2020 was difficult for us all. The pandemic changed the nature of work, and how funders interact with their boards, staff and the nonprofits in their communities. Despite these challenges, more than 400 members of the Exponent Philanthropy community participated in the survey informing our 2021 Foundation Operations and Management Report. We thank you—without your... Read More
For many years, small-staffed foundations have been at the heart of the impact investing movement, joining with, and at times leading, larger philanthropies. Small-staffed foundations tend to be more agile than their larger, staffed counterparts; they often have more knowledge on needs in certain issue areas and geographies; they’re better positioned to deploy a greater... Read More
At Common Counsel Foundation, we support, advise and manage donor advised funds and family foundations. It’s clear that an individual funder (and a small-staffed one no less!) won’t solve the world’s intractable problems alone. In fact, it will take a whole network of funders at the same table if we want to make progress. As... Read More
A private foundation must make annual charitable expenditures, called qualifying distributions, equal to at least 5% of the fair market value of its previous year’s endowment. Thus, a foundation with average assets of $5 million in fiscal year 2022 must make roughly $250,000 of qualifying distributions by the end of its next fiscal year, or December... Read More
The Presser Foundation is the only foundation dedicated solely to funding music organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region. Its holistic approach to grantmaking also makes it unique among funders. The foundation gives to music organizations through special projects, general operating support, and capital support grants. At the same time, it supports music students through undergraduate... Read More
Investment fees intertwine with market ups and downs, and both are integral to a foundation’s investment strategy. In low-return environments, higher fees could be a hindrance to higher return, but they might be necessary to reach to that higher return. It is more important than ever to be aware of the fees and costs so... Read More