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March 2022: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on March 1, 2022

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Christensen Fund, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Jacobs Family Foundation, Laughing Gull Foundation, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.  Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or good news about your foundation that… Read More
From NCFP

Anticipating the Complications of Divorce in Family Philanthropy

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

This blog post is excerpted from the new Passages guide: Breaking Up: Divorce in Family Philanthropy Divorce is never easy for any family. Family members marry, divorce, remarry, and form domestic partnerships. When a divorce occurs within family foundations where spouses serve on the board, there is an added a layer of complexity. For example: If a divorce occurs within the… Read More
Voices from the Field

Use Collaboration as a Way to Embrace Change (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Debi Blizard, Zoe True

Collaboration in family philanthropy requires a deep, often emotional, commitment as it relates both to the individual and their family legacy. In our conversations with over 25 innovative philanthropic and socially-minded organizations (some of whom are listed at the end of the full article in the Knowledge Center)  experts shared many stories about families who see philanthropic collaboration as an… Read More
From NCFP

Takeaways Blog on Complexities of the Collective

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Daria Teutonico

This blog summarizes key notes from our February Fundamentals of Family Philanthropy Webinar. For many, family philanthropy presents an opportunity to create a shared experience, unifying the family by working together toward a lasting legacy of impact. Family philanthropy can also give participants an opportunity to explore and cultivate their personal philanthropic passions. Yet there is an inherent tension between these… Read More
Voices from the Field

Using Research and Advocacy to Engage with National Policy

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Abigail Seldin

At the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation (SHSF), we invest in solutions that expand equitable access to public services and support accountability for abuse of authority. As a small, family foundation with an annual budget of less than $1 million, we look for high-risk, high-impact opportunities to change the public conversation around a particular issue – or drive policy change. Advocacy, research, tech,… Read More
Voices from the Field

The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective Search Committees

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Vincent Robinson

When family foundations recruit a new top executive, they often spend considerable energy screening search firms that will help them identify the right candidate. But they usually pay much less attention to making sure they have the right people on their search committee—the ad hoc team of board members, volunteers, and staff charged with deciding who gets hired for these… Read More
Network News

February 2022: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on February 2, 2022

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Flora Family Foundation, Grunin Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, George and Cynthia Mitchell Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Panta Rhea Foundation.  Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of… Read More
From NCFP

Lead and Give with Bravery and Humility

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Nicholas A. Tedesco

Society is calling leaders to action: demanding fundamental changes in our mindsets, how we operate, and what we pursue. Responding to the call requires us to step into unknown spaces and discomfort and to go beyond platitudes and statements of support. The bold step into action challenges us to be brave, vulnerable, and humble. Leadership is hard. It is messy… Read More
Voices from the Field

Examine Your Own Equity Practices Before Asking Grantees

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Lowell Weiss

This article was originally published by LEAP Ambassadors and is re-posted here with permission. What are good questions funders can ask prospective grantees about their equity values and practices? When Lowell Weiss, President of Cascade Philanthropy Advisors, asked his fellow Leap Ambassadors, he received a range of responses. First, Are You in a Position to Judge? Several ambassadors brought up the need… Read More
Voices from the Field

How Multiple Generations of the Disney Family Come Together to Fund Social Justice in LA and Beyond

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Ade Adeniji, Inside Philanthropy

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on the many forms of family philanthropy, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and produced by Inside Philanthropy’s editorial team. It all began at Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in October 1923. Here, bright young cartoonist Walt Disney and his older brother Roy O. Disney established the upstart… Read More

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