Granted - Jewish Funders Network

GrantED

GrantED was a project of Jewish Funders Network that worked to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers in the Jewish community.

Created by Jewish Funders Network and UpStart (with help from Hadar), GrantED was inspired by the 2020 study “Grantees and Their Funders: How Professionals at Jewish Not-for-Profits Experience Working with Grantmakers” by Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer. This groundbreaking study found that while Jewish nonprofit leaders overall report positive working relationships with funders, a number shared some difficult experiences:

Some funders exploit the power imbalance and condition their giving upon inappropriate demands.
A significant portion of interviewees reported that female staff members had experienced demeaning comments, inappropriate flirtatiousness, and/or unwanted touching by some individual funders.
Grantseekers complained about time-consuming grant applications and cumbersome reporting requirements.

In response to these findings, a panel of 15 foundation professionals, philanthropists, and nonprofit professionals convened and issued a set of guidelines for grantmakers and grantseekers alike, that include:

Build Trust and Understanding
Increase Transparency
Improve Communications
Amplify Positive Norms
Establish New Norms
Educate and Train Grantmakers and Grantseekers

GrantED exists to support and nurture grantmakers and grantseekers so that they forge authentic relationships, communicate effectively, understand and navigate power dynamics, and sustain impact over time.

Here are some ways you may want to use our online resources, a mix of original and curated material:

Independently to reflect upon and improve individual practices
As part of training and professional development for your team
In the context of a specific grantseeker/grantmaker relationship to surface and address challenges.
As part of a broader conversation between grantmakers and grantseekers in your community or field

Resources

Capacity Building

Capacity Building: Entrusting Arts Orgs to Bring Themselves to the Next Level - Capacity Building: Entrusting Arts Orgs to Bring Themselves to the Next Level.

Covid-19

A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices. They Should Never Revert to the Old Ways - Arguing that foundations are stuck in a mindset of “delusional altruism” —an almost-always unconscious state of being that leads them to hold on to deceptive and illogical behavior that undermines progress — the author, a philanthropy adviser, offers a roadmap for how to confront and overcome philanthropic delusions and permanently embrace the important changes made since the Covid pandemic began.
Covid’s Impact on Philanthropic Relationships - An interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships.
Foundations are Breaking all the Rules in the Pandemic: They Need to Keep Doing That - Editorial considering the potential for growth and dynamic change provided by the new paradigms of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Foundation CEOs Need to Send the Message that Unrestricted Giving is the New Normal - Editorial applying the findings of the Center for Effective Philanthropy report New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support to the funding gap created by the Covid-19 pandemic. [Registration required]
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Lasting Change? - This report finds that foundations have, since the Covid pandemic began, continued to change many practices and that they plan to continue most of these changes in a post-pandemic future.
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Towards Equity? - Summary of the “Foundations Respond to Crisis: Toward Equity?” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy based on survey data from 236 foundations and in-depth interviews with 41 leaders of foundations regarding the increased initiative towards equity in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 1 - Editorial in support of streamlined grant application and approval processes to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and to increase operational impact going forward. Part 1 of 2.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 2 - Editorial analyzing the benefits of the streamlined grant application and approval process to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and advancing the position of the benefits of retaining this approach. Part 2 of 2.
Foundations That Are Serious About Achieving Equity Need to Rethink How They Work - Can function follow form? An exploration of the “prefigurative” approach to organizations seeking to propagate and strengthen their ideals and goals by embodying them.
Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic (report) - Summary of the “Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic on nonprofit operations categorized by funding source. A link to the report is included.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment. This monograph, featuring six essays and eight authors, utilizes “positive peer pressure” in order to advocate for improved funding practices.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jon Adam Ross and Ayalon Eliach - Jon Adam Ross is a Founding Artist of The In[heir]itance Project. Ayalon Eliach is a Senior Advisor at the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. Jon and Ayalon have been in conversation for two and a half years.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jory Hanselman Mayschak and Vanessa Bernier - Jory Hanselman Mayschak is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy. Vanessa Bernier is the Program Officer for Jewish Life at the Denver-based Rose Community Foundation. Jory and Vanessa have been in conversation for a little over a year.
How Philanthropy needs to Transform to Meet the Challenges of the Moment - Exploring how the dynamic response of the philanthropic community to increase resilience and impact by promoting equity in answer to the challenges of the global Covid-19 pandemic might expand to influence other sectors.
How the 10 Biggest Foundations Changed in a Year of Covid — and What’s Next - A look at what the 10 largest U.S. foundations did in response to the pandemic and what they plan to do next.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
Lessening the Power Divide in Philanthropy - An explanation of how relational grantmaking can be an effective response to the inequities exacerbated by the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Participatory Grantmaking Matters Now More than Ever - An overview and reflection on the research, design, and support of the Ford Foundation towards the development of participatory grantmaking.
Philanthropic Foundation Responses to COVID-19 - Case study of philanthropic initiatives in response to Covid-19 utilizing data from a survey of the 500 largest (by assets) foundations in the United States.
Philanthropy and COVID-19 in the First Half of 2020 - A detailed report and analysis of the massive response of the global philanthropic community to the challenges of the initial six months of the Covid-19 pandemic, categorized by donor type and recipients.
Post-Pandemic, One Family Foundation Leader Shares Her Plans to Give More and Simplify - The leader of a small family foundation shares how she plans to manage their giving differently — and why — as a result of Covid and other major events of 2020. Among the changes: streamlining reporting requirements to ease the burden on grantseekers, giving more, volunteering, and “democratizing giving.”
Private Foundations Plan to Increase Grantmaking - Summary of a report detailing increased unrestricted giving by donor organizations in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. A link to the report is provided.
Really Giving: Four Ways to Democratize Philanthropy - In response to a conversation about obstacles nonprofit leaders and artists experienced when applying for foundation support, the writer created a checklist for making philanthropy more of a collective process, one that better reflected the grantees, not just grantmakers.
sgEngage, Episode 145: Trends in Grantmaking During the COVID-19 Pandemic - A thoughtful and detailed discussion of the changes to funding and relationships during the global Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on increased communication and integration.
The Grantmaker & Grantseeker Relationship What We Know and How We Can Strengthen It - A conversation between Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer and Deena Fuchs of the Micah Foundation about “Grantees and Their Funders,” Jack’s report on what professionals at Jewish nonprofits experience while working with funders.
When we Return to our Foundation Offices Let’s Make Them Spaces where we Collaborate with Grantees - A meditation on the aesthetics of equity and inclusion.

Evaluation

How to Best Prepare for an Evaluation as a Grantmaker or Grantseeker - Learn how to best prepare for an evaluation for both grantmakers and grantseekers. This webinar provides concrete tools, tips, and tricks for both grantseekers and grantmakers to transparently share information, discuss challenges, and create a plan for the most impact.
How to Prepare for an Evaluation: The Four Questions Toolkit - Rosov Consulting created a new resource, unique for GrantED, about how to successfully prepare for an evaluation. This tool kit guides both grantmakers and grantseekers through four key questions that will increase transparency and alignment.
Why Do We Bother? The Tragedy of Foundation Reporting Requirements - Using findings from CEP’s Grantee Perception Reports, the author shares what kinds of reporting is useful and what kinds of reporting merely waste the time of both grantseeker and grantmaker .

Flexibility

Covid’s Impact on Philanthropic Relationships - An interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment.
How the 10 Biggest Foundations Changed in a Year of Covid — and What’s Next - A look at what the 10 largest U.S. foundations did in response to the pandemic and what they plan to do next.
It’s Not Advice My Grantees Need. They Need My Access to Power and Money - A foundation program officer and former nonprofit executive urges grantmakers to be mindful of power dynamics when offering advice to grantees, to limit such advice to areas where they can offer expertise or added value, and to think about how they can be most useful to the grantee.
Relationships Matter: Introducing GrantED - This session at the Jewish Funders Network 2021 International Conference introduces participants to GrantED. In this workshop, led by Aliza Mazor and Taylor Epstein of UpStart and featuring Deena Fuchs of the Micah Foundation, sample some of what the hub has to offer through text study, discussion, and interactive exercises.
The Grantmaker & Grantseeker Relationship What We Know and How We Can Strengthen It - A conversation between Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer and Deena Fuchs of the Micah Foundation about “Grantees and Their Funders,” Jack’s report on what professionals at Jewish nonprofits experience while working with funders.
Three Lessons I Learned As A Nonprofit CEO Made Me A Smarter and More Effective Philanthropic Consultant - A fundraiser turned philanthropic consultant argues for unrestricted giving, more flexible reporting requirements, and making gifts on a schedule that works for grantees.
Understanding the Grantee-Funder Relationship - Episode 20 of What Gives? the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network. Dena Libman of the Azrieli Foundation and Jack Wertheimer of Jewish Theological Seminary talk about findings from Wertheimer’s 2020 “Grantees and Their Funders” report, one of the catalysts for GrantED: Stronger Relationships, Greater Impact.

