As foundations strive to make meaningful change in support of their missions, understanding what leads to philanthropic impact is crucial. In the 2023 Foundation Operations and Management Report, foundations named insufficient grantmaking impact as one of their top challenges. In this blog, I’ll discuss a few factors that drive impact, as well as strategies for... Read More
Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is a mindset and practice that empowers lean, place-based foundations to unleash their full potential to spark transformative change on issues prioritized by local communities. By embracing their unique abilities to act quickly, focus persistently, and nurture deep relationships, individuals who embrace CLIP go beyond typical grantmaking and become dynamic... Read More
Our highly-rated publication for members provides a wealth of information and inspiration in one easy read. In this issue: A Call for Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy Getting Out Into the Community: Start Identifying Gaps and Leveraging Points for Change The Value of Focusing Your Giving My Family’s Foundation Entered the Policy Arena, and We’re Not... Read More
Philanthropy is ever changing. Pressing issues and seismic political, economic, and technological shifts move us to regularly revisit how we work. Urgency, passion, curiosity, and the desire to engage are driving some lean funders (those with few or no staff) to center their giving around authentic relationships with grantees and members of their community. This... Read More
Choosing which of the many worthy causes to fund is difficult, which begs the question: How bad is it to give to multiple good causes? The answer is: Not bad at all. However, when we approach charitable giving another way—How can we achieve the most with our resources?—the answer is different. That’s because getting focused... Read More
Originally posted to GrantCraft’s blog “It must be so fun to give money away!” We’ve all heard this reaction when we tell people we are staff or board members of a grantmaking organization. And, yes, it is fun. But it’s also hard work. Good grantmaking, as we know, is about far more than reading piles... Read More