I had a hunch: If everyone in a room reflects on their practice, especially the practices they turn to when stymied somewhere between intent and outcome, something good and potentially powerful would result. By practice, I mean the tools and skills one uses to have difficult conversations, move ideas along, work across the boundaries of... Read More
The Texas Capitol is big. The tip of its dome is almost fifteen feet taller than its counterpart in Washington, DC. Decisions made there impact almost thirty million people. When you enter the building, you can feel the seriousness, history, and purpose. For anyone who believes in democracy and representative government, it is downright awe-inspiring.... Read More
This post is an excerpt from the complimentary resource Essentials of Impact Investing: A Guide for Small-Staffed Foundations, created by Exponent Philanthropy and partners Mission Investors Exchange and Arabella Advisors. Want to align your investments with your mission? Download your copy >> By Lucy Cantwell, New Belgium Family Foundation Many people are beginning to intuitively grasp the promise of impact investing but... Read More
Nowadays, foundations rely on intermediaries to handle much of their grantmaking abroad (in dollar terms). Reputable intermediaries make it their business to meet federal regulations, such as determining the equivalency of a foreign charity and following antiterrorist financing guidelines. Taking care of these requirements eases the administrative burden of foreign grantmaking for U.S. foundations. Through... Read More
Last month, Amazon patented a gift card that allows the purchaser to place restrictions on how recipients spend “their” money. The new technology allows gift-givers to limit not just price, but the sorts of products a recipient can buy—and even the item’s brand. Although holiday shoppers might question the generosity of a giver who puts... Read More
To help more foundations get involved with policymaking, candidate education, and voter engagement, Nonprofit VOTE worked with the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector to create resources that would illustrate best practices and put to rest concerns. The result is The Voter Engagement Toolkit for Private Foundations and The Voter Engagement Toolkit for Community Foundations.... Read More