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Annual Board To-Dos: The Must-Have Checklist for Running a Foundation
Is your board covering all the bases of good governance this year? A comprehensive checklist of annual board tasks ensures your foundation remains up-to-date and on track. By including legal obligations and governance best practices, this checklist serves as a valuable guide for established foundations (not start-ups). While some tasks are legally required, others are... Read More
“Extraordinary Giving in Extraordinary Times”
Reflections on Our 2024 Annual Conference Earlier this month, the Exponent Philanthropy community gathered in Austin, TX, to reflect on a year marked by profound challenges and opportunities on local, national, and global levels. Through diverse perspectives and meaningful conversations, we reaffirmed the depth, resilience, and collective power of our community. Amid these challenges, our... Read More
Designing a Grant Application Process That Works for Everyone
For foundations and nonprofits alike, the grant application process can be a time-consuming hurdle. Nonprofits often dedicate significant resources to crafting applications, while foundations juggle evaluating numerous proposals, many of which may not align with their goals. A well-designed application process ensures your foundation receives the information it needs while respecting applicants’ time and resources.... Read More
Understanding the Modern Grantee Experience
Grant applications are an important touchpoint for nonprofits and grantmakers alike. Recently, Blackbaud has been taking a hard look at the modern grantee experience for those who use our portal for grant applications. We wanted to know if the grantee portal afforded our funder clients the flexibility to get the information they needed, while also... Read More
Racial Equity in Lean Foundations: Trends and Challenges From the 2024 Report
Exponent Philanthropy has released the fourth edition of its Racial Equity in Lean Foundations report, the most comprehensive version to date. The publication is based on survey data from over 300 lean foundations and qualitative interviews with more than 25 foundations, consultants, and nonprofits, offering insights into how lean funders are advancing equity. For the... Read More
Rethinking Capacity-Building Grants: A Call for Change
Capacity-building grants have long been a staple in philanthropy, designed to help nonprofits improve effectiveness and sustainability. These grants usually focus on strengthening infrastructure, skills, and systems to support an organization’s mission. However, recent critiques suggest the traditional framework needs a significant overhaul, especially to better serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led nonprofits.... Read More