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Funders: Considering Collaboration? Start With a Light Touch and See Where It Leads
This post originally appeared on Blackbaud’s sgENGAGE blog. When smaller, place-based foundations collaborate and align their work, they provide unique value to local communities and nonprofits. Still, many foundations shy away from working together, assuming it will require considerable time and a loss of independence. Funder collaboration need not be burdensome. Nor does it require... Read More
How Can Lean Funders Proactively Advance Racial Equity? Don’t Go It Alone
Recently, efforts to incorporate antiracism into philanthropic work have surged. What does this mean for lean funders who may not have the capacity to launch major initiatives? At Brady Education Foundation, we focus on addressing disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and family income. Our mission is clearly aligned with racial equity work.... Read More
Did the Pandemic Change Lean Funders?
In recent years, we have collected data on how our community of lean funders is responding to the pandemic. In April 2020, we surveyed members on what they planned to do. We shared those findings in this report. The next year, our 2021 Foundation Operations and Management Survey (FOMS) collected more detailed information on how... Read More
Using Venture Philanthropy To Fill Gaps and Advance Medical Breakthroughs
My family and I are dedicated philanthropists. We work hard to maximize the impact of our philanthropic dollars across a wide range of social issues. My passion is children’s health. This area of medical research and care is often overlooked or underfunded, and yet the unmet needs are great. As a survivor of brain cancer... Read More
Key Insights From the 2022 Foundation Operations and Management Report
Exponent Philanthropy’s 2022 Foundation Operations and Management Report (FOMR) continues to offer mission-critical statistics about member foundations’ boards and governance, investments, administration (including salary and benefits), and grantmaking. Thank you to the 400+ members who participated in the 2021 survey informing this report. Below are some of its interesting and exciting findings. However, we encourage... Read More
How a Diversity Focus Changed One Foundation’s Board
Over 20 years ago, the Anna B. Stearns Charitable Foundation launched its Girls’ Initiative to amplify support for women and girls. More recently, the foundation’s board, historically mostly women, expanded its equity and inclusion focus to include race and culture for both grantmaking and board composition. Leadership sees its own diversity as essential to driving... Read More