Gender Equity

A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy (Q&A with Edgar Villanueva, the author of “Decolonizing Wealth”) - An analysis of the origins and operating structure of the American philanthropic sector and argument for restructuring grantor-grantee relationship along more equitable parameters.
A Guide to Funding with a Gender Lens - A collections of case studies, treatises, interviews, and analysis from philanthropic professionals that provides a detailed and authoritative resource for funders to clarify the complicated roles of gender and power dynamics in the nonprofit world; a comprehensive and powerfully persuasive argument that greater equity leads to stronger performance; and tools to construct this more equitable system.
An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process - An inside look at a foundation’s process for awarding arts grants, relying on input from a wide variety of sources and incorporating equity considerations. The article includes advice on how other foundations can make their grantmaking processes more democratic and inclusive.
Community Centric Fundraising Aligned Actions Checklist - Detailed checklist for integrating racial and gender equity into community programming.
D5: Policies, Practices, and Programs for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - An online funder’s guide to text resources for diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.
Expanding the Network of Who We Listen To - A professional with the Hewlett Foundation describes how working with a participatory design team charged with providing input for the parameters of a participatory grantmaking process exposed her to a rich diversity of perspectives and opinions, and ultimately resulted in better grantmaking.
5 Ways MacKenzie Scott’s $8.5 Billion Commitment To Social And Economic Justice Is A Model For Other Donors - A scholar of philanthropy explains how mega-donor MacKenzie Scott is modeling five best practices for social change giving: Don’t attach strings; Champion representation; Act first, talk later; Don’t obsess about scale; Leverage more than money.
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Towards Equity? - Summary of the “Foundations Respond to Crisis: Toward Equity?” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy based on survey data from 236 foundations and in-depth interviews with 41 leaders of foundations regarding the increased initiative towards equity in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic
Foundations That Are Serious About Achieving Equity Need to Rethink How They Work - Can function follow form? An exploration of the “prefigurative” approach to organizations seeking to propagate and strengthen their ideals and goals by embodying them.
Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic (report) - Summary of the “Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic on nonprofit operations categorized by funding source. A link to the report is included.
Giving Circles: A Growing Force for Democratizing Philanthropy - This article highlights several donors who have utilized giving circles to democratize and diversify their philanthropy.
How My Nonprofit Formed an Unlikely Partnership with the Hewlett Foundation - The founder of A Black Education Network describes her surprisingly positive and productive relationship with the head of the Hewlett Foundation, who she had expected not to like, and the importance of leadership and relationships.
How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on their Teams - Practical guidance increase the performance of a team or organization by reducing bias, promoting equity, encouraging investment, and eliminating artificial boundaries.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
JFN: Funders and Power - Eight thoughtful and challenging principles of ethical philanthropic conduct to guide funders navigating complex racial, gender, and power dynamics. Also includes a discussion guide.
Learning from Two Decades of Grantee Relationships - An explanation of how building balanced peer-to-peer relationships with grantees contributes to greater equity, stronger impact, quicker response, and more efficient use of financial resources.
Like Vacuuming, Nonprofit Work is Women’s Work - Exploring how a lack of gender equity negatively influences the power dynamics of funder-nonprofit relationships and restricts growth.
Post-Pandemic, One Family Foundation Leader Shares Her Plans to Give More and Simplify - The leader of a small family foundation shares how she plans to manage their giving differently — and why — as a result of Covid and other major events of 2020. Among the changes: streamlining reporting requirements to ease the burden on grantseekers, giving more, volunteering, and “democratizing giving.”
Really Giving: Four Ways to Democratize Philanthropy - In response to a conversation about obstacles nonprofit leaders and artists experienced when applying for foundation support, the writer created a checklist for making philanthropy more of a collective process, one that better reflected the grantees, not just grantmakers.
Shared Gifting - This page features a variety of resources about a participatory grantmaking process called “Shared Gifting.”
Strategies for Driving Equity in Grantmaking - Strategies to improve outcomes for communities and organizations that are often sidelined by the traditional grantmaking process, explore how to reduce bias and how begin collecting and tracking the demographic data that can inform impact.
The Grantmaker & Grantseeker Relationship What We Know and How We Can Strengthen It - A conversation between Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer and Deena Fuchs of the Micah Foundation about “Grantees and Their Funders,” Jack’s report on what professionals at Jewish nonprofits experience while working with funders.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.

