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
The system needs to change. Like many family foundations, The Wright Family Foundation in Texas receives several worthy requests that we turn down due to lack of funds. Most of our grants are program or project based—reacting to the problems at hand rather than tackling them before they become an issue. Considering this, the foundation... Read More