To make an outsized and lasting impact in their communities and issue areas, grantmakers must be intentional about equity and inclusion within their boards, governance, and funding efforts. The journey towards equitable grantmaking is not merely about ticking boxes; it’s a transformative process that demands introspection, learning, and action. While adopting equitable grantmaking practices serves... Read More
As practitioners, advisors and consultants to funders, conveners and conductors of community collaboration, we have observed collaboration and collective impact in communities across the country. From our on-the-ground experience, we have seen it done well, and not so well. The first of this two-blog series provided several guideposts for how funders can better see the... Read More
Equity is a buzzword heard seemingly everywhere these days. For some, equity is about opportunity. For others, it’s the full inclusion of an entire region’s residents in the economic, social and political life of the area. In the nonprofit and philanthropic space, equity is undeniably central to our mission, despite its varying definitions. Commissioning an... Read More
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