NCFP Blog

Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with Kimberly Myers Hewlett

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Kimberly Myers Hewlett

Kimberly Myers Hewlett is steeped in philanthropy and brings a variety of perspectives and experiences to her work. She is president of the Myers Family Foundation, a director of the Flora Family Foundation, and chair of the NCFP board. She is also the senior vice president for donor engagement at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks… Read More
Voices from the Field

Going Beyond the Private Foundation: An Exploration of Vehicles

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Jen Crino

Courtesy of Pixbay on Pexels Donors have an array of options when it comes to selecting a giving vehicle(s). Vehicles offer a range of tools, decision-making structures, and approaches to achieve impact. While philanthropy traditionally showed up as grantmaking through two main entities, the private foundation and the donor-advised fund, a number of alternate and uniquely impactful vehicles have gained… Read More
Voices from the Field

Meeting Makeovers: Time to Reflect and Review

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Nancy Murphy

In this new series, Meeting Makeovers, board development expert and founder of CSR Communications, Nancy Murphy, highlights a different meeting challenge each quarter and offers a makeover solution. See the first blog post here. Problem Area: Failing to “look in the mirror.” Makeover Solution: Institute a regular meeting evaluation using a consistent format. For many boards, the end of a meeting… Read More
Voices from the Field

Leaning Into Fundamental And Unexpected Shifts In Our Relational Reparations Sisterhood [Part 3]

Posted on March 24, 2021 by LeAnne Moss, Candace Tkachuck, June L. Wilson

Photo via Freepik This article was originally published by Giving Compass and is re-posted here with permission. This is part two in a four-part series. Read part one here and part two here. “The most important journey you will ever take is from your head to your heart.”  —Anonymous When our group of 13 women came together in 2019 to imagine a future where affluent individuals… Read More
Voices from the Field

Looking Inward: How We Clarified Our Values and Vision

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Jaimie Mayer

Courtesy of Pixabay This letter was originally published by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and is re-posted here with permission. Jaimie Mayer is a co-chair of NCFP’s new Board Chair Peer Network. If you are interesting in joining, please sign up here. In Alicia Garza’s new book, The Purpose of Power, she writes: “Before we can know where we’re going…we need to know where… Read More
Voices from the Field

New Tools for Foundations to View Peer Group Data

Posted on March 5, 2021 by John Seitz

Courtesy of Serpstat from Pexels Foundations have been badly underserved in terms of available financial benchmarking resources. Coverage of foundations tends to focus mainly on where donations dollars are going without much attention paid to what happens to the money that stays in foundations’ endowments. The few reports that are available either 1) only describe the largest foundations, 2) are… Read More
Network News

March 2021: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on March 2, 2021

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, Libra Foundation, J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Russell Family Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation. Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle… Read More
Voices from the Field

Making Systems Changes for Equity: A Conversation with McKnight’s David Nicholson

Posted on March 2, 2021 by David Nicholson

Courtesy of the McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation has implemented a new program devoted to equity and inclusion in our state. David Nicholson, program director of the Vibrant & Equitable Communities program, shares how that team is thinking about systems change and what they’ve learned so far. Q: As a family philanthropy, how do you see your role in moving… Read More
From NCFP

Calling Family Foundation Board Members to Join a Journey on Racial Justice

Posted on March 2, 2021 by June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin, Mary Mountcastle, Virginia M. Esposito

Learn more about the Racial Justice Learning and Action Network. In 2018, the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) announced its second class of fellows, naming Kelly Nowlin, June Wilson, and Mary Mountcastle as distinguished fellows. Each of us independently chose to focus our fellowship work on racial equity. Coming together we worked to support one another, challenge established thinking,… Read More

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