MOST RECENT
As billionaires gain ever more prominence in philanthropy — and in the halls of power — IP’s Michael Kavate makes a case for why the murky status quo around alternative giving vehicles should change.
In 2020, the Rogers Family Foundation, which primarily focuses on public schools in Oakland, California, announced it would sunset by 2025. Here are some of the key challenges it’s faced and lessons it’s learned along the way.
We connected with Lever for Change CEO Cecilia Conrad to discuss the year-long process of administering MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call, which wrapped this spring. Here are five takeaways.
To “honor the self-determination of Indigenous peoples” it supports, the spend-down foundation is disbursing large, unrestricted sunsetting grants — which can potentially go toward nonprofits’ own endowments.
ChangeRaisers is a relatively new consulting firm that hopes to bring greater stability to nonprofits and lower fundraising staff turnover. It’s a welcome approach in a field that needs the help.
Philanthropy Together’s new report on collective giving is the latest demonstration that giving circles aren’t just “a cute grassroots side movement.” We unpack the findings and their implications for the sector.
Drawing on recent reporting, Dawn Wolfe suggests three bold paths MacKenzie Scott could take to address stubborn sector challenges like warehoused wealth, underpaid nonprofit employees, and burdens placed on grantseekers.
Crappy Funding Practices burst on the scene in January and already has more than 11,000 followers of its posts naming and shaming funders that engage in egregious practices. Could this effort result in real reform?
The newly announced Donor Revolt for Charity Reform is championing changes to the laws governing philanthropy that go well beyond the ACE Act. According to a recent poll, the American public is very much on board.
The Colorado Trust embarked on an ambitious effort to empower community members, but ultimately closed the program in 2022. A series of reports points to impressive achievements — along with challenges and missteps.
Trying to shift public narratives is a popular strategy for many funders right now. But is it paying off? Here are a few reasons why philanthropy-backed narrative change may be struggling to achieve impact.
In this guest piece, Ella Gudwin and Bradley Myles make a case for why MacKenzie Scott’s giving has lowered the risk for other donors to provide follow-up funding to organizations with plans and the opportunity to scale.
We’ve seen some high-profile cases lately of philanthropy backing away from big, difficult challenges. At the same time, more are yielding control with trust-based giving practices. But are either of these really all that risky?
The recently concluded Yield Giving Open Call awarded $640 million to 361 organizations. Besides the impressive numbers, here are a few things that stood out to us about the latest chapter in Scott’s giving saga.
Whether she’s giving in her usual way or through an open call model, MacKenzie Scott continues to show that philanthropic penny-pinching by major billionaires is a choice, not a necessity.
Despite philanthropy sector groups’ continued defense of the status quo, there is strong public support for charity reform. Guest authors Chuck Collins and Dan Petegorsky unpack the findings of a new national poll.
For over a decade, the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation has backed LIFT, which works to combat generational poverty by providing funds, coaching and support — and its model is showing results.
A new report on donor-advised funds, billed as independent, was another product of the philanthropic establishment. It speaks to a broader issue: overly rosy reporting of giving data by interested parties.
Before being forced out of the company, Adam and Rebekah Neumann signaled some big philanthropic aspirations. They’re still very wealthy; did they continue giving?
Talk about unrestricted grantmaking abounds these days, but are we really entering a new era of flexible funding? In this guest piece, fundraising leaders at four global human rights funds make a case that grantmakers should do more.
Trust-based philanthropy is on trend but has experienced backlash recently. While some of these critiques seem to misunderstand its premise, there are valid questions worth posing about its goals and execution.
Some funders prefer to operate far from the spotlight, but we’ve been noticing a lot of sophisticated communications teams at foundations lately. What do they do, exactly, and why do funders make this a priority?
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Program just announced an open call for applications. The growing program offers a useful window into the challenges surrounding nonprofit tech, and of the importance of funding it.
Funders looking to become more participatory in their grantmaking are often uncertain about the next steps. Consultants Katy Love and Diana Samarasan have created a new self-assessment tool as a guide.
CHANGE Philanthropy’s Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals survey is perhaps the most in-depth instrument of its kind in the sector. It’s particularly apt this year as attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion escalate.
Negative sentiment toward philanthropy is on the rise, largely tied, for understandable reasons, to surging wealth inequality. But IP’s Wendy Paris encourages us to set our cynicism aside and appreciate acts of generosity.
Fund the People and Staffing the Mission, two of the leading organizations calling for better nonprofit salaries and working conditions, recently merged. Leaders hope the move will bolster their work and draw new backers.
Estimates by FoundationMark show private foundation assets at an all-time high, having only just reached $1 trillion in 2019. Here’s a look at what’s driving the gains and why the trend toward a top-heavy sector isn’t going anywhere.
Gates’ largest annual budget ever stands at $8.6 billion, but that’s just a starting point for what it might have to spend if it’s going to sunset. With so much room to maneuver, why not look into a broader range of U.S. causes?
Erinn Andrews works with wealthy, but not super-wealthy clients who want to give more thoughtfully but lack the capacity to do so. Here’s how she gets these lagging but well-intentioned donors to step up their games.