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
In 1993, well before I left my job as CEO of Applied Materials, my wife Becky and I started our family foundation. Giving brings us joy. At the same time, we thought giving locally was important in Silicon Valley, where great need exists alongside great wealth. Becky and I wanted to identify good nonprofits and... Read More
With open communication, and detailed grant guidelines, you can build good relationships with potential partners from the start. At the same time, you can help other grantseekers move onto different funding sources quickly. However, guidelines are just guidelines. If you want to make a grant outside of your stated guidelines, you can certainly do so.... Read More
The Presser Foundation is the only foundation dedicated solely to funding music organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region. Its holistic approach to grantmaking also makes it unique among funders. The foundation gives to music organizations through special projects, general operating support, and capital support grants. At the same time, it supports music students through undergraduate... Read More
When funders get together to connect, talk and build relationships with one another, big things can happen. Consider, for example, this analysis of over $14 million awarded to nonprofits in Frederick County, Maryland, along with a growing understanding of how local giving relates to community needs. The Origins of Our Funders Group About five years... Read More