Originally posted to GrantCraft’s blog “It must be so fun to give money away!” We’ve all heard this reaction when we tell people we are staff or board members of a grantmaking organization. And, yes, it is fun. But it’s also hard work. Good grantmaking, as we know, is about far more than reading piles... Read More
Can we recover from the pandemic while becoming a more equitable society? Food, housing and financial security are rightly our philanthropic priorities right now. Yet, our country is calling on us to heal persistent divides and right structural wrongs. Humanities organizations could play a pivotal role. The humanities suffer benign neglect in philanthropy. Many funders... Read More
In 2020, the pandemic upended our daily lives and the philanthropic landscape. But the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation‘s board saw this crisis as an opportunity to transform their giving, investment focus and protocol — proactively aligning the assets of the foundation with its mission. The pandemic and ensuing hardships gave the board the impetus to... Read More
“This has been the most pivotal grant to our organization since I got here. It has enabled us to be in a space that we weren’t in before.” I heard this recently from our first advocacy grant partner, Health Care For All Massachusetts (HCFA). It highlights how a risk the Rx Foundation took in 2019... Read More
Several years ago, I was honored to give the opening plenary, From Biases to Strengths, for Exponent Philanthropy’s 2018 National Conference. I stood before you and said, “When we raise our collective voices and make courageous use of resources—that is when we stop the hate. That is when we advance our communities. And that is,... Read More
When funders get together to connect, talk and build relationships with one another, big things can happen. Consider, for example, this analysis of over $14 million awarded to nonprofits in Frederick County, Maryland, along with a growing understanding of how local giving relates to community needs. The Origins of Our Funders Group About five years... Read More