Grant Processes

Adina Poupko, Natan’s New Executive Director, Sees More Co-funding in its Future - The Natan Fund leader shares important non-financial support foundations can offer grant-seekers: sharing feedback and connecting them to other funders.
An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process - An inside look at a foundation’s process for awarding arts grants, relying on input from a wide variety of sources and incorporating equity considerations.
A Plea From Community Nonprofits for Investment, Equity, and Less Bureaucracy - Leaders of small nonprofits that operate on shoestring budgets explain how funders can help them be more effective, in particular by simplifying grant application and reporting processes
A Statement of Values to Guide Philanthropic Collaboration - Seven core ethical principles to guide funders in creating and sustaining successful collaborations, compile and refined in a two-year effort by Collaboration Champions – a group comprised of leading organizations supporting and facilitating nonprofit and philanthropic collaborations.
A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices. They Should Never Revert to the Old Ways - Arguing that foundations are stuck in a mindset of “delusional altruism” — the author, a philanthropy adviser, offers a roadmap for how to confront and overcome philanthropic delusions and permanently embrace the important changes made since the Covid pandemic began.
Building Grantmaker Relationships in a Non-Relationship Society - Cynthia Adams, Founder and CEO of GrantStation, elucidates three key communication strategies for nonprofits to pursue when building relationships with grantmakers.
Build Your Grantmaker Relationship - Members of a five-person panel (four grantmakers and one grantseekers) discuss the importance of research, transparency, and communicaton in creating, building, and sustaining effective funding relationships.
Building Our Collaborative Muscle - The Garfield Foundation provides four effective strategies to generate and amplify inter-community and inter-foundation collaboration, with brief case studies.
Centering Grantees with Reporting Alternatives - Concerned that traditional written reports are burdensome to grantees and not especially useful for foundations, Rachel Kimber of the Arcus Foundation describes her quest for alternative measures that will be less time-consuming for all while promoting accountability.
CEP Grantee Perception Report - A description about an analytical tool that provides pure, candid information to funders about the context in which they are perceived by their grantees.
Common Grant Application of Western PA - Links to the common grant application form, the common report form, and ancillary documents. A link to workshop tutorials run by Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania is also listed.
Covid’s Impact on Philanthropic Relationships - An interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships. We discuss how grantmakers’ philanthropic practices have changed — from the start of the pandemic to the current day — and what’s to come
Deciding Together – Shifting Power and Resources through Participatory Grantmaking - A thorough and detailed guide to the philosophy, inception, implementation, and valuation of participatory grantmaking.
Deepak Bhargava: Let’s Rewrite the Social Contract between Grantmakers and Grantseekers - Deepak Bhargava explains the concept of “Public Friendship” as a revolution in grantmaker-grantseeker long-term relationships.
Feel Like Grant Applications Are Wasting Your Time? You’re Right, According to a Recent Analysis - Many foundations waste an extraordinary amount of grantseekers’ time, because they replicate questions from other foundation’s applications and are structured in a non-user-friendly manner.
Fix the Form! A Campaign to Curb the Byzantine Process of Applying for a Grant - A news article about the #FixTheForm movement, which is calling on foundations to make the entire grant application process easier and more accessible.
Foundations are Breaking all the Rules in the Pandemic: They Need to Keep Doing That - Editorial considering the potential for growth and dynamic change provided by the new paradigms of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Lasting Change? - This report finds that foundations have, since the Covid pandemic began, continued to change many practices and that they plan to continue most of these changes in a post-pandemic future.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 1 - Editorial in support of streamlined grant application and approval processes to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and to increase operational impact going forward. Part 1 of 2.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 2 - Editorial analyzing the benefits of the streamlined grant application and approval process to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and advancing the position of the benefits of retaining this approach. Part 2 of 2.
Four Ways Foundations Make Bad Decisions - This article highlights four common pitfalls that foundations should avoid if they are looking to improve their relationships with grantseekers.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment.
Great Funder-Nonprofit Relationship Building Toolkit - An interactive guide to developing deeper and more productive relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers, using worksheets developed in conjunction with funders and nonprofits across the country.
Growth Mindset – The Evolution of Tricia and Jeff Raike’s Philanthropy - An in-depth profile of the founders of the Raikes Foundation from early beginnings through the present day, with particular insights about increasing equity, its growth mindset, and the value of objectivity.
How Can We be More Supportive of Nonprofit Financial Sustainability? - This article draws on notable sources to describe effective strategies for grantmakers to engage with nonprofits towards the goal of building and enhancing sustainable operations.
How do I approach a Funder and Build a Foundation and Build a Successful Funder-Grantee Relationship? - A curated collation of scholarly research on strategic targeting of grantor-nonprofit relationships.
How Do You Make Grantmaking Easier for Foundations and Nonprofits? Ask the Propel Funders - A case study about how a Jewish women’s fund based in San Francisco adhered to three goals: not wanting to burden already overextended nonprofits, learning from and utilizing the process and knowledge of other funds whose missions aligned with their own, and minimizing “process” so they could be more strategic, targeted, and efficient.
How Kat Taylor and Taj James Are Challenging Philanthropy to Take Bolder Steps to Shift Power - A Q&A with a philanthropist and a capital adviser who are experimenting with a new way to redistribute wealth that is grounded in antiracist values and accountability: handing leaders of color a large amount of unrestricted money.
How Philanthropy Can Make the Quantum Leaps Society Is Counting On - The CEO of the Council on Foundations argues that foundations will not earn the public’s trust or be as effective as they need to be until they solicit (and listen to) feedback from grantseekers and involve a more diverse group of people in their decision making.
How Racial Equity Supports Better Grantmaking Practices - The attention to racial equity correlated with grantmaking practices, summarized from the 2019 “Foundations Operations and Management Report” by Exponent Philanthropy. A link to the full report is included.
How the CEP Grantee Perception Survey Helped a Jewish Foundation Strengthen Relationships with Grantseekers - This GrantED-produced case study describes Bader Philanthropies’ experience in 2017 using the Center for Effective Philanthropy(CEP)’s Grantee Perception Survey. A Jewish Funders Network (JFN) member, Bader Philanthropies is based in Milwaukee, Wis. JFN members who are first-time users get a 10 percent discount on all CEP assessments. Learn more here.
How the 10 Biggest Foundations Changed in a Year of Covid — and What’s Next - A look at what the 10 largest U.S. foundations did in response to the pandemic and what they plan to do next.
How to Redistribute Power Between Grant Makers and Charities - A detailed observational account of the transformative benefits of participatory grantmaking.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
Improve Your Grantmaking-Grantseeking Relationships with This New Tool - Explore a self-assessment tool for grantmakers and grantseekers developed by Exponent Philanthropy and customized by GrantED for our network. During this program, you will have the opportunity to learn about the toolkit and hear what makes a great grantmaker-grantseeker relationship.
Improving Organizational Health for Greater Impact - A healthy organization is not only more sustainable and impactful, but it is also a better place to work. Join GrantED to learn about how grantmakers and grantseekers can partner to improve organizational health, and in turn strengthen the Jewish communal field.
Investors Trust the Companies They Support. Here’s How Grant Makers Can Do the Same - The article argues that nonprofit funders should look to the business world for methods to enhance their giving.
It is Time to Completely Reimagine the Role of Program Officers - Summary of a report compiled by the Center for Effective Philanthropy of over 100,000 nonproft organizations providing deep insights for donors into organizational and constituent needs.
Key Findings from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 2019 Grantee Perception Report (PDF) - Summary of the 2019 Grantee Perception Report on the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. A link to the full, comprehensive study is included.
Learning from Two Decades of Grantee Relationships - An explanation of how building balanced peer-to-peer relationships with grantees contributes to greater equity, stronger impact, quicker response, and more efficient use of financial resources.
National Network of Grantmakers Common App - A template grant application form, with instructions provided by the National Network of Grantmakers.
New York/New Jersey Common Grant Application - A link to the common grant application form for organizations in New York and New Jersey, with instructions.
The Performance Imperative - An in-depth explanation of the “seven pillars” framework of excellence, compiled from the analysis of high-performance organizations.
The Pitch is Dead: Long Live the Conversation - An informal discussion about grant-seeking among funders leads to important and powerful insights about the value of dialogue and communication in professional relationships.
Post-Pandemic, One Family Foundation Leader Shares Her Plans to Give More and Simplify - The leader of a small family foundation shares how she plans to manage their giving differently — and why — as a result of Covid and other major events of 2020.
Project Grants Need Not Be The Enemy - “With some meaningful changes from the current norm, project grantmaking can be consistent with supporting nonprofit financial health. Indeed, project grants do not have to be the four-letter word of philanthropy.”
Pulling Back the Veil: Top 5 Things Grantees and Funders Wish the Other Knew - An overview of the crucial insights gathered from funders and NGOs during a 2018 Opportunity Collaboration that emphasizes the importance of communication and shared objectives in creating effective programming.
Putting Grantees at the Center of Philanthropy - An in-depth series where funders and nonprofit executives share their stories and perspectives about how grantee inclusion contributes to enhanced effectiveness.
Relationships Matter: Introducing GrantED - This session at the Jewish Funders Network 2021 International Conference introduces participants to GrantED.
Relationships Matter – Program Officers, Grantees, and the Keys to Success - A comprehensive synopsis of the study of the dynamics of funder-grantee relationships by the Center for Effective Philanthropy
Resetting the Grantor-Grantee Relationship - Four critical elements of grantmaker-grantseeker relationships are explored and illuminated via real-life examples from the authors’ lived experience.
Shared Gifting - This page features a variety of resources about a participatory grantmaking process called “Shared Gifting.”
sgEngage, Episode 145: Trends in Grantmaking During the COVID-19 Pandemic - A thoughtful and detailed discussion of the changes to funding and relationships during the global Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on increased communication and integration.
Strategies for Driving Equity in Grantmaking - Strategies to improve outcomes for communities and organizations that are often sidelined by the traditional grantmaking process, explore how to reduce bias and how begin collecting and tracking the demographic data that can inform impact.
10 Ways to Improve Relationships with Grantmakers - An audiocast slideshow and Q&A session providing coaching and strategies for nonprofits seeking to forge deeper relationships with grantmakers.
Three Lessons I Learned As A Nonprofit CEO Made Me A Smarter and More Effective Philanthropic Consultant - A fundraiser turned philanthropic consultant argues for unrestricted giving, more flexible reporting requirements, and making gifts on a schedule that works for grantees.
Tips for Effective Grantee Relations - Compiled through over 1,100 in-depth interviews and 20 focus groups of nonprofit leaders, a thoughtful and detailed set of reflections on ethical and productive interaction with grantees.
Trust-Based Philanthropy – An Approach - A two-page, six-item comprehensive summary and guidance document for Trust-Based Philanthropy.
Understanding the Grantee-Funder Relationship - Episode 20 of What Gives? the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Understanding the Risks of Non-Participation in Philanthropy - When a philanthropic program doesn’t include beneficiaries in its decision-making processes—nonparticipation—it exposes itself to risks that reduce its likelihood of success.
Universal Grant Applications: A Win for Funders and Grantees - Editorial in support of universal grant application guidelines and requirements.
What Gives? Lila Corwin Berman: How Political is American Jewish Philanthropy? - Professor Lila Corwin Berman discusses her book, “The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex,” which explores the history of Jewish philanthropic institutions, questions U.S. tax policies that benefit larger donors and lead to greater wealth inequalities, and questions the wisdom of putting money in endowments and donor-advised funds rather than spending it on pressing needs.
What’s Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s: Seeing Philanthropy in a New Light - This report contains a section on power dynamics and ways foundations are seeking to address power imbalances.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.
Why Do We Bother? The Tragedy of Foundation Reporting Requirements - Using findings from CEP’s Grantee Perception Reports, the author shares what kinds of reporting is useful and what kinds of reporting merely waste the time of both grantseeker and grantmaker.

