive and review applications, generate award letters, receive grant reports, and much more. What advantages do members report? Less paper, more time Grantmaking involves many administrative tasks—from distributing applications for review to sending grant agreements—and many of the tasks are repetitive and tedious. Rather than... Read More
Simple Actions Family Foundation is a young foundation inspired by decades of family values. My husband, Eric, and I, together with our two daughters in their early twenties, created our family foundation in 2008. We knew from the start that we would be creative about its setup and implementation to reflect the goals at the... Read More
Together with private foundations, donor advised funds (DAFs) are among the most commonly used vehicles for charitable giving. DAFs are accounts held within and managed by another organization, namely, a public charity known as a sponsoring organization. Like private foundations, DAFs offer substantial flexibility to the donor. DAF holders may choose a one-time donation or... Read More