An Open Letter to MacKenzie Scott: Three Ways to Change Up Philanthropy’s Damaged Status Quo
Drawing on recent reporting, Dawn Wolfe suggests three bold paths MacKenzie Scott could take to address stubborn sector challenges like warehoused wealth, under... Read more.
Crappy Funding Practices Gives Nonprofit Staff a Chance to Vent. It Might Also Make a Difference
Crappy Funding Practices burst on the scene in January and already has more than 11,000 followers of its posts naming and shaming funders that engage in egregio... Read more.
These Donors Are Revolting Against the “Charity Lobby” to Push Sweeping Philanthropic Reform
The newly announced Donor Revolt for Charity Reform is championing changes to the laws governing philanthropy that go well beyond the ACE Act. According to a re... Read more.
Post-Disaster Legal Aid Funding Fills a Growing Need — And Could Help Shore Up Democracy
Increasing demand for legal aid in the wake of disasters casts light on a system that’s failing large numbers of Americans. Funders looking to restore trust i... Read more.
This Michigan-Based Donor Advisor is Building a Firm Foundation for the Progressive Movement
Jason Franklin is founder of Ktisis Capital, a progressive philanthropic advisor serving individuals and foundations. Here, Franklin talks about the firm’s ap... Read more.
Multi-Year, General Support Is a Matter of Strategy for This Reproductive Rights Funder
The Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity, which channels funding from a number of big-name philanthropies, makes a point to prioritize flexible, long-... Read more.
Nonprofit Boards Remain Predominantly White. Do Funders Care?
Amid a status quo on nonprofit governance that remains mostly white, are socially conscious funders rewarding board diversity? For insight, we reached out to Th... Read more.
This Nonprofit Is Using DAF Money to Combat Inequities in Venture Capital
The $200 billion-plus accumulating in donor-advised funds is mostly invested traditionally. Inspire Access wants to mobilize some of that money to support start... Read more.
This Economic Equality Intermediary Is Backing a Movement Whose Time Has Quietly Come
Common Future is partnering with WorkFour — a new nonprofit advocating for a four-day workweek — providing funding and other support. Here’s why it’s a ... Read more.
Groundswell’s Leaders on Funding Challenges for the Intersectional Reproductive Justice Movement
The staunch social justice funder is in a strong position, having raised $83 million toward a goal to move $100 million to reproductive rights work by 2025. But... Read more.
Inside a Community Foundation’s First Moves to Close Its Region’s Racial Home Ownership Gap
At the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, the Amandla Fund for Economic and Racial Justice is assisting local Black families on the path toward home o... Read more.
Improving Nonprofit Tech Can Be Tricky. Here’s How One Funder Is Getting it Right
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Program just announced an open call for applications. The growing program offers a useful window into the challe... Read more.
Amid Attacks on DEI, This Tool Can Help Funders Further Their Own Journeys — and Push Back
CHANGE Philanthropy’s Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals survey is perhaps the most in-depth instrument of its kind in the sector. It’s particularl... Read more.
With a Message for Funders, Advocates for Better Nonprofit Worker Pay Join Forces
Fund the People and Staffing the Mission, two of the leading organizations calling for better nonprofit salaries and working conditions, recently merged. Leader... Read more.
Funders Have a New Tool to Help Navigate the Fast-Moving AI Landscape
Philanthropy leaders and staff face the daunting task of deciding whether and how they should implement new artificial-intelligence-based tools. Technology Asso... Read more.
With “A Little Courage,” Ipas Is Shifting Money to the Front Lines of Abortion and Contraceptive Access
By redirecting money from its own operating expenses, the international reproductive justice organization has been able to double the number of grantees receivi... Read more.
To Increase Trust in Philanthropy, We Have to Put a Stop to “Billionaire Shell Games”
A report from the Institute for Policy Studies details how tax code loopholes are used to warehouse wealth. IP’s Dawn Wolfe argues that such practices not onl... Read more.
How One Community Funder’s In-House Campaign Is Moving the Needle on Voter Engagement
Facing another difficult election year, funders may want to take note of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in Connecticut. It’s already seen notable s... Read more.
How TAG’s New Executive Director Aims to Meet the Sector’s “Practical and Aspirational” Tech Needs
Jean Westrick recently took the helm at Technology Association of Grantmakers, following a stint at Chicago Community Trust. It’s a smaller organization, but ... Read more.
Seven Questions for McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen
Tony Allen led Detroit’s Skillman Foundation before taking the helm of Minneapolis-based McKnight. Allen shares her thoughts on cross-sector work, criticisms ... Read more.
Meet the Song Foundation: A Michigan Take on Silicon Valley Philanthropy
Founded in 2019 from the cybersecurity fortune of Dug and Linh Song, this multipurpose grantmaker is poised for growth on its home turf of southeastern Michigan... Read more.
Suicide Is at Epidemic Levels in the U.S. Philanthropy’s Response Has Been Underwhelming
Despite the scope of the problem — someone in the U.S. dies from suicide every 11 minutes — national philanthropies’ willingness to directly confront it h... Read more.
Does Funding Better Salaries and Benefits Improve Nonprofit Impact? Here’s What We Know
It seems intuitive that funding for higher salaries and benefits would improve a nonprofit’s ability to carry out its mission. But what does that impact look ... Read more.
A Cross-Sector Coalition Raises Nearly $1 Billion to Tackle Racial Wealth Inequality in the Twin Cities
In its mission to take on stubborn racial wealth divides in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the GroundBreak initiative has the backing of partners spanning philanthropy, ... Read more.
This Chicago-Based Initiative Is Combining Grants and Investments to Cultivate Black Ownership
One of the factors driving the racial wealth gap is a lack of owned commercial property. In an effort to remedy that, a multifaceted initiative is purchasing pr... Read more.
How Might AI Impact Nonprofits and Foundations? Here’s a Crash Course
Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days, but what exactly does that mean for nonprofits and their funders? Here’s a primer on nonprofit AI, includi... Read more.
What These Three Funders Can Teach Philanthropy About Supporting Nonprofit IT
It wouldn’t be a huge stretch to say all funders are IT funders these days, given the centrality of tech tools to so much nonprofit work. We look at how that ... Read more.
This Foundation’s Helping Injured Veterans with an Overlooked Issue: Starting Families
While the VA provides infertility treatments for some veterans, there are gaps. The Bob Woodruff Foundation’s VIVA initiative aims to fill them with a more in... Read more.
Philanthropy’s Support for Reparations Is Stronger Than You Might Expect
Two new reports from Bridgespan and Liberation Ventures make the case for funders to back reparations for slavery and systemic racism. The researchers also foun... Read more.
How John Palfrey Is Leading MacArthur Into a New Era of Philanthropy
John Palfrey has led this $8 billion foundation through a time of great change — a racial reckoning, the rise of trust-based philanthropy, and program shifts ... Read more.