Metrics and Goal-Setting

A Statement of Values to Guide Philanthropic Collaboration - Seven core ethical principles to guide funders in creating and sustaining successful collaborations, compile and refined in a two-year effort by Collaboration Champions – a group comprised of leading organizations supporting and facilitating nonprofit and philanthropic collaborations.
Building Our Collaborative Muscle - The Garfield Foundation provides four effective strategies to generate and amplify inter-community and inter-foundation collaboration, with brief case studies.
Build Your Grantmaker Relationship - Members of a five-person panel (four grantmakers and one grantseekers) discuss the importance of research, transparency, and communicaton in creating, building, and sustaining effective funding relationships.
Crucial Donors – How Major Individual Donors can Best Support Nonprofits - Summary of a report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing crucial differences in the the relationships between grantees and individual donors vs. large foundations, and providing guidance to individual donors based on the research and survey responses of 168 nonprofit organizations. A link to the complete study is included
Deciding Together – Shifting Power and Resources through Participatory Grantmaking - A thorough and detailed guide to the philosophy, inception, implementation, and valuation of participatory grantmaking.
Deepak Bhargava: Let’s Rewrite the Social Contract between Grantmakers and Grantseekers - Deepak Bhargava explains the concept of “Public Friendship” as a revolution in grantmaker-grantseeker long-term relationships.
Ecosystems Thinker – A Profile of the Rose Letwin and Wilburforce Foundation - A detailed treatise and analysis of the genesis and evolution of the funding approach of Rose Letwin, Founder of the Wilburforce Foundation and how she and her foundation combine quantitative and qualitative analytics, mentoring, and direct involvement to promote excellence.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 1 - Editorial in support of streamlined grant application and approval processes to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and to increase operational impact going forward. Part 1 of 2.
Getting Buy-in for Monitoring and Evaluation: Tips for Managing Resistance to Donor-Driven Accountability Requirements - This case study offers tips for managing staff resistance to accountability requirements. It highlights several best practices that foundations may want to adapt and/or adopt.
The Grantsmanship Center: One Program Officers Candid Tips for Grantseekers - Candid, empirical guidance and strategies for approaching foundations.
Giving Done Right – Making and Measuring Impact - Grace Nicolette and Phil Buchanan of The Center for Effective Philanthropy interview Tiffany Cooper Gueye, COO at Blue Meridian Partners, about challenging misperceptions between donors and nonprofits
Growth Mindset – The Evolution of Tricia and Jeff Raike’s Philanthropy - An in-depth profile of the founders of the Raikes Foundation from early beginnings through the present day, with particular insights about increasing equity, its growth mindset, and the value of objectivity.
How Can We Evaluate the Impact of our General Operating Support Grants? - An overview of strategies for assessing the necessity, practicality, and impact of general operating support grants to nonprofit organizations.
How do I Measure Performance: Both Mine and My Grantees - Guidelines for establishing priorities, metrics, and reviewing criteria for nonprofit programming.
How to Best Prepare for an Evaluation as a Grantmaker or Grantseeker - Learn how to best prepare for an evaluation for both grantmakers and grantseekers. This webinar provides concrete tools, tips, and tricks for both grantseekers and grantmakers to transparently share information, discuss challenges, and create a plan for the most impact.
How to Prepare for an Evaluation: The Four Questions Toolkit - Rosov Consulting created a new resource, unique for GrantED, about how to successfully prepare for an evaluation. This tool kit guides both grantmakers and grantseekers through four key questions that will increase transparency and alignment.
Key Findings from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 2019 Grantee Perception Report (PDF) - Summary of the 2019 Grantee Perception Report on the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. A link to the full, comprehensive study is included.
Listening vs. Hearing: A View from the Other Side - An essay on the importance of dialogue in developing effective implementation strategies.
Melinda French Gates Says Her Future Giving Will Be Guided by Feedback from Nonprofits, Not Just Metrics - In an update to her Giving Pledge letter, Melinda French Gates affirms that while the “data-driven” approach that has guided her giving is important in setting goals and measuring progress, she’s learned that “it’s equally important to place trust in the people and organizations we partner with and let them define success on their own terms.”
The Next Horizon: From Program Evaluation to Field Building Research - Article discussing the benefits of the increasing trend towards precision metrics and transparency in nonprofit programming.
The Performance Imperative - An in-depth explanation of the “seven pillars” framework of excellence, compiled from the analysis of high-performance organizations.
Pulling Back the Veil: Top 5 Things Grantees and Funders Wish the Other Knew - An overview of the crucial insights gathered from funders and NGOs during a 2018 Opportunity Collaboration that emphasizes the importance of communication and shared objectives in creating effective programming.
Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help - Summary of “Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help,” a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy that profiles the results and ramifications of a commissioned Grantee Perception Report. A link to the report is included.
Tips for Effective Grantee Relations - Compiled through over 1,100 in-depth interviews and 20 focus groups of nonprofit leaders, a thoughtful and detailed set of reflections on ethical and productive interaction with grantees.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.
What’s Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s: Seeing Philanthropy in a New Light - This report contains a section on power dynamics and ways foundations are seeking to address power imbalances.
Why is it so Hard to Retain Donors? - Exploring the revenue-strengthening results of cultivating genuine relationships between funders and nonprofit organizations

Multiyear Funding

Multi-year funding and other practices that ensure the sustainability of an organization and its work. One of the very first asks made of the Jewish people was to donate the materials necessary to construct the mishkan, the tabernacle, that was to house God’s presence in the wilderness. The people were so eager and generous to contribute that the donations outstripped the need, spurring Moses to say “their efforts had been more than enough” (Exodus 36:7). But, was it sustainable?

It’s of crucial importance for grantmakers and grantseekers to focus on financial sustainability. What would it require on the part of grantmakers to ensure that organizations have what they need to allow them to take the necessary risks that are part of healthy growth? What would it require on the part of organizations seeking grants to ensure that their financial and human resource model is sustainable?

Giving didn’t end with that initial call for resources to build the mishkan in the wilderness. Rather, the Torah and the rabbis instituted many systems of giving and receiving rooted in tithing and tzedakah. These giving practices aimed to create a society that operated sustainably, a society in which the community was responsible for giving toward the upkeep of communal and religious structures and leaders were responsible for taking care of those in need. Judaism teaches us that the work of creating financially sustainable societies is holy work, and you can explore more in this self-guided session, “The Holy Work of a Balanced Budget.” This section addresses some of the tools identified by grantmakers and grantseekers to create long-term impact. Resources in this section

A Plea From Community Nonprofits for Investment, Equity, and Less Bureaucracy - Leaders of small nonprofits that operate on shoestring budgets explain how funders can help them be more effective, in particular by simplifying grant application and reporting processes, offering more unrestricted and multiyear funding, and developing a universal application.
Capacity Building: Entrusting Arts Orgs to Bring Themselves to the Next Level - This article in the CANVAS Compendium, a newsletter for funders of Jewish arts and culture, describes how the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative (BKMAI), a partnership between two foundations that provides support and stability for arts nonprofits, can e seen as a model for other funders to emulate.
5 Ways MacKenzie Scott’s $8.5 Billion Commitment To Social And Economic Justice Is A Model For Other Donors - A scholar of philanthropy explains how mega-donor MacKenzie Scott is modeling five best practices for social change giving: Don’t attach strings; Champion representation; Act first, talk later; Don’t obsess about scale; Leverage more than money.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment. This monograph, featuring six essays and eight authors, utilizes “positive peer pressure” in order to advocate for improved funding practices.
Growth Mindset – The Evolution of Tricia and Jeff Raike’s Philanthropy - An in-depth profile of the founders of the Raikes Foundation from early beginnings through the present day, with particular insights about increasing equity, its growth mindset, and the value of objectivity.
How Can We be More Supportive of Nonprofit Financial Sustainability? - This article draws on notable sources to describe effective strategies for grantmakers to engage with nonprofits towards the goal of building and enhancing sustainable operations.
How the 10 Biggest Foundations Changed in a Year of Covid — and What’s Next - A look at what the 10 largest U.S. foundations did in response to the pandemic and what they plan to do next.
Raising Up Overhead: How We Can Do Better - This article by lead professionals at Schusterman Philanthropies and the Jim Joseph Foundation encourages Jewish foundations to follow the lead of major secular foundations and commit to offering more general operating support to nonprofits.
Small Steps in the Right Direction - The author argues there is an urgent need to make flexible funding more available to grantseekers. She also explores whether presenting various points of view helps to test and push the boundaries of grantmaking.
Smarter Grantmaking in Action: Social Venture Partners Arizona - A study of Social Venture Partners Arizona shows how increased deployment of general operating support grants can increase a nonprofit’s impact.
Strengthening Nonprofits: The Value of Complementing Multiyear GOS Grants with Capacity Building Supports - There is limited field-wide data about general operating support and capacity building, as well as the practice of combining the two. As part of a broader research study exploring the provision of multiyear GOS, CEP sought to learn more. Here’s what its research found.
The Ethical Argument for General Operating Funds - Writer/nonprofit advocate Vu Le asserts that general operating funds are necessary for nonprofits to be successful and that grantmakers who refuse to fund overhead are behaving unethically.
The Ethical Rainmaker – Meaning Well Isn’t Good Enough with Vu Le - A discussion of the genesis and founding principles of community-centric fundraising.
Trust-Based Philanthropy – An Approach - A two-page, six-item comprehensive summary and guidance document for Trust-Based Philanthropy.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.
What’s Stopping Foundations from providing Multi-Year Grants for Nonprofits’ Operations?

Organizational Health

Improving Organizational Health for Greater Impact - A healthy organization is not only more sustainable and impactful, but it is also a better place to work. Join GrantED to learn about how grantmakers and grantseekers can partner to improve organizational health, and in turn strengthen the Jewish communal field.

Risk Management

A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices. They Should Never Revert to the Old Ways - Arguing that foundations are stuck in a mindset of “delusional altruism” —an almost-always unconscious state of being that leads them to hold on to deceptive and illogical behavior that undermines progress — the author, a philanthropy adviser, offers a roadmap for how to confront and overcome philanthropic delusions and permanently embrace the important changes made since the Covid pandemic began.
Community Centric Fundraising Aligned Actions Checklist - Detailed checklist for integrating racial and gender equity into community programming.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 2 - Editorial analyzing the benefits of the streamlined grant application and approval process to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and advancing the position of the benefits of retaining this approach.
Giving Jewish: How Big Funders Have Transformed American Jewish Philanthropy - A vast and sweeping but highly detailed accounting of the scope and transformation of large-donor funding of Jewish causes from the late 20th through the early 21st century.
How Philanthropists can get Smarter about Risk Management - Brest and Wolfson discuss the benefits of applying risk management techniques to enhance the effectiveness of grant giving strategies. Subscription required.
Like Vacuuming, Nonprofit Work is Women’s Work - Exploring how a lack of gender equity negatively influences the power dynamics of funder-nonprofit relationships and restricts growth.
On Trust and Risk: Providing Multi-Year Grants for Nonprofits’ General Operations - An analysis of why foundation CEOs are reluctant to activate multi-year general operating support, something identified in the Center for Effective Phillanthropy report New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support.
Power Moves: Your Essential Philanthropy Assessment Guide to Equity and Justice - A comprehensive collection of self-assessment tools and resources to assist funders in realizing their own power to advance equity and justice, build community, and forge deeper and more effective partnerships.
Resetting the Grantor-Grantee Relationship - Four critical elements of grantmaker-grantseeker relationships are explored and illuminated via real-life examples from the authors’ lived experience.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.

