What are some key elements of a grantmaking strategy? A mission statement, which is informed by the donor’s intent and objectives A statement of purpose, defined by program interests, geographic focus, grantmaking style A process for accepting, reviewing, and awarding grants A set of guidelines that inform the grantseeking community about what the foundation does... Read More
Two foundations conducted a survey to ask grantseekers how they viewed the foundations’ grantseeking processes and what suggestions they had to improve them. The foundations sent anonymous surveys to 70 grantee organizations; 33 were returned. Respondents were a highly experienced group: nearly 60% had been in the field 10-plus years and 72% were either executive... Read More
General operating support is valuable for many reasons. It: Allows grantee organizations to focus on fulfilling their missions and building infrastructure, rather than on tackling peripheral projects and additional fundraising Serves as a vote of confidence for nonprofit leaders, helping to decrease burnout Lessens the inherent power imbalance between grantor and grantee, and shifts the... Read More
The major themes and overall lessons learned from the 2008–2009 financial crisis include issues related to the mortgage crisis, to global financial systemic risk, the concept of “too big to fail” and related bailouts, negative impacts of overuse of leverage in investment portfolios, lack of transparency at many levels, lack of appropriate risk management, and... Read More
Foundations use software for some of the following tasks: preparing mailing labels, creating lists of grantees, recalling grant history, tracking outstanding commitments, sharing grant requests with other trustees online, and tracking letters and reports from grantees. Assessing your needs Any computer consultant will tell you that the first step in choosing software is to take... 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