Voices from the Field

Streamlining for Equity: Your First Two Steps to Take

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Allison Gister

Several bright yellow post its with indistinguishable writing a posted to a grey wall
This piece was originally published on PEAK Grantmaking’s website and appears with permission. Earlier this month, I facilitated a workshop on “Streamlining from the Inside Out” for our Southern California Regional Chapter. PEAK Grantmaking has long-championed the effort to simplify grants management processes and find efficiencies—starting with our “Project Streamline” initiative and, continuing today, through our Principles for Peak Grantmaking… Read More
Voices from the Field

Trust-based Philanthropy: The Durfee Foundation

Posted on December 9, 2019 by The Whitman Institute

Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series by the Whitman Institute (TWI), featuring foundations that practice trust-based philanthropy, that acknowledge the power dynamics and realities facing nonprofits, and that invite more authentic relationships and communication with grantees. This piece originally appeared on the Whitman Institute’s website and appears with permission. Since its inception in 1960, the Durfee Foundation in Los Angeles… Read More
Voices from the Field

Learning to Give with the Next Gen Giving Circle

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Next Gen Giving Circle

“I found a career in philanthropy on Craigslist,” says Carlyn Madden, a co-founder of the Next Gen Giving Circle and now a consultant to funders and nonprofits. “Does it get more Millennial than that?” An avid volunteer, Carlyn was hired right out of college by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Washington, DC region’s largest private foundation. There she… Read More
Network News

December 2019: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on November 30, 2019 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

Beautiful winter sunset
Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their cutting edge work. This month features updates from The Brinson Foundation, Sobrato Philanthropies, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. 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 share… Read More
From NCFP

The Promise of Even Greater Possibilities

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Virginia M. Esposito

What distinguishes giving families are the dual goals they bring to their philanthropic giving: goals for charitable purpose and goals for family participation. What unites them all is a very personal passion, a commitment to the legacy of their families’ values and vision and a commitment to philanthropic excellence. As I mentioned at the recent National Forum on Family Philanthropy,… Read More
Voices from the Field

It’s Cool to be Kind: How to Have Civil Conversations in Today’s World

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

Civil puzzle
Civil: relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns; courteous, polite —Merriam Webster In an increasingly divisive society—where politics seem to dominate public as well as private discourse—what would it be like to hold civil conversations in our own families and communities? And how might family foundations create space for people to come together and have these conversations? These were big… Read More
Voices from the Field

Build Authentic Relationships: The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

Cover of the Passages Issue Brief, Bridging the Power Divide, with a person teaching a few others in a room
As a family funder, how can you acknowledge and responsibly navigate the power of your position? How does the power and privilege you hold affect those you interact with and support? How can you use your power for good—to make lasting impact? This Passages Issue Brief features stories, perspectives, and practical tips on power, and suggestions for how family funders can work… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Perrin Family Foundation: A Funder Journey Story

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing in collaboration with the Perrin Family Foundation

A group of young children write on a whiteboard
The Perrin Family Foundation is a family foundation based in Connecticut, with a focus on supporting youth-led social change focused on addressing the root causes of injustice and inequity statewide Sheila and Charlie Perrin founded PFF in 1994 to create a permanent vehicle for their family philanthropy and allow their extended family to be part of their vision for providing… Read More