Participatory Grantmaking

An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process - An inside look at a foundation’s process for awarding arts grants, relying on input from a wide variety of sources and incorporating equity considerations.
Deciding Together – Shifting Power and Resources through Participatory Grantmaking - A thorough and detailed guide to the philosophy, inception, implementation, and valuation of participatory grantmaking.
Designing Partner-Centered Grantmaking Processes - Discussion of the benefits of graphing and mapping tools in design thinking to cultivate stronger grantor-grantee relationships and impact.
Exploring Participatory Grantmaking in the Jewish Community - Participatory grantmaking (PGM) is an approach to bridging the gap between grantmakers and those they serve, by including and/or empowering the people affected by funding decisions to participate in the decision-making.
Expanding the Network of Who We Listen To - A professional with the Hewlett Foundation describes how working with a participatory design team charged with providing input for the parameters of a participatory grantmaking process exposed her to a rich diversity of perspectives and opinions, and ultimately resulted in better grantmaking.
Fay Twersky: Philanthropy That Listens and Responds - In episode 26 of Jewish Funders Network’s “What Gives?” philanthropy podcast, Fay Twersky, the President and Director of the Atlanta-based Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (and former vice president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) talks with JFN President and CEO Andres Spokoiny about everything from the critical role philanthropy played in the LGBTQ rights movement to participatory grantmaking, to strengthening grantmaker-grantseeker relationships.
Foundation Embarks on New ‘Equitable’ Approach to Grant Making - This article describes the unique “restorative economics” approach of the $445 million Kataly Foundation. Using both grants and investments, the idea is to provide capital to groups in areas that have been shut out of the economic mainstream and then make sure any investment returns stay in those neighborhoods.
How to Redistribute Power Between Grant Makers and Charities - A detailed observational account of the transformative benefits of participatory grantmaking.
Moving Beyond Feedback – The Promise of Participatory Grantmaking - An overview of the genesis, practice, applications, and benefits of participatory grantmaking.
Moving the Rooms of Power: Participatory Philanthropy is Gaining More Traction - A look at how participatory grantmaking can make the philanthropic sector more equitable.
Participatory Grantmaking – Has its Time Come? - An analysis of the market environment for participatory grantmaking, lessons and applications from outside philanthropy, and a proposed framework for implementation.
Participatory Grantmaking Matters Now More than Ever - An overview and reflection on the research, design, and support of the Ford Foundation towards the development of participatory grantmaking.
Shared Gifting - This page features a variety of resources about a participatory grantmaking process called “Shared Gifting.”
Small Steps in the Right Direction - The author argues there is an urgent need to make flexible funding more available to grantseekers. She also explores whether presenting various points of view helps to test and push the boundaries of grantmaking.
Understanding the Risks of Non-Participation in Philanthropy - When a philanthropic program doesn’t include beneficiaries in its decision-making processes—nonparticipation—it exposes itself to risks that reduce its likelihood of success. These risks include functional risks related to program efficiency and effectiveness, and ethical risks related to the morality of the program and its effects.

Racial Equity

A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy (Q&A with Edgar Villanueva, the author of “Decolonizing Wealth”) - An analysis of the origins and operating structure of the American philanthropic sector and argument for restructuring grantor-grantee relationship along more equitable parameters.
An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process - An inside look at a foundation’s process for awarding arts grants, relying on input from a wide variety of sources and incorporating equity considerations.
Community Centric Fundraising Aligned Actions Checklist - Detailed checklist for itegrating racial and gender equity into community programming.
D5: Policies, Practices, and Programs for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - An online funder’s guide to text resources for diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.
The Ethical Rainmaker – The Racist Roots of Nonprofits and Philanthropy with Christina Shimizu - A brief discussion of the contextual formation and operation of modern nonprofit and philanthropic systems through a racial equity lens.
Expanding the Network of Who We Listen To - A professional with the Hewlett Foundation describes how working with a participatory design team charged with providing input for the parameters of a participatory grantmaking process exposed her to a rich diversity of perspectives and opinions, and ultimately resulted in better grantmaking.
5 Ways MacKenzie Scott’s $8.5 Billion Commitment To Social And Economic Justice Is A Model For Other Donors - A scholar of philanthropy explains how mega-donor MacKenzie Scott is modeling five best practices for social change giving: Don’t attach strings; Champion representation; Act first, talk later; Don’t obsess about scale; Leverage more than money.
Foundation Embarks on New ‘Equitable’ Approach to Grant Making - This article describes the unique “restorative economics” approach of the $445 million Kataly Foundation. Using both grants and investments, the idea is to provide capital to groups in areas that have been shut out of the economic mainstream and then make sure any investment returns stay in those neighborhoods.
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Lasting Change? - This report finds that foundations have, since the Covid pandemic began, continued to change many practices and that they plan to continue most of these changes in a post-pandemic future.
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Towards Equity? - Summary of the “Foundations Respond to Crisis: Toward Equity?” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy based on survey data from 236 foundations and in-depth interviews with 41 leaders of foundations regarding the increased initiative towards equity in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Foundations That Are Serious About Achieving Equity Need to Rethink How They Work - Can function follow form? An exploration of the “prefigurative” approach to organizations seeking to propigate and strengthen their ideals and goals by embodying them.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment.
Giving Circles: A Growing Force for Democratizing Philanthropy - This article highlights several donors who have utilized giving circles to democratize and diversify their philanthropy.
Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens - A companion to the 2006 “Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens” study by the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity that provides guidance and tools for funders to address urgent new responsibilities.
How Kat Taylor and Taj James Are Challenging Philanthropy to Take Bolder Steps to Shift Power - A Q&A with a philanthropist and a capital adviser who are are experimenting with a new way to redistribute wealth that is grounded in antiracist values and accountability: handing leaders of color a large amount of unrestricted money.
How My Nonprofit Formed an Unlikely Partnership with the Hewlett Foundation - The founder of A Black Education Network describes her surprisingly positive and productive relationship with the head of the Hewlett Foundation, who she had expected not to like, and the importance of leadership and relationships.
How Philanthropy needs to Transform to Meet the Challenges of the Moment -Exploring how the dynamic response of the philanthropic community to increase resilience and impact by promoting equity in answer to the challenges of the global Covid-19 pandemic might expand to influence other sectors.
How Racial Equity Supports Better Grantmaking Practices - The attention to racial equity correlated with grantmaking practices, summarized from the 2019 “Foundations Operations and Management Report” by Exponent Philanthropy. A link to the full report is included.
How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on their Teams - Practical guidance increase the performance of a team or organization by reducing bias, promoting equity, encouraging investment, and eliminating artificial boundaries.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
JFN: Funders and Power - Eight thoughtful and challenging principles of ethical philanthropic conduct to guide funders navigating complex racial, gender, and power dynamics. Also includes a discussion guide.
Learning from Two Decades of Grantee Relationships - An explanation of how building balanced peer-to-peer relationships with grantees contributes to greater equity, stronger impact, quicker response, and more efficient use of financial resources.
Moving the Rooms of Power: Participatory Philanthropy is Gaining More Traction - A look at how participatory grantmaking can make the philanthropic sector more equitable.
Post-Pandemic, One Family Foundation Leader Shares Her Plans to Give More and Simplify - The leader of a small family foundation shares how she plans to manage their giving differently — and why — as a result of Covid and other major events of 2020.
Power Moves: Your Essential Philanthropy Assessment Guide to Equity and Justice - A comprehensive collection of self-assessment tools and resources to assist funders in realizing their own power to advance equity and justice, build community, and forge deeper and more effective partnerships.
Really Giving: Four Ways to Democratize Philanthropy - In response to a conversation about obstacles nonprofit leaders and artists experienced when applying for foundation support, the writer created a checklist for making philanthropy more of a collective process, one that better reflected the grantees, not just grantmakers.
Shared Gifting - This page features a variety of resources about a participatory grantmaking process called “Shared Gifting.
Strategies for Driving Equity in Grantmaking - Strategies to improve outcomes for communities and organizations that are often sidelined by the traditional grantmaking process, explore how to reduce bias and how begin collecting and tracking the demographic data that can inform impact
To Advance Racial Equity, Foundation Boards Need to Take an Active Role - Two leaders of the Barr Foundation reflect on three lessons learned from their effort to expand the foundation’s support for racial equity.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.

