Closing the Gap Between Intention and Impact Collected through FOMR data, surveys, and interviews with members, this report centers on the relevance of racial equity to our members’ mission, as well as their board and staff demographics. We also describe how racial equity relates to good governance, grantmaking, and investment practices. Why Racial Equity in... Read More
Our little family foundation is very, very small. Last year, we gave away $50,000 in grants, which is not enough money to solve any of the world’s problems. Our family is also extremely diverse. We are scattered across the country and are interested in a very wide range of charitable causes. This makes focusing our efforts... Read More
When the Sauer family asked me to learn about foster care children and youth as a potential focus area, I decided to go on a listening tour. I don’t want to say that I “scanned the landscape” because I didn’t want to inventory which organizations did what piece of the work. I wanted to understand... Read More
Change is life’s only constant. As philanthropists, we will either be undergoing change or driving it throughout our time involved in giving. Whether you love it or hate it, are in a position to react to it or create it, it is critical to our success as change agents to understand how we experience change... Read More
In our many conversations with funders, we hear that finding a focus—for all or part of your giving—is the most fundamental step you can take on a journey toward fulfilling philanthropy. Focusing at least part of your giving is not only powerful, it’s critical. Our communities desperately need new solutions to social challenges. We need... Read More
More foundations than ever before are facing the exciting prospect of significantly ramping up and increasing charitable giving and other activities. Whether resulting from the receipt of an estate, sale of a company, or simply a decision to contribute more resources and/or spend assets more aggressively, foundations that ramp up are undergoing a shift in... Read More