Blog | Uncategorized, Case Studies

The Ansara Family Fund: Partnering Beyond Borders for Long-term Impact

April 15, 2010 | Jason Born
When Karen and Jim Ansara contacted the Boston Foundation on January 14, 2010 to talk about how their family’s donor advised fund could best respond to the earthquakes in Haiti – which had happened less than 48 hours before – they were continuing both a longstanding commitment to international philanthropy, as well as a more recent commitment to Haiti in Read More
Knowledge Center | Passages Issue Briefs

Logic Models: Not Just for Big Foundations Anymore

January 4, 2010 | Erica V. Ekwurzel
Logic modeling is popular with large foundations, but has not been embraced by many of the smaller ones. One reason is that foundations with few or no staff fear that producing one is complicated and time consuming. It doesn’t have to be. And it can be a crucial tool for small asset foundations looking to make sustained impact, as explained Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Are you prepared to operate your family’s philanthropy in a disaster?

November 15, 2009 | Susan Crites Price
Like a lot of smaller funders, the 20-year-old McCarthy Family Foundation operated out of Treasurer Tim McCarthy’s home office. He learned a lot of important lessons about disasters the hard way after his home was among the hundreds of properties destroyed in the October 2007 San Diego wildfires. The foundation had no disaster evacuation or recovery plan. And it is Read More
Knowledge Center | Passages Issue Briefs

Family Foundations as Agents of Change

September 4, 2009 | Jeffrey M. Glebocki, Joann Ricci
We often hear media reports on the contributions and impact of super-sized grants and mega-foundations. But data and experience tells us it’s the presence and consistency of small- and medium-sized family foundations that provide much of the fuel for nonprofit organizations in our communities. Family foundations are uniquely positioned to serve as leaders in community problem-solving. Because their board members Read More
Blog | Uncategorized, Case Studies

Finding and Fighting the Causes of Homelessness: The Melville Charitable Trust

June 11, 2009 | Jason Born
In 1990, a family trust in Connecticut decided to pursue an audacious goal: to end homelessness in America. The board thoroughly studied the issue, and eventually committed themselves to an equally bold strategy – creating a national movement. The Melville Charitable Trust’s considerable impact since then was recognized recently when its long-time executive director, Robert Hohler, received the Council on 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
Knowledge Center | Impact Story

The Tow Foundation: Revamping the Juvenile Justice System Through Advocacy

September 15, 2008 | Kevin Laskowski
Today, the foundation’s staff members commit more than 50 percent of their time to advocacy and collaboration with public and private partners to improve the lives of children involved in or at risk of involvement in the Connecticut juvenile justice system. With support from the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, which the foundation co-founded in 2001, their strategic approach led to Read More