Sharing Feedback

Adina Poupko, Natan’s New Executive Director, Sees More Co-funding in its Future - The Natan Fund leader shares important non-financial support foundations can offer grant-seekers: sharing feedback and connecting them to other funders.
CEP Grantee Perception Report - A description about an analytical tool that provides pure, candid information to funders about the context in which they are perceived by their grantees.
Covid’s Impact on Philanthropic Relationships - An interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships.
Crucial Donors – How Major Individual Donors can Best Support Nonprofits - Summary of a report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing crucial differences in the the relationships between grantees and individual donors vs. large foundations, and providing guidance to individual donors based on the research and survey responses of 168 nonprofit organizations.
Culture of Feedback Case Studies - Video interviews and presentations with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and clients bring a powerful, human dimension to the experience of feedback and its ability to drive change and lead to more equitable outcomes at organizations around the country.
Designing Partner-Centered Grantmaking Processes - Discussion of the benefits of graphing and mapping tools in design thinking to cultivate stronger grantor-grantee relationships and impact.
Ecosystems Thinker – A Profile of the Rose Letwin and Wilburforce Foundation - A detailed treatise and analysis of the genesis and evolution of the funding approach of Rose Letwin, Founder of the Wilburforce Foundation and how she and her foundation combine quantitative and qualitative analytics, mentoring, and direct involvement to promote excellence.
Four Ways Foundations Make Bad Decisions - This article highlights four common pitfalls that foundations should avoid if they are looking to improve their relationships with grantseekers.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment.
Exploring Openness through Listening and Learning - A year-long project of Philanthropy Colorado to create a cohort of funders and nonprofit organizations intentionally exploring openness yields important insights and guidance into the reciprocal nature of the relationship between communication and sector strength.
Fay Twersky: Philanthropy That Listens and Responds - In episode 26 of Jewish Funders Network’s “What Gives?” philanthropy podcast, Fay Twersky, the President and Director of the Atlanta-based Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation talks with JFN President and CEO Andres Spokoiny about everything from the critical role philanthropy played in the LGBTQ rights movement to participatory grantmaking, to strengthening grantmaker-grantseeker relationships.
Getting Buy-in for Monitoring and Evaluation: Tips for Managing Resistance to Donor-Driven Accountability Requirements - This case study offers tips for managing staff resistance to accountability requirements. It highlights several best practices that foundations may want to adapt and/or adopt.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: David Cygielman and Jim Heeger - David Cygielman is the Founder and CEO of Moishe House. Jim Heeger, a former CEO of three tech firms, has supported Moishe House in various capacities. David and Jim have been in conversation for 10 years.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jon Adam Ross and Ayalon Eliach - Jon Adam Ross is a Founding Artist of The In[heir]itance Project. Ayalon Eliach is a Senior Advisor at the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. Jon and Ayalon have been in conversation for two and a half years.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Joni Blinderman and Ilana Ruskay-Kidd - Joni Blinderman is the Associate Director of the Covenant Foundation. Ilana Ruskay-Kidd is the Founder and Head of School of the Shefa School. Joni and Ilana have been in conversation for seven years.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jory Hanselman Mayschak and Vanessa Bernier - Jory Hanselman Mayschak is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy. Vanessa Bernier is the Program Officer for Jewish Life at the Denver-based Rose Community Foundation. Jory and Vanessa have been in conversation for a little over a year.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers in Havruta: Six Practices for Collaboration and Conversation - This tool identifies six core communication practices from the traditional havruta (a method of Jewish study in which two people learn together) that can help grantmakers and grantseekers interact and build their working relationships”: listening, articulating, wondering, focusing, supporting, and challenging.
Great Grantmaker-Grantseeker Relationships: A Toolkit for Funders and Nonprofits - This tool, which can be used by both grantmakers and grantseekers, is adapted by GrantED from one created by Exponent Philanthropy in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits, with support of the Fund for Shared Insight.
The Grantmaker & Grantseeker Relationship What We Know and How We Can Strengthen It - A conversation between Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer and Deena Fuchs of the Micah Foundation about “Grantees and Their Funders,” Jack’s report on what professionals at Jewish nonprofits experience while working with funders.
How do I Measure Performance: Both Mine and My Grantees - Guidelines for establishing priorities, metrics, and reviewing criteria for nonprofit programming.
How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on their Teams - Practical guidance increase the performance of a team or organization by reducing bias, promoting equity, encouraging investment, and eliminating artificial boundaries.
How the CEP Grantee Perception Survey Helped a Jewish Foundation Strengthen Relationships with Grantseekers - This GrantED-produced case study describes Bader Philanthropies’ experience in 2017 using the Center for Effective Philanthropy(CEP)’s Grantee Perception Survey. A Jewish Funders Network (JFN) member, Bader Philanthropies is based in Milwaukee, Wis. JFN members who are first-time users get a 10 percent discount on all CEP assessments. Learn more here.
How to Best Prepare for an Evaluation as a Grantmaker or Grantseeker - Learn how to best prepare for an evaluation for both grantmakers and grantseekers. This webinar provides concrete tools, tips, and tricks for both grantseekers and grantmakers to transparently share information, discuss challenges, and create a plan for the most impact.
How to Prepare for an Evaluation: The Four Questions Toolkit - Rosov Consulting created a new resource, unique for GrantED, about how to successfully prepare for an evaluation.
Insights on Building Honest Communication Between Funders and Grantees - Guidance on creating strong relationships between donors and organizations beyond the traditional models.
It is Time to Completely Reimagine the Role of Program Officers - Summary of a report compiled by the Center for Effective Philanthropy of over 100,000 nonproft organizations providing deep insights for donors into organizational and constituent needs. A link to the report is included.
JFN: Funders and Power - Eight thoughtful and challenging principles of ethical philanthropic conduct to guide funders navigating complex racial, gender, and power dynamics. Also includes a discussion guide.
Just Say No: The Art of the Turndown - Tips for declining funding in a manner that is polite, supportive and does not lead to misunderstandings.
Listening vs. Hearing: A View from the Other Side - An essay on the importance of dialogue in developing effective implementation strategies.
Moving Beyond Feedback – The Promise of Participatory Grantmaking - An overview of the genesis, practice, applications, and benefits of participatory grantmaking.
Moving from Deceit to Trust: The Necessity of Listening - This article describes the work of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and efforts to ensure both that funders listen to grantees and that nonprofits listen to the communities and constituents they serve.
The Next Horizon: From Program Evaluation to Field Building Research - Article discussing the benefits of the increasing trend towards precision metrics and transparency in nonprofit programming.
Relationships Matter: Introducing GrantED - This session at the Jewish Funders Network 2021 International Conference introduces participants to GrantED.
Resetting the Grantor-Grantee Relationship - Four critical elements of grantmaker-grantseeker relationships are explored and illuminated via real-life examples from the authors’ lived experience.
Revolutionizing the Way Fundraisers and Donors Interact - In Episode 21 of “What Gives?” the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network (JFN), philanthropist, author, and JFN member Lisa Greer talks to host Andrés Spokoiny about philanthropic strategy, some common mistakes fundraisers and philanthropists make, and ways to strengthen relationships between funders and nonprofits.
Shared Gifting - This page features a variety of resources about a participatory grantmaking process called “Shared Gifting.”
Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help – Summary of “Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help,” a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy that profiles the results and ramifications of a commissioned Grantee Perception Report.
The Pitch is Dead: Long Live the Conversation - An informal discussion about grant-seeking among funders leads to important and powerful insights about the value of dialogue and communication in professional relationships.
Tips for Effective Grantee Relations - Compiled through over 1,100 in-depth interviews and 20 focus groups of nonprofit leaders, a thoughtful and detailed set of reflections on ethical and productive interaction with grantees.
Understanding the Grantee-Funder Relationship - Dena Libman of the Azrieli Foundation and Jack Wertheimer of Jewish Theological Seminary talk about findings from Wertheimer’s 2020 “Grantees and Their Funders” report, one of the catalysts for GrantED: Stronger Relationships, Greater Impact.
Unicorns Unite: How Nonprofits and Foundations can Build EPIC Partnerships - A brief overview of “Unicorns Unite!”, a popular and highly-rated 2018 manifesto that forthrightly addresses the challenges of foundation/nonprofit relationships with truth and whimsy.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.

