Decision Making when Founders are Present

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Ann Shulman

This is an excerpt from Demystifying Decision Making in Family Philanthropy. Founders accustomed to making their own decisions in a business setting may bring unilateral decision-making to the foundation, often using it inappropriately. Founders may think of the foundation as “theirs” and feel impatient with or dismissive of group decision-making. At the same time, they genuinely want family members to… Read More

Water of Systems Change

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Mark R. Kramer

Foundations involved in systems change can increase their odds for success by focusing on less explicit but more powerful conditions for change, while also turning the lens on themselves… Read More

Impact Investing: Mapping Families’ Interests & Activities in 2020

Posted on June 4, 2021 by The ImPact

Impact Investing: Mapping Families’ Interests and Activities is part of a multi-year effort to study a problem that many ultra high net worth (UNHW) families have identified as critical, timely, and important: the existing impact investing opportunity set does not fully match their specific investment interests. The 2020 version of the survey, the second of three planned annual surveys, added… Read More

Sparking Cross-Sector Collaboration for COVID Recovery: How a Family Foundation Catalyzed Local Investment

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Nancy Rauch Douzinas, Kevin Law, Patrick Halpin, Gemma Deleon-Lopresti, Katie Smith Milway

 The Rauch Foundation of Long Island will describe how family foundations can play a unique role as a neutral hub to forge relationships across local business, government, and media that can multiply investment in regional economic recovery. Foundation President Nancy Rauch Douzinas and a panel of collaborators will articulate and illustrate five principles for using research, relationship networks, advocacy… Read More

Matching Grants Policy (Tracy Family Foundation)

Posted on February 2, 2021

The Matching Grant program of the Tracy Family Foundation is designed to encourage eligible participants to replicate the founder’s personal dedication to generosity and service. The program multiplies the time, talents, and resources of eligible participants in the communities they live and on the issues they care about… Read More

How Philanthropy Can Support Systems-Change Leaders

Posted on January 14, 2021 by The Bridgespan Group

Success in solving complex social problems frequently hinges on the work of organizations that harmonize the action of myriad actors—often referred to as field catalysts, systems orchestrators, or coalitions. Yet philanthropy too often overlooks them, as they defy traditional due diligence criteria. Breaking through will require philanthropy to reboot how it engages with these pivotal entities as critical catalysts and… Read More

Special grantmaking: A purposeful, flexible resource for foundations

Posted on January 8, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Many foundations that are guided by a long-term commitment to move the needle in a finite set of issue areas also hold “special grantmaking” funds. These program dollars can be flexibly deployed for nascent opportunities, innovative ideas, emergencies, local causes, and/or areas of high interest to their leaders. Little has been written about special grants as a vibrant resource for… Read More

Strategy and Evaluation: The Twin Engines of Effective Philanthropy

Posted on January 8, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

This essay provides a fast-paced tour of grantmaker approaches, launching with the advent of long-range planning in the 1980s and visiting scenario planning, social return on investment, human-centered design, big data, and other developments that have influenced practice. The author lands on strategy and evaluation as the anchor approaches that will fuel greater philanthropic impact in the new decade. This… Read More