Voices from the Field

Breaking From Philanthropy Norms: An Inside Look At Relational Reparations (Part 1)

Posted on January 19, 2021 by June L. Wilson, LeAnne Moss, Candace Tkachuck

By Jacob Lund via Shutterstock This article was originally published by Giving Compass and is re-posted here with permission. What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m talking about is a national reckoning that would lead to spiritual renewal. Reparations would mean the end… Read More
Voices from the Field

Philanthropy as Democracy Enhancement: Big Philanthropy’s Role as Discovery for Social Problem-Solving

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Mohit Mookim, Rob Reich, Nadia Roumani, Ayushi Vig

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels The United States is facing unprecedented levels of inequality. Nuanced critiques of donor-driven endowments permeate the media coverage of philanthropy, tinging it with skepticism and mistrust. As a donor, you want to do good—you want to have a positive impact by playing your part in advancing our society. Yet you may feel confused about… Read More
Network News

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

Posted on January 12, 2021

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Frist Foundation, Grunin Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and Walton Foundation. Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or good news about your foundation that you would like to… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with Carrie Avery

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Carrie Avery, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Carrie Avery, chair of the Durfee Foundation board and former chair of the NCFP board, never imagined she would be leading her family’s philanthropy. As a member of the Steering Committee at the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, she also couldn’t have imagined how important the group’s work would become during the recent pandemic and movement for racial justice. In this Family… Read More
Voices from the Field

Reflections from the Spend Down of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Posted on January 7, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Lauren B. Dachs

Courtesy of Jonathan Petersson from Pexels Excerpted from Spending down: Laurie Dachs answers questions for family philanthropies What was the process that your foundation went through to make the decision to spend down? What drove the decision? Our Board of Directors held multiple conversations across a year, 2008, sparked by my dad as founder and board chair. At that time,… Read More
Voices from the Field

Four Ways Values Inspire and Ground Our Grantmaking

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Katherine Lorenz

One reason many families create foundations is to pass down philanthropic values through the generations. My grandparents founded the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation to support the issues they cared most deeply about and also to ensure that the specific values they championed throughout their lifetimes would continue to live on when they were gone. My grandparents had 10 children… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Secret to Making Decisions in Times of Crisis

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Carrie Avery

Courtesy of Anton on Unsplash This article was originally published by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and is re-posted here with permission. The global pandemic has placed enormous burdens on our communities. As funders, it our responsibility to be responsive to our nonprofit partners’ needs—and in times of crisis it is imperative that we act quickly. But what does it really… Read More
Ask NCFP

Ask NCFP: Grant Management Systems

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Katie Scott

Courtesy of Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash Despite the upheaval COVID-19 has caused, many foundations are finding time to revisit their strategies, systems, and tools. Several funders have reached out to NCFP in recent weeks looking for guidance on evaluating grants management systems. We are not experts on all systems available, but NCFP staff members have used grants systems… Read More
Voices from the Field

Takeaways from Engaging Youth Peer Network: Supporting Youth Givers Across Ages

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Maya Diggs

During the final Engaging Youth Peer Network event of 2020, participants had the opportunity to hear about a variety of strategies for including youth in family philanthropy. Our featured speakers Alexis Marion, Neil Gobioff, and Marlene Corrado shared real stories and discussed several tools and activities that they have found helpful. This meeting was particularly special because the peer network… Read More