This discussion guide helps you understand the benefits of focusing your foundation’s giving. It also offers tips for choosing a focus based on consensus, which is a critical step for achieving greater impact. The topics covered in this guide include: Five reasons to define a focus. Focusing with greater ease. Settling on a focus. The... Read More
The Getting to Impact Discussion Guides are designed to help you facilitate discussions among your board members or local community of grantmakers with one purpose: to explore and strengthen a commitment to impact with your giving. The first discussion guide helps you understand impact, the importance of pursuing it, and a basic framework for achieving... Read More
To document an investment process that helps your foundation sustain its organizational purpose and achieve its giving goals, a comprehensive investment policy statement (IPS) is vital. The benefits of a well-crafted IPS You should strive for an IPS that does more than simply allow you to “check the box.” A valuable IPS will go beyond... Read More
Three investment options for foundations are: Investment consultants, who help trustees establish and implement a decision-making structure for investment management Outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) firms, which act as the investment office on a daily basis for the foundation and typically has discretion over hiring/terminating managers and rebalancing the portfolio Investment managers, who buy and... 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 and also may have greater knowledge of the needs in certain issue areas and geographies. They are better positioned than larger foundations... Read More
Establishing clear procedures for monitoring, evaluating, and changing your investment providers—including outside investment consultants, an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO), and/or investment managers—are key parts of fiduciary responsibility. Your investment policy statement (IPS) should include these procedures. Matthew Wright, president and chief investment officer of Disciplina Group, recommends that any contracts regarding investment services should... Read More