Embracing Better Ways of Operating
Multi-Year Grants: To Commit or Not to Commit
Legal Compliance Guidance
Can we back out of a multiyear commitment we made in a prior year because our foundation’s assets have declined?
The answer in many cases is “no.” That is, unless your grantee is willing to release your foundation from its obligation.
Generally, an unconditional, multiyear grant is considered a…
Discretionary Grants
Legal Compliance Guidance
Family foundations use discretionary grantmaking to achieve a variety of purposes. Discretionary grantmaking allows some foundations to avoid strife by giving each branch of the extended family a sum of money that it can think of as its own to control. For others, a discretionary fund provides…
Understanding Fiscal Sponsorship
Legal Compliance Guidance
Everything you need to know to stay out of trouble with third-party representatives.
Does hearing the sentence "Just make that grant check payable to my fiscal agent" stop you in your tracks? It should. If your potential grantees are washing your grant funds through an accommodating charity that…
Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan
Sample Document
Community foundations have proven themselves to be cornerstones of support to the community, especially in times of need and disaster. When emergencies or disasters strike, the Foundation must be well-prepared to quickly and effectively help itself in order to be able to help others.
This…
Grants to Government
Legal Compliance Guidance
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…
Council-Endorsed D&O Insurance Program
Legal Compliance Guidance
Directors & Officers liability insurance provides financial protection for a foundation and its directors, officers, employees, and volunteers in the event of a lawsuit.
Does your foundation need D&O insurance?
A foundation doesn't have to be in the wrong to be sued. D&O insurance…
Guide to Directors and Officers Liability Insurance
Fundamentals
For boards of directors, trustees, and foundation managers, there are few areas of operation that cause more confusion and uncertainty than indemnification and the purchase of directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance. And it is no wonder. Mixing the often impenetrable statutory language…
Guidance on Closing a Private Foundation
Legal Compliance Guidance
There's more to closing down a private foundation than packing up and turning off the utilities. Here are some questions, considerations, and IRS directions.
Sometimes it is time for a private foundation to disappear—assets may have dwindled significantly or family members no longer share a…
Developing a Travel Policy
Fundamentals
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…
Executive Compensation Best Practices
Legal Compliance Guidance
The Internal Revenue Code provides excise tax penalties that can be imposed by the Internal Revenue Service whenever unreasonable or excessive compensation is paid to high-level employees of charitable organizations.
Over and above any legal requirements or public scrutiny, good stewards of…
Investing in the Future of Young People Is Paying Off
In June, I had the pleasure of introducing four recent graduates of the Cleveland School District at the Cleveland Foundation’s annual meeting. We wanted to showcase top achievers to put a human face on the investment we’ve made in the future of Cleveland’s young people. These college-bound…
Mobilizing Business Champions for Children
What do Texas preschooler Owen Hernandez and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have in common? As you’ll see during the Learning Lab<!--[if !supportNestedAnchors]--><!--[endif]-->, “Business Champions for Young Children,” at next month’s Fall Conference for Community…
Funder Tools for a More Efficient Marketplace
Two years ago, the Foundation Registry i3 was a lifesaver for me.
I was working as a philanthropic advisor and was looking for an opportunity to lead a group of emerging philanthropists interested in education reform from talking about collaboration to taking action. The U.S. Department of…
Philanthropy Vital to Technology for Schools
The prevalence of computers in modern society has led to a greater need for technology-based curricula and wired classrooms for students of all levels. Top online PhD programs are now available, but some primary schools don’t have a single computer. As a result, companies and organizations…
The Creativity Conundrum In Educational Leadership
The Creativity Conundrum in Public Education Leadership
Many of the men and women who shaped the world over the course of history, from Mozart to Albert Einstein to Steve Jobs, have done so by thinking well outside the sphere of traditional education. Famously, each of these men had some issues…
Early Education Can Never Start Too Early
On April 18, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Dubuque, Iowa to launch the Together for Tomorrow campaign. I was honored to share the stage with him and highlight the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque’s recent work on a third grade reading initiative with our school…