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Grantmaking Due Diligence: Organizational Budget Size
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
Is This Self-Dealing? Three Quick Questions To Ask
No topic within private foundation rules raises as many questions and concerns as self-dealing. To ensure that foundation assets are used for charitable purposes rather than private benefit, the self-dealing rules prohibit a range of transactions between private foundations and their insiders, called disqualified persons. The self-dealing rules are broad and absolute. There are no... Read More
What the Law Requires When Making Grants
The law requires very little when making grants to most domestic public charities. Other than knowing a grantee’s tax status—your foundation has a great deal of flexibility. However, I regularly encounter funders, foundation staff and professional advisors who do not know this. What the Law Requires When Making Grants A few years ago, Project Streamline... Read More
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
This fundamental set of practices is a great place for funders to start advancing racial equity in philanthropy. That said, these actions are just the beginning. They complement a continual journey of learning about systemic racism. Equitable Grantmaking Practices Eliminate Barriers to Entry Don’t impose a minimum organizational size or budget in your grant guidelines. Instead,... Read More