When most people think of foundations, they think of deep pockets. That’s understandable, since the popular public perception of philanthropy has been shaped by the creation of multimillion-dollar foundations by titans of old, and enforced by the glamour of new foundations launched to much fanfare by today’s billionaires. In rural communities, the creation of big-dollar... Read More
In the first blog in this 3-part series, Fran Sykes reflected on how her board’s decision to sunset spurred the foundation to stretch and expand its vision, and try to establish a legacy in its limited time. In this blog, Fran describes their plans and assumptions, and how their path took them into new territory.... Read More
“Whatever may be said about human beings, they are, as a whole, a family.” Our co-founder, Helene Foellinger, stated this publicly in 1954 and cast the vision for the foundation she and her mother would create four years later. They believed that, as individuals and a community, we have a duty to uplift each other... Read More
Originally published by Forbes (February 19, 2018) Are you damming up philanthropic progress by paralyzing decision making and workflow? Nature abhors a bottleneck. Take a look at any stream or river and you’ll see what happens when debris piles up. The water will eventually find a way around, over or through, and the results can... Read More
Over the past few years, there has been an uptick in conversations, meetings, and efforts to embrace equity in philanthropy. Sometimes we see this growing interest manifest as a new portfolio; sometimes it’s embedded in a revised mission and vision. This movement has been a long time coming, and there are many who have toiled... Read More
I work for a foundation that is modestly young in the national grantmaking sector. At about four years into its current field, we can’t quite say we’re the new kid on the block anymore, but we’ve certainly seen a rapid amount of structural change since we first launched. Transitioning from a scholarship fund to an... Read More