Voices from the Field

Even with Complex Histories, Families Have an Opportunity to Advance Equity

Posted on May 3, 2016 by David Neal

Racial diversity and inclusion have been central to the grant making strategy at the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for decades. In more recent years, the Foundation has deepened its engagement with racial equity. For David L. Neal, a family member and trustee at the Winston-Salem, N.C., family foundation, this focus on equity has been a high priority. Not long ago, however, as he was researching his family’s — and the foundation’s — history, he discovered that its legacy is more complicated than he had once thought… Read More

How do we ensure that the family will not lose “control” of the foundation over time?

Posted on May 3, 2016 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

There are a variety of strategies that family foundations around the country have used to retain control while engaging non-family board members in their work. These strategies may be used alone or in combination, and may include the following: Strategy 1: Create term limits for current board members. A technique used by many family foundations, term limits can be a… Read More