February 14, 2023 This Community Foundation Went All In on Trust-Based Philanthropy. Here’s What It Has Learned February 14, 2023/ Mike Scutari Beginning in 2018, Patricia Mejia oversaw the San Antonio Area Foundation’s adoption of trust-based philanthropy practices. It wasn’t always easy, but the move is paying off for grantees and the foundation. Read More
January 31, 2023 “Small Can Be Effective.” Five Things to Know About Richmond Memorial Health Foundation January 31, 2023/ Mike Scutari The Richmond Memorial Health Foundation is committed to fostering an equitable and healthy Richmond region. We check in with President Mark Constantine to explore its strategic framework, upcoming initiatives and more.Read More
January 10, 2023 Four Increasingly Dubious Reasons Funders Are Still Not Giving Unrestricted Support January 10, 2023/ Mike Scutari Almost three years into the pandemic, unrestricted support hasn’t caught on the way nonprofit leaders hoped it would. We theorize as to why this remains the case — and why funders’ reticence is becoming harder to explain away.Read More
December 21, 2022 Philanthropy Trend Watch: A Few Ways the Sector Is Changing for the Better — and the Worse December 21, 2022/ Philip Rojc As the year draws to a close, we take a look at some developments in philanthropy that have us feeling optimistic about the future, and others that are less encouraging. Read More
December 13, 2022 Backed by a Huge Bequest, a New Arts Funder’s Grantmaking Strategy Begins to Takes Shape December 13, 2022/ Mike Scutari The Ruth Foundation for the Arts has made a big splash in the arts world thanks to its penchant for flexible funding and a $440 endowment. We check in with executive director Karen Patterson on the foundation’s inaugural year.Read More
December 06, 2022 How Restricted Project Grants Distort the Missions of Nonprofits December 06, 2022/ Celia Wexler While we’ve seen some advances in the push for more general operating support, the norm is still restricted funding. Nonprofit veterans share the many ways project grants have led them astray and held back progress.Read More
December 06, 2022 MacKenzie Scott Is Proving What We All Knew: Generous, Unrestricted Giving Works December 06, 2022/ Mike Scutari A report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy looks at how MacKenzie Scott’s gifts have transformed recipient organizations. We look at some of the key strengths and downsides to her approach.Read More
June 23, 2022 Why Catalytic Funding Is Key to Closing the Racial Equity Gap in Philanthropy June 23, 2022/ Rebecca Ferguson, Guest Contributor Guest contributor Rebecca Ferguson makes a case for unrestricted support to younger, smaller nonprofits led by people of color, and shares how a new fund from Salesforce is focusing its attention there.Read More
January 25, 2022 What Nonprofits Need to Know When Deciding Whether to Accept Restricted Donations January 25, 2022/ Heather DeBlanc, Casey Williams and Victoria M. Gomez Philips, Guest Contributors Even as more grantmakers offer unrestricted funding, restrictions are still the norm across much of the sector. Guest authors from the law firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore share some points that nonprofits should keep in mind.Read More
December 16, 2021 Funder Spotlight: How the Fleishhacker Foundation Backs Bay Area Artists, No Strings Attached December 16, 2021/ Mike Scutari The Fleishhacker Foundation supports arts organizations, artists and literacy programs in the Bay Area, with an emphasis on unrestricted funding. Here’s what you need to know about this San Francisco-based grantmaker.Read More
October 05, 2021 “Revisit the Assumptions.” A New Report Poses Big Questions About Funders’ Impact in the 2020s October 05, 2021/ Mike Scutari A new report challenges funders to revisit long-held assumptions about what makes for effective grantmaking. We dig into some key findings to help grantmakers navigate a rapidly changing philanthropic landscape.Read More
April 19, 2021 To Advance Community Self-Determination, Funders May Need to Leave Their Comfort Zones April 19, 2021/ Mike Scutari The East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative puts property ownership in the hands of community members. It’s an innovative model, but runs up against the limits of what most 501(c)(3) funders support. Can that change?Read More
February 16, 2019 How the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Has Been Giving Lately February 16, 2019/ Alyssa Ochs In late 2017, this funder decided that 100 percent of grants from its community grants program would go toward unrestricted purposes and that most of these grants would be for multi-year periods. It’s now putting that strategy into action. Read More
May 16, 2018 This Foundation Has Been Giving General Support for Years. What's It Learned? May 16, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly While nonprofits have griped forever about a lack of unrestricted grants, many funders remain wary of providing such support. The Sobrato Family Foundation recently shared its take-aways from 10 years of offering GOS funding. Read More