Amid a devastating pandemic, civic turmoil, and the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression, it might be tempting for small funders to turn away from engaging policymakers. But that’s a mistake. Now more than ever, funders with few or no staff should engage in or double down on advocacy. For far too long, foundations... Read More
We’re excited to share the story of a client who’s using its charitable capital to increase civic engagement: The Langeloth Foundation supports health and racial equity outcomes for all people in order to foster and sustain safe and healthy communities. It envisions a society that is free of the systematic barriers that prevent people and communities... Read More
Pro Football Hall of Famer and venture capitalist investor Ronnie Lott, and his wife Karen, founded All Stars Helping Kids 30 years ago, modeling his philanthropic efforts on the lessons learned playing football and investing in technology starts-up. Much like how venture capitalists invest in startups, All Stars invests in emerging nonprofits with innovative solutions... Read More
Money affects power dynamics in relationships and as donors, we have the responsibility to send money carefully. When considering alternatives to a traditional funding approach, participatory grantmaking leverages knowledgeable input and democratic checks and balances. Being participatory is more than soliciting outside advice; it means inviting people at the center of the work to participate... Read More
“The greatest gift you can give another person is trust,” said one of our grantees. When I started thinking about how to share our experiences with trust-based philanthropy, my first thought was to hear our grantees’ perspectives. This defines our philanthropic philosophy: working collectively to inspire possibility, innovation and sustainable outcomes. Engaging in trust-based philanthropy... Read More
Philanthropy has a new champion. Her name is MacKenzie Scott. Recently, Scott announced that in her relatively short time in philanthropy, she’s given $1.7 billion to 116 nonprofits. Many of the organizations are devoted to equity, and those organizations are largely led by women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people. While the amount represents a... Read More