As foundations strive to make meaningful change in support of their missions, understanding what leads to philanthropic impact is crucial. In the 2023 Foundation Operations and Management Report, foundations named insufficient grantmaking impact as one of their top challenges. In this blog, I’ll discuss a few factors that drive impact, as well as strategies for... Read More
Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) is a mindset and practice that empowers lean, place-based foundations to unleash their full potential to spark transformative change on issues prioritized by local communities. By embracing their unique abilities to act quickly, focus persistently, and nurture deep relationships, individuals who embrace CLIP go beyond typical grantmaking and become dynamic... Read More
Exploring the Role of Diversity and Racial Equity in Leanly Staffed Foundations Racial equity is an essential part of philanthropy, and lean funders are increasingly focused on it, yet foundation boards and staff are still disproportionately White. The two primary factors holding back philanthropy’s efforts to help advance social change are rooted in race: Understanding... Read More
Exploring the Role of Diversity and Racial Equity in Leanly Staffed Foundations Racial equity is an essential part of philanthropy, and lean funders are increasingly focused on it, yet foundation boards and staff are disproportionately White! The two factors holding back philanthropy’s efforts to help advance social changes are rooted in race: Understanding the role... Read More
Philanthropy is ever-changing. Pressing issues and seismic political, economic, and technological shifts move us to revisit how we work regularly. Urgency, passion, curiosity, and the desire to engage drive some lean funders (those with few or no staff) to center their giving around authentic relationships with grantees and community members. This type of Catalytic Leadership... Read More
Blog Objectives Our blog objectives come from our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan: Amplify and increase the impact of lean funders. Build a broader and deeper Exponent Philanthropy community through sharing and collaboration. Maximize our relevance and accessibility to a variety of funders. Advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy. Understand Our Members It’s most important that... Read More