Transparency

A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy (Q&A with Edgar Villanueva, the author of “Decolonizing Wealth”) - An analysis of the origins and operating structure of the American philanthropic sector and argument for restructuring grantor-grantee relationship along more equitable parameters.
A Graphic Re-Visioning of Nonprofit Overhead - A “blog in pictures,” this tool offers ways to visualize the role overhead expenses play in helping nonprofits achieve their goals.
America’s Billionaire Philanthropists Gave Away More During The Pandemic. But There’s A Catch. - This article highlights the difficulty of measuring billionaires’ philanthropic giving and argues that, without a “baseline of shared facts,” it is impossible to have intelligent discussions about income inequality, whether or not there should be a wealth tax, what types of charity should be tax-deductible and other critical policy issues.
An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process - An inside look at a foundation’s process for awarding arts grants, relying on input from a wide variety of sources and incorporating equity considerations. The article includes advice on how other foundations can make their grantmaking processes more democratic and inclusive.
A Statement of Values to Guide Philanthropic Collaboration - Seven core ethical principles to guide funders in creating and sustaining successful collaborations, compile and refined in a two-year effort by Collaboration Champions – a group comprised of leading organizations supporting and facilitating nonprofit and philanthropic collaborations.
Build Your Grantmaker Relationship - Members of a five-person panel (four grantmakers and one grantseekers) discuss the importance of research, transparency, and communicaton in creating, building, and sustaining effective funding relationships.
Building Grantmaker Relationships in a Non-Relationship Society - Cynthia Adams, Founder and CEO of GrantStation, elucidates three key communication strategies for nonprofits to pursue when building relationships with grantmakers.
CEP Grantee Perception Report - A description about an analytical tool that provides pure, candid information to funders about the context in which they are perceived by their grantees.
Common Grant Application of Western PA - Links to the common grant application form, the common report form, and ancillary documents. A link to workshop tutorials run by Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania is also listed.
Covid’s Impact on Philanthropic Relationships - An interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships.
Crucial Donors – How Major Individual Donors can Best Support Nonprofits - Summary of a report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing crucial differences in the relationships between grantees and individual donors vs. large foundations, and providing guidance to individual donors based on the research and survey responses of 168 nonprofit organizations. A link to the complete study is included
Culture of Feedback Case Studies - Video interviews and presentations with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and clients bring a powerful, human dimension to the experience of feedback and its ability to drive change and lead to more equitable outcomes at organizations around the country.
Deciding Together – Shifting Power and Resources through Participatory Grantmaking - A thorough and detailed guide to the philosophy, inception, implementation, and valuation of participatory grantmaking.
Fix the Form! A Campaign to Curb the Byzantine Process of Applying for a Grant - A news article about the #FixTheForm movement, which is calling on foundations to make the entire grant application process easier and more accessible.
Five Things Nonprofits want you to Know Right Now - A summary of a study compiled by the Center for Effective Philanthropy about over 100,000 nonproft organizations’ relationships with donors. A link to the report is included.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 1 - Editorial in support of streamlined grant application and approval processes to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and to increase operational impact going forward. Part 1 of 2.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment. This monograph, featuring six essays and eight authors, utilizes “positive peer pressure” in order to advocate for improved funding practices. Each essay contains practical advice about the specific practices that produce outsized progress on urgent issues of our time.
Giving Circles: A Growing Force for Democratizing Philanthropy - This article highlights several donors who have utilized giving circles to democratize and diversify their philanthropy.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jon Adam Ross and Ayalon Eliach - Jon Adam Ross is a Founding Artist of The In[heir]itance Project. Ayalon Eliach is a Senior Advisor at the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. Jon and Ayalon have been in conversation for two and a half years.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers In Conversation: Jory Hanselman Mayschak and Vanessa Bernier - Jory Hanselman Mayschak is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy. Vanessa Bernier is the Program Officer for Jewish Life at the Denver-based Rose Community Foundation. Jory and Vanessa have been in conversation for a little over a year.
The Grantsmanship Center: One Program Officers Candid Tips for Grantseekers - Candid, empirical guidance and strategies for approaching foundations.
Great Grantmaker-Grantseeker Relationships: A Toolkit for Funders and Nonprofits - This tool, which can be used by both grantmakers and grantseekers, is adapted by GrantED from one created by Exponent Philanthropy in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits, with support of the Fund for Shared Insight.
Grantmakers and Grantseekers in Havruta: Six Practices for Collaboration and Conversation - This tool identifies six core communication practices from the traditional havruta (a method of Jewish study in which two people learn together) that can help grantmakers and grantseekers interact and build their working relationships”: listening, articulating, wondering, focusing, supporting, and challenging.
How Racial Equity Supports Better Grantmaking Practices - The attention to racial equity correlated with grantmaking practices, summarized from the 2019 “Foundations Operations and Management Report” by Exponent Philanthropy. A link to the full report is included.
How to Best Prepare for an Evaluation as a Grantmaker or Grantseeker - Learn how to best prepare for an evaluation for both grantmakers and grantseekers. This webinar provides concrete tools, tips, and tricks for both grantseekers and grantmakers to transparently share information, discuss challenges, and create a plan for the most impact.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
How to Prepare for an Evaluation: The Four Questions Toolkit - Rosov Consulting created a new resource, unique for GrantED, about how to successfully prepare for an evaluation. This tool kit guides both grantmakers and grantseekers through four key questions that will increase transparency and alignment.
How Spending Down Deepened A Pacific Northwest Funder’s Relationship with Grantees - As the Brainerd Foundation prepared to sunset, it found its grantees were more open and honest, and it did more to promote collaboration and communication among its grantees.
Improve Your Grantmaking-Grantseeking Relationships with This New Tool - Explore a self-assessment tool for grantmakers and grantseekers developed by Exponent Philanthropy and customized by GrantED for our network. During this program, you will have the opportunity to learn about the toolkit and hear what makes a great grantmaker-grantseeker relationship.
Investors Trust the Companies They Support. Here’s How Grant Makers Can Do the Same - The article argues that nonprofit funders should look to the business world for methods to enhance their giving.
It is Time to Completely Reimagine the Role of Program Officers - Summary of a report compiled by the Center for Effective Philanthropy of over 100,000 nonproft organizations providing deep insights for donors into organizational and constituent needs. A link to the report is included.
Integrating Capacity Building and Strategy: A Handbook for Next Generation Grantmakers and Grantees - In this webinar, Claire Knowlton, Director in Advisory Services at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, presents a conceptual review, framing overhead costs and how they are related to funding and mission.
It’s Not Advice My Grantees Need. They Need My Access to Power and Money - A foundation program officer and former nonprofit executive urges grantmakers to be mindful of power dynamics when offering advice to grantees, to limit such advice to areas where they can offer expertise or added value, and to think about how they can be most useful to the grantee.
JFN: Funders and Power - Eight thoughtful and challenging principles of ethical philanthropic conduct to guide funders navigating complex racial, gender, and power dynamics. Also includes a discussion guide.
Just Say No: The Art of the Turndown - Tips for declining funding in a manner that is polite, supportive and does not lead to misunderstandings.
Key Findings from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 2019 Grantee Perception Report (PDF ) - Summary of the 2019 Grantee Perception Report on the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. A link to the full, comprehensive study is included.
Learning from Two Decades of Grantee Relationships - An explanation of how building balanced peer-to-peer relationships with grantees contributes to greater equity, stronger impact, quicker response, and more efficient use of financial resources.
Listening vs. Hearing: A View from the Other Side - An essay on the importance of dialogue in developing effective implementation strategies.
Moving from Deceit to Trust: The Necessity of Listening - This article describes the work of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and efforts to ensure both that funders listen to grantees and that nonprofits listen to the communities and constituents they serve.
New York/New Jersey Common Grant Application - A link to the common grant application form for organizations in New York and New Jersey, with instructions.
The Next Horizon: From Program Evaluation to Field Building Research - Article discussing the benefits of the increasing trend towards precision metrics and transparency in nonprofit programming.
Private Foundations Plan to Increase Grantmaking - Summary of a report detailing increased unrestricted giving by donor organizations in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. A link to the report is provided.
Pulling Back the Veil: Top 5 Things Grantees and Funders Wish the Other Knew - An overview of the crucial insights gathered from funders and NGOs during a 2018 Opportunity Collaboration that emphasizes the importance of communication and shared objectives in creating effective programming.
Recommendations for Best Work Practices between Nonprofit Organizations and Foundations (2015-2017): Conclusions from a Series of Meetings of Nonprofit and Philanthropic Foundation CEOs in Israel - A two-year series of summits between nonprofit and foundation CEOs condensed into an insightful report illuminating the complexities, challenges, and common interests within the dynamics of the grantor-grantee relationship.
Relationships Matter – Program Officers, Grantees, and the Keys to Success - A comprehensive synopsis of the study of the dynamics of funder-grantee relationships by the Center for Effective Philanthropy
sgEngage, Episode 145: Trends in Grantmaking During the COVID-19 Pandemic - A thoughtful and detailed discussion of the changes to funding and relationships during the global Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on increased communication and integration.
Smarter Grantmaking in Action: GHR Foundation - An overview of the design-build approach to foundation/nonprofit collaboration by the GHR Foundation.
Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help - Summary of “Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help,” a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy that profiles the results and ramifications of a commissioned Grantee Perception Report. A link to the report is included.
Tips for Effective Grantee Relations - Compiled through over 1,100 in-depth interviews and 20 focus groups of nonprofit leaders, a thoughtful and detailed set of reflections on ethical and productive interaction with grantees.
To Advance Racial Equity, Foundation Boards Need to Take an Active Role - Two leaders of the Barr Foundation reflect on three lessons learned from their effort to expand the foundation’s support for racial equity.
Unicorns Unite: How Nonprofits and Foundations can Build EPIC Partnerships - A brief overview of “Unicorns Unite!”, a popular and highly-rated 2018 manifesto that forthrightly addresses the challenges of foundation/nonprofit relationships with truth and whimsy.
Universal Grant Applications: A Win for Funders and Grantees - Editorial in support of universal grant application guidelines and requirements.
Unrestricted Giving and the Golden Rule for Funders - This article by a fundraiser turned funder makes the case for why unrestricted grants are better than restricted or project grants.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.
Why is it so Hard to Retain Donors? - Exploring the revenue-strengthening results of cultivating genuine relationships between funders and nonprofit organizations
Why Funding Overhead is Not the Real Issue: The Case to Cover Full Costs - In this webinar, Claire Knowlton, Director in Advisory Services at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, presents a conceptual review, framing overhead costs and how they are related to funding and mission.

Trust-based Philanthropy

A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices. They Should Never Revert to the Old Ways . - Arguing that foundations are stuck in a mindset of “delusional altruism” —an almost-always unconscious state of being that leads them to hold on to deceptive and illogical behavior that undermines progress — the author, a philanthropy adviser, offers a roadmap for how to confront and overcome philanthropic delusions and permanently embrace the important changes made since the Covid pandemic began.
How Strong Grantee Relationships Lead to Unexpected Opportunities - Two foundation leaders reflect on perhaps the most significant benefit of having trusting grantee relationships: Working closely with grantees and learning from them led to a number of unique funding opportunities that their grantees themselves initiated, and which the foundation otherwise would not have been able to pursue.
How Trust-Based Values Can Transform Philanthropy - A former monk who is now a writer, speaker, and chief vision officer at The Pollination Project, explains why trust-based philanthropy is not just more equitable but more effective and describes how the four values central to his work as a monk — faith, humility, relationship, service — are also key for philanthropists.
Moving from Deceit to Trust: The Necessity of Listening - This article describes the work of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and efforts to ensure both that funders listen to grantees and that nonprofits listen to the communities and constituents they serve.
Trust-Based Philanthropy – An Approach - A two-page, six-item comprehensive summary and guidance document for Trust-Based Philanthropy.

