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This article explores one of the more common questions about conflicts of interest: May the foundation's lawyer serve as a trustee?
Foundation Lawyer/Trustee
Often, the lawyer who drafted a foundation's organizing documents stays on as counsel to the organization. He or she may be asked to…
The Stewardship Principles for Corporate Grantmakers are a set of governance best practices that embody how corporate philanthropies can reflect fundamental values including honesty, integrity, fairness, and trust, in their board governance, management, and grantmaking.
Under the rules applicable to private foundations, directors or trustees and staff members may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the foundation's charitable activities. Such expenditures fall under the heading of administrative costs and will generally…
The private foundation executive director was concerned. Members of her board were going to make grants to promote public housing and economic development but none of the groups involved were the typical 501(c)(3)s to which the foundation normally made grants. One possibility seemed to be making a…
Webinar Recording: National Trust for Historic Preservation: African American Cultural Heritage Fund
The events in Charlottesville and the subsequent debates regarding the treatment of monuments and memorials to Confederate leaders and heroes has contributed to further divisions within our society. Many of our communities are grappling with these issues and seeking ways to bridge the…
American democracy faces challenges that raise difficult questions for philanthropy. Have funders done everything possible to shore up democratic values and aspirations, or pursued their own ideas of the public good and turned a blind eye to these challenges? To what extent can philanthropy’s…
Working in collaboration with the Center for American Progress, the Council co-hosted conversations among foundations, community development financial institutions, and investment firms about social impact bonds and Pay for Success. Out of these conversations, two issue briefs were created:
“…
Can we pay our board members? Should we?
The issue of whether to pay foundation board members is always a controversial topic. Expect the media, regulators, general public, and even your grantees to scrutinize the decisions you make.
What is legal?
Though the rules may vary slightly by…
What do you do when a grantee—or potential grantee—asks someone on your board or staff to sit on their board? Does such a request constitute a conflict of interest? Are there times when such a situation can actually benefit one or both of the organizations involved?
Let’s look at some of the…
Sabbaticals are not too uncommon in the nonprofit world for foundation executives or senior management. It can be a useful time to reflect on past accomplishments, revitalize, and gain renewed inspiration for future work. Sabbaticals for board members likewise can have similar positive effects but…