Thirteen years ago, my parents sold their telecommunications company and started a private foundation. Their earliest motivations were to avert taxes from the sale and safeguard my two brothers and me from inheriting wealth that would deter us from working for a living. For the first 7 years, on December 27, we gathered for a... Read More
If we’re not actively pursuing real impact with everything we’ve got, we’re simply processing paper and redistributing assets. Why settle for that when we can see and participate in real change? —Emily Hull-Parsons, The William McCaskey Chapman & Adaline Dinsmore Chapman Foundation I bet you’re convinced that your foundation can accomplish more with its giving,... Read More
How can a small foundation with a limited grantmaking budget leverage its resources to make an even greater impact? This post includes questions to ask yourself in pursuit of greater impact. Each foundation’s unique approach to impact will represent its passion, character, leadership, capacity, and history. As we dialogue with other funders, nonprofits, and thought... Read More
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
How can a small foundation with a limited grantmaking budget leverage its resources to make an even greater impact? This post offers questions to ask nonprofit organizations as your foundation pursues impact. When small foundation leaders meet with nonprofit organizations, it is important to ask great questions that get beyond the answers we can find... Read More
How can a small foundation with a limited grantmaking budget leverage its resources to make an even greater impact? This post shares questions to ask other funders in the pursuit of impact. If one thing is certain about philanthropic impact, it is that the path there isn’t as direct as one might think. Rather, it’s... Read More