Featured Blog Post:
Category
Lessons From a Founder Winding Down Their Foundation
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
Foundation Recordkeeping: A Quick Guide
Without a doubt, giving plenty of time and thought to your foundation recordkeeping system will pay off in the long run. In general, you should keep most foundation files of any significance for a minimum of three years. However, this can add up to a lot of paper! For one thing, if space is a... Read More
Grantmaking for Equity: Essential, Fundamental Practices
Advancing racial equity in philanthropy requires doing a lot of unlearning and relearning. This fundamental set of grantmaking practices are a great place for all funders to start. That said, these actions are just the beginning. They complement a continual journey of learning about systemic racism. Eliminate Barriers to Entry Don’t impose a minimum organizational... Read More
Essential Things For Creating Grant Guidelines
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
Foundation Transitions Happen: Are You Prepared?
A leadership succession plan is an essential source of guidance, and a commitment to organizational stability, when foundation transitions occur. Specifically, this written document identifies a course of action for when key leaders depart, whether planned or unplanned, permanent or temporary. To illustrate, consider what happened to one of our members: “Our foundation had succession... Read More
Why Your Net Grant Matters
What is a net grant and why does it matter? Well, time is money and grantees incur costs while applying for grants. For instance, think about how long it could take a nonprofit to customize their financial documents to your specifications, and language to your unique questions and formatting. According to Project Streamline, nonprofits can... Read More