Seed funding is a critical tool in a philanthropist’s impact tool belt. By putting trust and financial support behind your partners’ innovative projects, you can leverage your freedom and risk capital to make a difference. A seed funding grant is a small, initial investment in a new initiative or project. It can reinforce your relationship... 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
Families across the country continue to struggle with the rising cost of food, gas, housing, and more. Even Halloween candy prices were up 13% this year! Even more scary: nonprofits are facing the same inflation pressures—and many of them came into 2022 already facing declines in donations, a cliff in pandemic relief support, workforce shortages,... Read More
To right-size your requirements mean tailoring what you require from grantseekers and grantees when they apply for and report on your grants. As an illustration, what you require is proportionate to the size of grant, appropriate for the type of grant, and reflective of any existing relationship with the grantee. In short, right-sizing considers the... Read More
A little over 30 years ago, Pro Football Hall of Famer and venture capitalist investor Ronnie Lott and his wife Karen founded All Stars Helping Kids. Ronnie modeled his philanthropic efforts on the lessons he learned playing football and investing in technology starts-up. Much like how venture capitalists invest in startups, All Stars invests in... Read More
This post originally appeared on GMA Foundations’ blog. Organizational budget size is a favorite proxy indicator in philanthropy. Donors use rules of thumb to streamline grantmaking due diligence, but generalizations are imperfect. Using organizational budget size as a proxy indicator can reinforce funding inequities and lead to lost opportunity. Here are a few ways to... Read More