How Both ENDS Director Danielle Hirsch Is Using Philanthropy, Advocacy and More to Shift Power

How Both ENDS Director Danielle Hirsch Is Using Philanthropy, Advocacy and More to Shift Power

Both ENDS is a Netherlands-based organization that is challenging power dynamics in philanthropy in a number of ways. Director Danielle Hirsch talks about the group’s journey, its approach and why discomfort is a good thing.

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The Answer to Smarter Philanthropy Can Be Found in a DAF Intermediary

The Answer to Smarter Philanthropy Can Be Found in a DAF Intermediary

While more people are taking advantage of donor-advised funds, they could be making a greater impact. Casey van der Stricht of the Solve Innovation Future Fund at MIT offers a path for donors to invest in social innovators.

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Three Questions We Have About a Philanthropic Future Dominated by DAFs

Three Questions We Have About a Philanthropic Future Dominated by DAFs

As of last year, American donors are putting quite a lot more into donor-advised funds than they are into foundations. Even as calls for reform persist, we consider what the future might look like should this trend continue.

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Nonprofit Retirement Accounts Hold Over $1 Trillion. Could That Money Be Supporting Social Justice?

Nonprofit Retirement Accounts Hold Over $1 Trillion. Could That Money Be Supporting Social Justice?

The retirement accounts of nonprofit staff hold some formidable sums. A new impact investing outfit hopes to channel some of that money toward investments that align with workers’ values, while securing their savings.

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Nine Questions for Dana Lanza, President, CEO and Co-founder of Confluence Philanthropy

Nine Questions for Dana Lanza, President, CEO and Co-founder of Confluence Philanthropy

The head of a leading network of foundations committed to mission-aligned investing talks about the implications of the war in Ukraine and her belief that more foundations will soon make net zero pledges.

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Corporations’ Assets Have Huge Carbon Footprints. What About Foundations?

Corporations’ Assets Have Huge Carbon Footprints. What About Foundations?

Assets of companies like Microsoft and Alphabet have larger carbon footprints than all their other emissions combined, says a new report. Foundations may want to pay attention.

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Funder Spotlight: All About the Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program

Funder Spotlight: All About the Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program

The Kresge Foundation is one of the top environmental funders in the country—and one of the most focused on equity. We take a look at what it supports through its environment program and why.

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How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

The U.S. has enormous unmet needs, while billions already pledged to philanthropy remain unspent. Guest author Sean Davis proposes a solution that would fund for-profit companies to take on large-scale infrastructure projects.

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As the COVID Fight Continues, Who’s Funding Surveillance for the Next Biological Threat?

As the COVID Fight Continues, Who’s Funding Surveillance for the Next Biological Threat?

COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world that we are insufficiently prepared to identify and stop emerging diseases. It’s a niche cause in philanthropy, but here are a few funders backing early warning systems.

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Two More Major Funders Are Moving Assets Away from Fossil Fuels, in a Shift Years in the Making

Two multibillion-dollar funders, the Ford and McKnight foundations, became the largest foundations yet to publicly align their investments with their missions to fight climate change. It’s been a long time coming.

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How Ada Williams Prince Designs Investment Strategies for Liberation

How Ada Williams Prince Designs Investment Strategies for Liberation

Ada Williams Prince is senior advisor for program strategy and investment at Pivotal Ventures. In this Q&A with Mandy Van Deven, she discusses the value of lived experience, how she’s developing new investment strategies and more.

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How a Pritzker-Backed Philanthropy Channels Impact Investing Toward Private Schools in Ghana

How a Pritzker-Backed Philanthropy Channels Impact Investing Toward Private Schools in Ghana

The IDP Foundation is the philanthropy of Liesel Pritzker Simmons and her mother, Irene Pritzker. We take a closer look at its impact investing approach to education in Africa, including at how it responded during COVID.

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To Get New Treatments Across the Finish Line, a Funder Fighting Blindness Turns to Investing

To Get New Treatments Across the Finish Line, a Funder Fighting Blindness Turns to Investing

Three years ago, the Foundation Fighting Blindness launched a venture philanthropy arm to invest in biotech companies and bring treatments to market. Ten companies in, the effort is going strong.

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A Different Kind of Buyout—Funders Turn a For-Profit Biotech Company Into a Social Enterprise

A Different Kind of Buyout—Funders Turn a For-Profit Biotech Company Into a Social Enterprise

The pandemic revealed deadly gaps in our capacity to test for disease, especially in developing parts of the world. In an innovative impact investing deal, philanthropies are turning a diagnostics company into a social enterprise.

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What One Funder Is Learning as it Aligns its Entire Endowment with its Mission

What One Funder Is Learning as it Aligns its Entire Endowment with its Mission

Over three years ago, Nathan Cummings Foundation pledged to align 100% of its assets with its mission. A new report shares what it’s learned in that process—and makes the case to others to do the same.

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To Support an Equitable Recovery, Donor-Advised Funds Should Look Beyond Grantmaking

To Support an Equitable Recovery, Donor-Advised Funds Should Look Beyond Grantmaking

An equitable recovery from the pandemic demands financial support that goes far beyond grantmaking. Tracy Palandjian and Danny Grossman share new research on how DAFs can use their investments to make an impact.

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Why It’s Time for Philanthropies to Invest in Israel

Why It’s Time for Philanthropies to Invest in Israel

An investor with deep ties to Israel argues that U.S. foundations and philanthropists have a major opportunity to support Israel while also earning returns on their endowments and wealth. Here’s what that looks like.

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How a Unique Funding Model Aims to Strengthen the Link Between Giving and Impact

How a Unique Funding Model Aims to Strengthen the Link Between Giving and Impact

NPX pairs investments and donations to provide up-front capital to nonprofits that can offer concrete results. The metrics-focused model won’t be a fit for all, but the company points to successful case studies and a new Bay Area fund.

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The 5 Misconceptions Standing Between Foundations and Impact Investing

The 5 Misconceptions Standing Between Foundations and Impact Investing

Five of the top barriers preventing foundation leaders from pursuing impact investing are misconceptions around topics like fiduciary duty and risk. Melody Jensen of Toniic debunks these concerns based on a report from her organization.

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Amid Crisis, Collaborative Impact Investing Offers a Path to Systemic Change

Amid Crisis, Collaborative Impact Investing Offers a Path to Systemic Change

The compounding crises of our time demand new ways to fund solutions. In this guest opinion piece, participants in a new California partnership make the case for expansion of place-based impact investing collaboratives.

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