“Trust the nonprofits,” we tell funders. “Realize that the people who are closest to the problem are the ones with the solutions. Just write those checks and get out of the way.” But then the news hits. We’ve seen recent allegations of misspending by … [Read more...] about Restrictive Grantmaking Isn’t the Answer to Rare Nonprofit Scandals
Nonprofit Infrastructure
J.D. Vance Has Set His Sights on Philanthropy Before. What Should the Sector Expect?
How One Foundation Aims to Get Ahead of the Curve on Utilizing AI — and Avoid Its Pitfalls
Inside Philanthropy, like many publications, has been tracking the discussion around AI since the technology went mainstream with ChatGPT and other platforms. Paralleling big voices in technology and public policy at large, philanthropies are … [Read more...] about How One Foundation Aims to Get Ahead of the Curve on Utilizing AI — and Avoid Its Pitfalls
Facing Threats to Racial Equity Work, Borealis’ REACH Fund Continues Consistent, Steady Approach
When we last looked at Borealis Philanthropy’s Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund in 2019, the then-new fund had just announced its first $1.2 million in grantmaking to nine organizations providing racial equity training to nonprofits … [Read more...] about Facing Threats to Racial Equity Work, Borealis’ REACH Fund Continues Consistent, Steady Approach
What Nonprofit Burnout Looks Like from the Funders’ Point of View
Earlier this month, the Center for Effective Philanthropy released a “Research Snapshot” report that’s unique within the discourse around nonprofit worker burnout. Rather than focusing on the problem through the lens of nonprofits — as CEP itself did … [Read more...] about What Nonprofit Burnout Looks Like from the Funders’ Point of View
CEP’s Latest Report on Nonprofits Reveals “A Wild World” of Burnout, Raising Questions for Funders
The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) has released its second annual report on the nonprofit sector, “State of Nonprofits 2024: What Funders Need to Know.” A survey of mostly direct service nonprofit leaders, the report finds that the … [Read more...] about CEP’s Latest Report on Nonprofits Reveals “A Wild World” of Burnout, Raising Questions for Funders
“A Very Powerful Moment.” The California Endowment Goes Big for Community Organizing
Community organizers and leaders have long stressed the need for philanthropy to make greater investments in nonprofits’ infrastructure. Despite this, many organizations, particularly those that are led by people of color and engage in the vital but … [Read more...] about “A Very Powerful Moment.” The California Endowment Goes Big for Community Organizing
Endowment-Ready: Preparing for a Mega-Gift from MacKenzie Scott (or Anyone Else)
As the director of the endowment and foundations national practice at the Delaware-based financial services firm Wilmington Trust, Walter Dillingham spends his days helping nonprofit clients grow their endowments. In January 2022, Dillingham answered … [Read more...] about Endowment-Ready: Preparing for a Mega-Gift from MacKenzie Scott (or Anyone Else)
The Ripple Effects of Investing in the Nonprofit Sector Workforce’s Well-being
Burnout, trauma, high turnover and hiring challenges persist across the nonprofit sector. Anyone working in this sector knows this personally or anecdotally. And the numbers support that understanding. In Massachusetts alone, the nonprofit sector … [Read more...] about The Ripple Effects of Investing in the Nonprofit Sector Workforce’s Well-being
Eight Questions with Claire Peeps, Outgoing Executive Director of the Durfee Foundation
Claire Peeps became the second executive director of L.A.’s Durfee Foundation in 1996. She expected to stay in the job for about two years. Twenty-eight years later, Peeps is preparing to leave her post in June. Carrie Avery, Durfee’s longtime board … [Read more...] about Eight Questions with Claire Peeps, Outgoing Executive Director of the Durfee Foundation
An Open Letter to MacKenzie Scott: Three Ways to Change Up Philanthropy’s Damaged Status Quo
Dear Ms. Scott,In your 2019 Medium post outlining the approach you planned to take after committing to the Giving Pledge, you wrote about the “tremendous value [that] comes when people act quickly on the impulse to give.” You said, I think correctly, … [Read more...] about An Open Letter to MacKenzie Scott: Three Ways to Change Up Philanthropy’s Damaged Status Quo
“Not Just a Gift of Money.” How a Major Foundation Embraced Endowment Funding to Advance Equity
When it comes to funding social change, philanthropy typically reaches for a range of tools: general operating support, program-specific grants, technical assistance, capacity-building and more. However, endowment funding doesn’t show up nearly as … [Read more...] about “Not Just a Gift of Money.” How a Major Foundation Embraced Endowment Funding to Advance Equity
How Might AI Impact Nonprofits and Foundations? Here’s a Crash Course
