Embracing Better Ways of Operating
Effective Collaborations: Recommendations for a Connected Philanthropic Infrastructure
Publication
The report explores the ways in which infrastructure organizations think about the value and the mechanics of collaboration—the drivers and barriers to collaborative work—and determine ways to encourage more effective partnerships. The publication features a framework for understanding…
Closing a Foundation: The Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust
Publication
Closing a nonprofit charitable institution presents a range of unknowns to the grantmaking community. In this analysis, authors John Dickason and Duncan Neuhauser provide guidance to foundations considering whether to create a time-limited foundation or bring a foundation to an end. Topics include…
ACT for Alexandria: Collaborating for a Brighter Future
As the Council on Foundations observes Community Foundation Week, this November 12-18, we will be posting stories from across the country of members who exemplify the ability of place-based philanthropy to drive innovation and strategy. If you would like your organization featured here, contact…
Fixing Education Allows Foundations to Learn Lessons as Well
When the comic strip “Doonesbury” is making fun of your state’s lackluster education record, you know things must change.
That’s the situation Oregon’s foundation leaders found themselves in 10 years ago. That part of the story isn’t that unusual; every state has had to cope with the failures of…
New Report Makes a Strong Case for Higher Education
Last week, the Lumina Foundation released a new report, “A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education,” the fourth of its kind to track progress against its ambitious mission for 60 percent of Americans to hold high-quality degrees, certificates, or other postsecondary credentials by 2025.
Why…
Building Community Capacity for Participation in Evaluation
External Resource
From Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), what does it mean to truly and authentically engage a community in evaluation? Grantmakers working on place-based grantmaking already have the incentive and drive to support in-depth evaluation, to understand the impact of the initiative, and to…
Working Better Together: Building Nonprofit Collaborative Capacity
External Resource
Collective action is an effective way for nonprofits to increase their impact, but they often lack the key capacities that enable these types of partnerships to thrive. This publication from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) offers insights on the core capacities nonprofits need to…
Sample Decline Letter
Sample Document
This sample declination letter can help you inform grant applicants that their grant proposal was not accepted.
Sample Grant Completion Report
Sample Document
This sample grant completion report may be customized and provided to your grantee partners.
Proposal Review Flowchart
Sample Document
This sample proposal review flowchart may be useful for establishing your foundation's processes for grant review.
Sample Grant Proposal Application Checklist
Sample Document
This sample grant proposal application checklist can be customized to your foundation's processes, allowing you to check off each step of the grant application process.
Sample Proposal Acknowledgment Letter
Sample Document
This sample grant proposal acknowledgment letter will allow you to let prospective grantees know that their application has been received.
Sample Post-Grant Self-Evaluation
Sample Document
This sample post-grant evaluation can be customized to your foundation and provided to your grantees to submit at the conclusion of their grant.
Knowing How and When to Monitor, Assess, and Evaluate Grants
Fundamentals
A family foundation's legal responsibilities for monitoring, assessing, or evaluating the grants it makes to organizations with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status are minimal. The IRS requires little in the way of detailed reporting on the outcome of specific grants—except for grants to organizations that…
Stewardship Principles for Independent Foundations
Legal Compliance Guidance
The Stewardship Principles for Independent Foundations are a set of governance best practices that embody how independent foundations can reflect fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, and trust in their board governance, management, and grantmaking.
Sample Grant File Index
Sample Document
This sample grant file index allows you to see the types of information which your foundation may need to keep on each of your grantees.