Featured Blog Post:
Category
Are You Using Your Power, or Leaving It on the Table?
Power is taboo. We’re uncomfortable that some wield greater strength and influence, and use it to hold sway over others. In spite of our laws and regulations, our checks and balances, our moral and social norms nurturing restraint and respect, people use power to bend rules; exclude and disenfranchise; distort facts and disseminate misinformation; manufacture... Read More
Community and Collaboration Drive Family Foundation’s Grantmaking
Through community and collaboration, the people of New Mexico have survived harsh conditions to thrive for hundreds of years. As a foundation that funds exclusively in the state, we continue to see the power of these values in our philanthropic work. Our most recent strategic plan states, “If we co-create a more aligned, collaborative and... Read More
Thinking Critically While Investing Responsibly
Responsible investing is at the heart of how philanthropy can further systemic changes needed in our economy, society and environment. Forward-thinking foundations and families have invested this way for years, but it’s becoming more mainstream. A growing number of philanthropic organizations and individuals see investments as a way to expand impact beyond grantmaking. Mirror the... Read More
Accelerating Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to reform private foundations, and ensure that charitable dollars held in donor advised funds (DAFs) are distributed to working charities in a reasonable period of time. A joint press release states: “Donor-advised funds currently have more than $140 billion set aside for... Read More
Pivoting to Advocacy and Organizing: Changing Grantmaking Tactics in Service of Our Core Mission
“This has been the most pivotal grant to our organization since I got here. It has enabled us to be in a space that we weren’t in before.” I heard this recently from our first advocacy grant partner, Health Care For All Massachusetts (HCFA). It highlights how a risk the Rx Foundation took in 2019... Read More
Beyond Governance: Training Foundation Board Members for Leadership
This article was originally published in the July/August 2021 issue of Taxation of Exempts, a Thomson Reuters journal. In the philanthropy and nonprofit field, training and development for boards of directors has traditionally focused on basic, fundamental roles and responsibilities. Common topics include: the duties of board members; legal compliance; providing strategic direction; hiring and... Read More