Back in August, the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG) conducted a quick online poll of its members about artificial intelligence — aka AI. TAG asked its members two things: “What is the No. 1 question you're being asked about AI at your … [Read more...] about How Might AI Impact Nonprofits and Foundations? Here’s a Crash Course
A “Pretty Severe Education” in Raising Capital Dollars: What It Took to Get NYC’s Civic Hall Funded
On November 1, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and a host of community leaders celebrated the grand opening of Civic Hall at Union Square, a digital skills training center aimed at cultivating an “inclusive talent pipeline for family-sustaining jobs” … [Read more...] about A “Pretty Severe Education” in Raising Capital Dollars: What It Took to Get NYC’s Civic Hall Funded
What These Three Funders Can Teach Philanthropy About Supporting Nonprofit IT
While reporting on the Technology Association of Grantmakers’ new guidelines for funding nonprofit IT earlier this year, I couldn’t help but ask outgoing TAG Executive Director Chantal Forster which funders are doing solid work in the field right … [Read more...] about What These Three Funders Can Teach Philanthropy About Supporting Nonprofit IT
“Worthy of Its Own Focus.” Inside a Funder Cohort Dedicated to Developing Community Leaders
Philanthropic funders tend to provide meager support for programs explicitly earmarked for leadership development. The membership-based Leadership Funders Group (LFG) aims to change that dynamic, in part by making the case that investing in … [Read more...] about “Worthy of Its Own Focus.” Inside a Funder Cohort Dedicated to Developing Community Leaders
Could “Subscription Philanthropy” Help Nonprofits Afford Subscription-Based IT Services?
Adam Rosenzweig knows quite a bit about nonprofit IT, and how funders can serve their grantees’ tech needs. He’s currently a lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and also has part-time gigs as interim … [Read more...] about Could “Subscription Philanthropy” Help Nonprofits Afford Subscription-Based IT Services?
Report: The Nonprofit Hiring Crisis Is Still a Thing
The National Council of Nonprofits released the results of its updated Nonprofit Workforce Survey recently, just in time for Labor Day. The good news is that the nonprofit hiring crisis isn’t quite as bad as it was when the report was first released … [Read more...] about Report: The Nonprofit Hiring Crisis Is Still a Thing
What Will It Take to Reach Critical Mass on Nonprofit IT Funding?
Three and a half years ago, funders and nonprofits alike found themselves drowning in all of the details necessary to make the emergency pivot to a “new normal” in which much of their work moved almost immediately to individual employees’ homes.That … [Read more...] about What Will It Take to Reach Critical Mass on Nonprofit IT Funding?
Nonprofit Homeless Response Staff Struggle to Afford Housing. Will Funders Respond?
Michael Centeno’s is the kind of personal success story that any funder would be proud to feature in its press materials. Formerly homeless himself, Centeno works as an intensive case manager at Housing Works in Los Angeles, helping housing-insecure … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Homeless Response Staff Struggle to Afford Housing. Will Funders Respond?
Lessons from Across the Pond: How the Living Wage Foundation Is Exporting Its Success to the U.S.
The past four decades haven’t been good ones for American workers — and simultaneously, nearly 40 years’ worth of funder-initiated efforts to study and reform philanthropy’s role in the nonprofit starvation cycle hasn’t borne much fruit for the … [Read more...] about Lessons from Across the Pond: How the Living Wage Foundation Is Exporting Its Success to the U.S.
What Funders Can Do to Fight the Nonprofit Worker Burnout Crisis
The nonprofit sector’s workers are not OK. Decades of inadequate pay, overwork and little respect for their needs, compounded by COVID and other crises, are leading the nonprofit workforce to turn to unions and even leave the sector altogether, as … [Read more...] about What Funders Can Do to Fight the Nonprofit Worker Burnout Crisis
Durfee Isn’t Alone: Here’s Who’s Moving Money to Support the Wellbeing of Nonprofit Staff
When we talked with Durfee Foundation Executive Director Claire Peeps for our July report on the funder’s new Lark Awards for nonprofit staff wellbeing, she had some further good news to share — other funders, hearing about Durfee’s move to provide … [Read more...] about Durfee Isn’t Alone: Here’s Who’s Moving Money to Support the Wellbeing of Nonprofit Staff
Why These Two Very Different Family Foundations Agree On the Importance of Nonprofit IT
Despite some surface similarities, the Shavlik Family Foundation and the Pierce Family Foundation take different approaches to their work. But both funders agree on the vitally important role that IT plays in the nonprofit universe. With less than 1% … [Read more...] about Why These Two Very Different Family Foundations Agree On the Importance of Nonprofit IT
