A collection of grant maker discretionary grants policies (GEO)
Posted on June 3, 2006
A collection of sample discretionary grants policies collected by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations… Read More
Grantmaking Strategy and Evaluation
Sample investment policy statement with SRI component (Stokes Foundation)
Posted on April 15, 2006 by Lydia B. Stokes Foundation
This sample investment policy contains language regarding the family foundation board’s desire to have socially responsible investing as a core focus of its strategy… Read More
Creating Social Change Through Your Family’s Philanthropy
Posted on April 13, 2006 by Alison D. Goldberg, Jamie Schweser
'Social change philanthropy', a term often applied to philanthropy that tries to address the root causes of societal inequalities, is being embraced by family philanthropists of all generations. … Read More
The Future of Family Philanthropy
Posted on December 15, 2005 by Virginia M. Esposito, Katherine Fulton
What will family philanthropy look like in the year 2020? How will globalization, immigration, geographic dispersion, and the vast array of new web-based initiatives for giving continue to affect the how, why, who, when and where of family philanthropy? NCFP President Virginia Esposito and special guest Katherine Fulton from the Global Business Network had a wide-ranging, forward-looking conversation on the future… Read More
Measuring Effectiveness as a Family Philanthropy
Posted on November 10, 2005 by Doug Bauer
While no family launches a charitable giving vehicle with the intention of spending time and resources without results, it can often be difficult to quantify or even evaluate the results of your philanthropy. Certainly every family hopes that their giving will have a positive impact on the lives of those in their communities, but how can the results of your… Read More
Sample matching grant policy (Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation)
Posted on October 27, 2005 by Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation
This sample policy from the Wyoming-based Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation covers matching grants. The document includes the operating resolution, subsequent resolutions, and the matching grants application… Read More
Beyond compliance: The trustee viewpoint on effective foundation governance
Posted on October 24, 2005 by Ellie Buteau, Phil Buchanan, Romero Hayman, Sarah Di Troia
This report describes key elements of foundation board effectiveness. Based on the largest-scale research on foundation boards ever conducted, the report reveals the foundation trustee perspective on effective governance and provides practical implications for CEOs and trustees… Read More
Alternatives to Perpetuity: A Conversation Every Foundation Should Have
Posted on October 21, 2005 by Deanne Stone
This Passages is aimed at new donors considering a limited lifespan for their foundation, existing foundations that have already set a closing date, or any family contemplating the question of perpetuity. Author Deanne Stone gives background on the perpetuity vs. spending down debate and discusses the motivations for considering an alternative to perpetuity. The paper then identifies the basic challenges… Read More
Personal Strategy: Mobilizing Yourself For Effective Grant Making
Posted on May 1, 2005 by Jan Jaffe, William Ryan
Like the foundations they work for and the nonprofits they fund, most grant makers believe that good grant making requires effective strategy. When it comes to their own way of working, however, many have neither an explicit strategy for effectiveness nor any support for developing one… Read More
When projects flounder
Posted on November 18, 2004 by William Ryan
What warning signs might alert you that a project is floundering? In this guide, grant makers recount their experiences with troubled projects and tell how they responded – or how they wish they’d responded. With the benefit of hindsight, veterans describe what they learned and offer advice on the most effective and timely way to handle distress signals… Read More