Site visits are one of the best ways to make grant decisions because in essence, site visits are a living, breathing grant proposal. These visits give you the chance to connect directly with the organization’s board and staff, discover things that can’t be learned from a written proposal, and clarify information that is important to... Read More
For small foundations, program-related investments (PRIs) can offer an effective way to leverage the impact of limited assets. This primer can be helpful if you want to learn about PRIs, are ready to make your first PRI, or want to refine your PRI process and are looking for some tips. Reading this primer will help... Read More
Determining where to spend your foundation’s grant funding is an important, and time-consuming task. This primer is designed to help you set up a proposal review process that meets your foundation’s goals and style and frees up time for you to go into the community and develop your knowledge and insight. In this primer, you’ll... Read More
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but the word “no” has a negative connotation. And that’s a shame because, if used properly, “no” might actually be the ultimate philanthropic teaching and learning tool. We live in a society where so many of us are afraid to say that magic word— “no”— and so, we become... Read More
Benefunder is fueling innovation by providing a marketplace for researchers and philanthropists to come together to solve some of the biggest problems facing our world. Consider these statistics: 50% of wealth creation in the U.S. since WWII can be directly attributed to a research grant. Research impacts all cause areas: environment, life sciences, technology, education, and... Read More
Every philanthropist or philanthropic organization means well—it’s the nature of the business after all. And, as philanthropies, we all try to make decisions that are in service to our missions, represent good stewardship, and result in the greatest impact. But sometimes, in making those very decisions, we unintentionally do more to damage our impact than... Read More