You can make a difference before and after disasters in a variety of ways: Grants for relief—These grants can meet critical needs in the aftermath of disasters. Victims may need rescue, food, shelter, or clothing just to survive. This phase requires intensive activity but usually ends quickly—within a few days. Grants for recovery—Such grants can... Read More
Created by members of the Andersen family—founders and owners of the Bayport, MN-based Andersen Corporation—the Andersen Foundation’s primary geographic area of focus is the St. Croix Valley, a mix of rural, suburban, and urban communities that spans the Minnesota–Wisconsin border just east of the Twin Cities. We primarily support nonprofits in Washington County in Minnesota... Read More
The impact investing field has a lot of momentum. Learn from foundations and other organizations at the center of the movement, as well as from foundations that are earlier in the process. Foundations The Case Foundation published a short guide to impact investing. F.B. Heron Foundation is a leader in impact investing. KL Felicitas Foundation’s... Read More
Documenting and following donor intent is of concern not only to family foundations but to independent foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations, and operating foundations. Some donors have specific criteria they wish the foundation follow for its lifetime, whereas other donors want the foundation to be flexible in responding to future needs. As a result, understanding... Read More
In the aftermath of major disasters, individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies—often from all over the world—give vast sums in response to compelling situations. What impact can small grants make when regions are devastated by disaster? “While we live in an age of large organizations and institutions, there are still many circumstances where small is... Read More
Most funders ask grantees—prospective and current—to customize their budgets and financial information to fit the funder’s requirements. Project Streamline, a collaboration of grantmakers and grantseekers working to improve application and reporting practices, recommends a different way: Make requests for nonstandard information the exception rather than the rule. Consider the real costs to nonprofits of customizing... Read More