Unrestricted Giving/Overhead

A Graphic Re-Visioning of Nonprofit Overhead - A “blog in pictures,” this tool offers ways to visualize the role overhead expenses play in helping nonprofits achieve their goals.
A Plea From Community Nonprofits for Investment, Equity, and Less Bureaucracy - Leaders of small nonprofits that operate on shoestring budgets explain how funders can help them be more effective, in particular by simplifying grant application and reporting processes, offering more unrestricted and multiyear funding, and developing a universal application
A Year of Crisis Forced Foundations to Change Bad Practices. They Should Never Revert to the Old Ways - Arguing that foundations are stuck in a mindset of “delusional altruism” —an almost-always unconscious state of being that leads them to hold on to deceptive and illogical behavior that undermines progress — the author, a philanthropy adviser, offers a roadmap for how to confront and overcome philanthropic delusions and permanently
Capacity Building: Entrusting Arts Orgs to Bring Themselves to the Next Level - This article in the CANVAS Compendium, a newsletter for funders of Jewish arts and culture, describes how the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative (BKMAI), a partnership between two foundations that provides support and stability for arts nonprofits, can be seen as a model for other funders to emulate.
Fay Twersky: Philanthropy That Listens and Responds - In episode 26 of Jewish Funders Network’s “What Gives?” philanthropy podcast, Fay Twersky, the President and Director of the Atlanta-based Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation talks with JFN President and CEO Andres Spokoiny about everything from the critical role philanthropy played in the LGBTQ rights movement to participatory grantmaking, to strengthening grantmaker-grantseeker relationships.
5 Ways MacKenzie Scott’s $8.5 Billion Commitment To Social And Economic Justice Is A Model For Other Donors - A scholar of philanthropy explains how mega-donor MacKenzie Scott is modeling five best practices for social change giving: Don’t attach strings; Champion representation; Act first, talk later; Don’t obsess about scale; Leverage more than money.
Foundations are Breaking all the Rules in the Pandemic: They Need to Keep Doing That - Editorial considering the potential for growth and dynamic change provided by the new paradigms of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Foundation CEOs Need to Send the Message that Unrestricted Giving is the New Normal - Editorial applying the findings of the Center for Effective Philanthropy report New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support to the funding gap created by the Covid-19 pandemic. [Registration required]
Foundations Respond to Crisis: Lasting Change? - This report finds that foundations have, since the Covid pandemic began, continued to change many practices and that they plan to continue most of these changes in a post-pandemic future. Among these changes are a reduction in administrative burdens for grantees, including grant application and reporting requirements, increased unrestricted funding, and new efforts to advance racial equity.
Foundations Should Address the Pro-Grantee Revolution: Part 1 - Editorial in support of streamlined grant application and approval processes to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and to increase operational impact going forward. Part 1 of 2.
Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic (report) - Summary of the “Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic” report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy detailing the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic on nonprofit operations categorized by funding source. A link to the report is included.
Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success - Part of Leap Ambassador’s Funding Performance campaign encouraging funders to rise to the urgency of this moment. This monograph, featuring six essays and eight authors, utilizes “positive peer pressure” in order to advocate for improved funding practices. Each essay contains practical advice about the specific practices that produce outsized progress on urgent issues of our time.
Giving Done Right – Making and Measuring Impact - Grace Nicolette and Phil Buchanan of The Center for Effective Philanthropy interview Tiffany Cooper Gueye, COO at Blue Meridian Partners, about challenging misperceptions between donors and nonprofits; the advantages of unrestricted versus project-based philanthropy; and building necessary trust through research, personal outreach, and objective metrics.
Growth Mindset – The Evolution of Tricia and Jeff Raike’s Philanthropy - An in-depth profile of the founders of the Raikes Foundation from early beginnings through the present day, with particular insights about increasing equity, its growth mindset, and the value of objectivity.
How Can We be More Supportive of Nonprofit Financial Sustainability? - This article draws on notable sources to describe effective strategies for grantmakers to engage with nonprofits towards the goal of building and enhancing sustainable operations.
How Can We Evaluate the Impact of our General Operating Support Grants? - An overview of strategies for assessing the necessity, practicality, and impact of general operating support grants to nonprofit organizations.
How Kat Taylor and Taj James Are Challenging Philanthropy to Take Bolder Steps to Shift Power - A Q&A with a philanthropist and a capital adviser who are are experimenting with a new way to redistribute wealth that is grounded in antiracist values and accountability: handing leaders of color a large amount of unrestricted money.
How the 10 Biggest Foundations Changed in a Year of Covid — and What’s Next - A look at what the 10 largest U.S. foundations did in response to the pandemic and what they plan to do next.
Integrating Capacity Building and Strategy: A Handbook for Next Generation Grantmakers and Grantees - In this webinar, Claire Knowlton, Director in Advisory Services at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, presents a conceptual review, framing overhead costs and how they are related to funding and mission.
Investors Trust the Companies They Support. Here’s How Grant Makers Can Do the Same - The article argues that nonprofit funders should look to the business world for methods to enhance their giving.
It is Time to Completely Reimagine the Role of Program Officers - Summary of a report compiled by the Center for Effective Philanthropy of over 100,000 nonproft organizations providing deep insights for donors into organizational and constituent needs. A link to the report is included.
On Trust and Risk: Providing Multi-Year Grants for Nonprofits’ General Operation s - An analysis of why foundation CEOs are reluctant to activate multi-year general operating support, something identified in the Center for Effective Philanthropy report New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support.
Philanthropy and COVID-19 in the First Half of 2020 - A detailed report and analysis of the massive response of the global philanthropic community to the challenges of the initial six months of the Covid-19 pandemic, categorized by donor type and recipients.
Philanthropic Foundation Responses to COVID-19 - Case study of philanthropic initiatives in response to Covid-19 utilizing data from a survey of the 500 largest (by assets) foundations in the United States.
Private Foundations Plan to Increase Grantmaking - Summary of a report detailing increased unrestricted giving by donor organizations in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. A link to the report is provided.
Project Grants Need Not Be The Enemy - “With some meaningful changes from the current norm, project grantmaking can be consistent with supporting nonprofit financial health. Indeed, project grants do not have to be the four-letter word of philanthropy.”
Raising Up Overhead: How We Can Do Better - This article by lead professionals at Schusterman Philanthropies and the Jim Joseph Foundation encourages Jewish foundations to follow the lead of major secular foundations and commit to offering more general operating support to nonprofits.
Really Giving: Four Ways to Democratize Philanthropy - In response to a conversation about obstacles nonprofit leaders and artists experienced when applying for foundation support, the writer created a checklist for making philanthropy more of a collective process, one that better reflected the grantees, not just grantmakers.
Small Steps in the Right Direction - The author argues there is an urgent need to make flexible funding more available to grantseekers.
Smarter Grantmaking in Action: Social Venture Partners Arizona - A study of Social Venture Partners Arizona shows how increased deployment of general operating support grants can increase a nonprofit’s impact.
Strengthening Nonprofits: The Value of Complementing Multiyear GOS Grants with Capacity Building Supports - There is limited field-wide data about general operating support and capacity building, as well as the practice of combining the two.
The Ethical Argument for General Operating Funds - Writer/nonprofit advocate Vu Le asserts that general operating funds are necessary for nonprofits to be successful and that grantmakers who refuse to fund overhead are behaving unethically.
The Ethical Rainmaker – Meaning Well Isn’t Good Enough with Vu Le - A discussion of the genesis and founding principles of community-centric fundraising.
Three Lessons I Learned As A Nonprofit CEO Made Me A Smarter and More Effective Philanthropic Consultant - A fundraiser turned philanthropic consultant argues for unrestricted giving, more flexible reporting requirements, and making gifts on a schedule that works for grantees.
Trust-Based Philanthropy – An Approach - A two-page, six-item comprehensive summary and guidance document for Trust-Based Philanthropy.
Unicorns Unite: How Nonprofits and Foundations can Build EPIC Partnerships - A brief overview of “Unicorns Unite!”, a popular and highly-rated 2018 manifesto that forthrightly addresses the challenges of foundation/nonprofit relationships with truth and whimsy. Links to the book and the organization are included.
Unrestricted Giving and the Golden Rule for Funders - This article by a fundraiser turned funder makes the case for why unrestricted grants are better than restricted or project grants.
What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide - A program officer at the Hazen Foundation shares how foundations can be more accountable to the communities they are serving and offers suggestions on how to learn from funding mistakes.
Why Funding Overhead is Not the Real Issue: The Case to Cover Full Costs - In this webinar, Claire Knowlton, Director in Advisory Services at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, presents a conceptual review, framing overhead costs and how they are related to funding and mission.