Knowledge Center | Passages Issue Briefs

Families Step Up to Meet Economic Crisis

September 4, 2009 | Joseph Foote
The recession that began in 2008 caused philanthropic assets for most families to decline sharply. Program plans for 2009 and 2010 were disrupted, forcing many philanthropic families to cancel new initiatives, respond to pleas from longstanding grantees about cash shortfalls, and swing rapidly toward support of basic human needs. Families who operate foundations, donor-advised funds, and other formal giving vehicles Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Real estate: The grant that keeps on giving

April 15, 2009 | Elaine Gast Fawcett
“At a time like this, we need to stop investing in treasuries and bonds and start investing directly in our communities.” —Tom Parker, Hutton Foundation As a family fund these days, you might feel like crawling into a corner and licking your endowment losses. But look on the bright side. Trying times can inspire positive change—and a chance to get Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Telling Your Family’s Story

September 15, 2007 | Kevin Laskowski
Family philanthropies are intimately connected with the past that shapes them. As stewards of both a public trust and a family legacy, philanthropic families are constantly drawing on their history for wisdom, energy, and focus. That’s why growing numbers of families are recording their stories to share with future generations. The sharing can be as simple as storytelling at a Read More
Knowledge Center | Article

Motivations for Board Service

May 13, 2007 | Virginia M. Esposito
Why many family members want in and some don’t want to leave Of all the governance questions I get and stories I hear, none come more frequently and with more urgency than those related to preparing the next generation of trustee leaders. Now those of you who have read these columns or heard me speak know that my concern in Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Program and General Support: Choices for Giving Families

April 15, 2007 | Kevin Laskowski
In an ongoing salvo in the decades-long debate surrounding program and general operating support, a 2007 report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy charges: The grantmaking practices of a significant part of the foundation sector may be crippling small community-based and other nonprofit organizations because of one significant factor—the unwillingness of most foundations to provide general operating support to Read More