Our publications help lean foundations and funders make the most of the minutes they have and the dollars they give.

 

Advocacy Field Guide

Make Big Change With Little Money
Funders with few or no staff are perfectly positioned to fund and engage in advocacy. This field guide is a set of seven practical, field-tested steps for funding and engaging in advocacy, a great starting point for lean funders.

 

Foundation Operations & Management Report

The Premier Benchmarking Resource for Lean Foundations
Contains mission-critical statistics about member foundations’ boards & governance, investments, administration (including salary and benefits), and grantmaking.

 

Great Funder–Nonprofit Relationships

A Toolkit for Funders
This toolkit is designed to help funders recognize the aspects of great relationships with your nonprofit partners, assess competencies, and consider ways to improve how to work with one another. 

 

Media Toolkit

A Funders Guide To Engaging With the Media
Targeted media strategies can help funders construct meaningful relationships with key audiences and showcase and elevate your organization, your grantees, and the causes most important to you. 

 

Peer Circles Planning Guide

A Funders Guide to Peer Circles
Peer circles are a chance for members to convene fellow funders to learn together and network. These conversation groups are primarily based in local communities, but they also can be virtual.

 

Peer Coaching Guide

A Funders Guide to Peer Coaching
Peer coaching can help you build stronger connections with other lean funders in a unique way. Use this guide to prepare, process and reflect on your experiences with peer coaching.

 

Racial Equity in Lean Foundations

Closing the Gap Between Intention and Impact
Collected through FOMR data, surveys, and interviews with members, this report centers on the relevance of racial equity to our members’ mission, as well as their board and staff demographics.

 

Ramping Up for High-Impact Philanthropy

A Funders Guide To Ramping Up Giving
This toolkit is for seasoned donors, donor advised fund holders, foundation trustees, and staff who are taking steps to significantly ramp up the impact of their giving.

 

Spotlight Reports

Illuminating Best Practices Through Member Stories
Grounded in research, survey data, and interviews with funders, these spotlight reports highlight some of the strongest approaches within lean philanthropy.

 

The Foundation Guidebook

For Those New to Philanthropy
Provides the baseline knowledge you need for running a foundation and getting to the important work of making a difference. This guidebook focuses on practical ways to build a foundation thoughtfully and carefully.

 

The Trustee Handbook

Essentials for Effective Foundation Board Members
Designed specifically for trustees of foundations with few or no staff. This comprehensive resource features detailed guidance on important topics for every board member and trustee.