NCFP Blog

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

“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

As members of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, we are happy to share with our fellow members a new digital platform, Give As We Grow, that we recently launched to help families cultivate a culture of generosity and service in their children. When our oldest son was four, they passed around a donation bucket at the children’s museum where he… Read More

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

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

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

My board members often remark, “There are so many organizations addressing this issue, it’d be great if they could work together.” I serve as executive director of several foundations, one of which is anonymous, based in a family office outside Chicago. My foundations all support excellent nonprofits we wish would share expertise, if not officially collaborate. Through the years, we… Read More