Philanthropy’s Role as a Connector in an Increasingly Fragmented Society
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all experienced social isolation. Although a necessary response to an unprecedented public health threat, it caused real harm to our mental and physical well-being.
Studies show that social isolation and loneliness increase a person’s risk for…
Member Stories: Barr Foundation
Like many foundations, the Barr Foundation has been on a years-long journey to center its work to eliminate discrimination based on race. Unlike many foundations, however, it has shared not just its grantmaking changes – including a focus on local organizations serving Black communities – but…
A blog series highlighting Council members' impact during our 2022 Member Week.
Member Stories: Lancaster Community Foundation
In 2017, the BBC dubbed Lancaster, Pa., the “refugee capital of the country,” highlighting its role in resettling more than 20 times more refugees, per capita, than the United States as a whole. To support the needs of more than 1,300 new neighbors, the Lancaster County Community…
You may notice something different about our website and social media presence. That’s right: Your 73-year-old Council on Foundations has a new look! We’re particularly excited to share this during the Council’s Member Week – a time when we celebrate and connect with our nearly 850 member…
Earning Trust Is at the Heart of Our Ethics Task Force
Philanthropy can advance important ideas for a nation still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and grappling with racial injustice and extreme political division. But we must hold ourselves accountable, too.
The Council on Foundations’ Ethics Task Force will help us do that, and I…
As Americans witness the atrocity of the Russian government’s illegal war on Ukraine, many of us feel frustrated, and even helpless. The forces at work are too large for us to imagine that we can affect them.
That changed for Berks County Community Foundation earlier this month, when our friends…
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Last July, the Council on Foundations convened a group of community foundation leaders to develop a set of principles and policy recommendations to strengthen how community foundations use donor-advised funds (DAFs). The Strengthening Community Philanthropy Ad Hoc…
Like many leaders of private foundations, I have strong beliefs about the importance of growing philanthropy in ways that build trust and advance equity in the field.
That is why I am so appreciative of the work that the Strengthening Community Philanthropy Ad Hoc Working Group (the Working Group)…
Dear Friend:
2021 was an historic year in many ways, for philanthropy and for the people and communities we care about.
It was a year of loss and heartache as families and communities continued to suffer the effects of the pandemic and many other hardships. It was a year of advocacy to advance…
Tara McKenzie Sandercock's 2021 Distinguished Service Award Acceptance Remarks
2021 Distinguished Service Award
Council on Foundations
12.02.21
Remarks by Tara McKenzie Sandercock
Thank you to the Council and the selection committee for bestowing this honor upon me. Since learning last week of my selection, I’ve reflected with a strong sense of gratitude for…
Leveraging Equity to Defund Hate: Values-Aligned Philanthropy in Practice
Many of us know that the philanthropic community has a critical role to play in addressing the increase in hate and hate crimes, but it’s not easy to figure out how to tackle this work.
The Council on Foundations’ white paper, Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Foundations Resisting Hate and Extremism,…
The Backstop: An Underused Tool for Overcoming the Chicken and Egg Challenge
Nonprofits and their funders know this challenge all too well—an organization has a great idea, so they begin to seek capital from funders or foundations. They hear the same answer regularly – “It sounds like a great idea. Come back to us after you’re further along.”
This presents a chicken and egg…
‘You Get Proud by Practicing’: The Path to Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy
Workplaces across the globe are in flux—and many are changing for the better. With more remote offerings, flexibility, and accommodations, we face a generational opportunity to codify accessibility and inclusion in institutions that have been exclusive for far too long.
Despite these changes, our…
The Future of Philanthropy is Local
As we continue to navigate a new normal amid a global pandemic, philanthropy has a moral obligation to create spaces for everyone’s voice to be heard, valued, and represented in building common ground to achieve more together. How do we advance the greater good in our community? How do we build…
Bridging Our Divides Begins with Building Trust and Finding Common Ground with Each Other
We are in a moment of dramatic change and re-imagining, what my friend and futurist Ari Wallach calls “The Intertidal”: a significant shift in global human culture and narrative, where what has been gives way to what will be.
As we witness this profound shift, we also bear the responsibility,…