Foundations can no longer rely on fixed income investments to generate strong returns with low risk. As returns on fixed income have declined, many foundations have taken on more risk (via equity investments) to fill the earnings gap. What if there is a way for your foundation to generate investment income without changing your risk... Read More
Until he retired, my friend Chet was a junior high school shop teacher. I remember visiting his classroom and seeing the walls lined with tools. “For every job there is a tool,” he said. Having done my share of home repair over the years, I know how true that is. As a funder, I’ve also... Read More
Dear fellow member, As grantmakers, we regularly face tough decisions about which nonprofits to support. We all want to be good stewards of our philanthropic assets, and there are always more worthy requests than we are able to act upon. To make these hard choices, we weigh how the organization’s mission aligns with our priorities.... Read More
10-Minute Impact Assessment Explore How to Make The Most of Your Giving This simple tool offers your foundation a framework that you can use to discuss your impact, identify areas of strength, and highlight opportunities for increasing your impact. Practical Board Self-Assessment Improve Your Foundation’s Effectiveness Take a thoughtful approach to board assessment... Read More
Three investment options for foundations are: Investment consultants, who help trustees establish and implement a decision-making structure for investment management Outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) firms, which act as the investment office on a daily basis for the foundation and typically has discretion over hiring/terminating managers and rebalancing the portfolio Investment managers, who buy and... Read More
For many years, small-staffed foundations have been at the heart of the impact investing movement, joining with—and, at times, leading—larger philanthropies. Small-staffed foundations tend to be more agile than their larger, staffed counterparts and also may have greater knowledge of the needs in certain issue areas and geographies. They are better positioned than larger foundations... Read More