How can small, early-stage grants spark outsized impact? This new case study explores how the Howell Conservation Fund (HCF) used seed funding to accelerate environmental projects and test new ideas, while deepening relationships and learning as a lean funder. Through its 2023–2024 Catalytic Grant Program, HCF awarded nine $5,000 seed grants to organizations worldwide. The... Read More
Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is a mindset that transforms lean funders from grantmakers into changemakers. Its four core practices—leading with purpose, centering equity, engaging deeply in community, and making long-term, flexible commitments—help funders amplify their impact and drive systemic change. This case study highlights how Michael Weinberg, program director at the Thornburg Foundation, puts these... Read More
The Holloway Family Foundation’s Annual Relay Grant is a streamlined, trust-based approach to grantmaking that places funding decisions directly in the hands of women nonprofit leaders of color. In 2020, several reports highlighted persistent disparities in philanthropic giving to women and girls of color, as well as inequities faced by organizations led by people of color... Read More
For more than 20 years, I served as the executive director for a leanly staffed foundation with deep roots in a small city in upstate New York. The Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic legacy of a community bank founded in 1823, grew substantially after the bank’s acquisition by another financial institution in 2004.... Read More
Philanthropy thrives when it listens, learns, and evolves to meet the needs of the communities it serves. In recent years, lean funders have increasingly recognized that racial equity is not an optional add-on but central to their mission, regardless of focus area. Yet, as this report shows, progress is neither uniform nor assured. While some... Read More
For many foundations and non-profits, grantmaking is a cornerstone of their mission and funding strategy. Whether you are designing a new program or re-envisioning an existing one, a critical but often challenging step is aligning your program’s strategy and impact with your organization’s mission, vision, and values. Taking a step-by-step approach is key: craft a... Read More