Getting Started

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Insights from the Kendeda Fund

Posted on August 7, 2023 by David Brotherton, Dena Kimball, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez, Glen Galaich

Every family foundation that has decided to sunset has a unique spend down journey. But every family foundation learns throughout that journey. The Kendeda Fund has committed to spending out the remainder of its assets and ending grantmaking operations by the end of 2023. Since their founder, Diana Blank, began her philanthropic journey nearly 30 years ago, Kendeda has worked… Read More

Sustainable Investing as Part of a 10-Year Spend Down at The John Merck Fund

Posted on August 7, 2023 by The John Merck Fund

When The John Merck Fund embarked on a 10-year spendout of its assets in 2012, the board aimed to maximize its grantmaking clout across four core program areas. The board also set another challenge: to finance the effort as much as possible with sustainable investments consistent with the Fund's philanthropic mission—and, what’s more, to do this without sacrificing market-rate returns… Read More

Unlocking the Power of DAFs

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Betsy Erickson, Arabella Advisors

This paper explores tactics DAF-holders can use to combat stagnation and overcome the barriers—both psychological and structural—that are holding them back, enabling them to put their charitable dollars to work and fulfill the expectations of their roles as funders… Read More

Effective Family Philanthropy: The Eisner Foundation

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Wendy Paris, Inside Philanthropy

The Eisner Family EFL Sky Bet League 1 match between Portsmouth and Shrewsbury Town. From L to R: Anders Eisner, Breck Eisner, Jane Eisner, Michael Eisner, Eric Eisner. Photo courtesy of the Eisner Family
The Intergenerational Philanthropy of the Eisner Foundation If there were a Disney film about family philanthropy, it might open with a scene from Michael Eisner’s childhood. The L.A.-based philanthropist, former chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company and former head of Paramount Studios before that, grew up sitting in on conversations about family giving during Thanksgiving in Vermont. After… Read More

Effective Family Philanthropy: The Compton Foundation

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Ade Adeniji

Here’s How a Longtime Family Foundation Fractured, and Shifted Gears for a Meaningful Final Act In 1894, Missouri native William H. Danforth founded what would become Ralston Purina Company as a balanced food production company for animals. The company revolutionized the feed business with the introduction of pelletized animal feeds. By the early 2000s, Ralston Purina had merged with Swiss… Read More

Community Foundations Topical Call: Philanthropic Advisor Competencies

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Dien Yuen, JD/LLM, CAP®, AEP®,, Tony Macklin

The demand for philanthropic advice is increasing and, in response, more firms and organizations are hiring advisors to wealthy donors and families. However, our field of philanthropic advisors and consultants is a beautiful mess of talents, perspectives, responsibilities, and expectations. In October 2022, the American College of Financial Services convened 50 experts and practitioners to envision a more cohesive future… Read More

Understanding Purpose Trusts: Advantages and Disadvantages

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Zoe Schlag, Susan Mac Cormac

Purpose trusts have been around for centuries. However, most practitioners are far more familiar with charitable trusts. Enforced in the UK by chancery courts since the 15th Century and adopted unto the US into the Uniform Trust Code in 2000, charitable purpose trusts have been established to advance identified charitable purposes (instead of specific beneficiaries) but are limited in time,… Read More

Effective Family Philanthropy: The Cricket Island Foundation

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Ade Adeniji

What It Looks Like When a Multigenerational Family Foundation Makes All Voices Equal Therma-Tru Corporation was a family-owned business whose bread and butter was manufacturing exterior and entry doors. The Midwestern company traces its roots to the 1960s, when David Welles, a retired Owens Corning executive, purchased a bankrupt building supply company in Toledo, Ohio. The company eventually patented its… Read More

Executive Summary—Philanthropy in Complex, Multi-Generational Families: Balancing Individual Preference with Collective Purpose

Posted on April 12, 2023

fall leaves
Researchers from Lansberg Gersick Advisors consider how the family foundation’s design and operation is informed by—and informs—the family’s philanthropic activities that take place outside of it. The purpose of this study is to help families understand how they can design their family philanthropy to best meet their goals.    The study’s standout finding was that the creation of a robust family… Read More

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