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In philanthropy, it’s often an unquestioned expectation that funders will ask grantees to assess the progress of their own work and to apply what they learn to improve. At Barr, we think it is equally important to ask our grantees to assess how we are doing as a...

We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in philanthropy: The choices we make about emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) right now could have lasting impacts on the communities we serve. At the Annenberg Foundation, we are exploring AI’s potential not...

According to the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent report on grantee experiences with intermediary funders, 33 percent of intermediary grantees report receiving multiyear funding, compared to 58 percent of grantees of other traditional funders. I find this...

I came to GreenLight Fund after leading Fresh Lifelines for Youth, a direct service and advocacy nonprofit that works with a variety of philanthropic partners. I’ve been struck by how much GreenLight as an intermediary works to align with grantees to support community...

A new report from CEP looks at the grantee perceptions of “intermediary funders” — which it defines as a variety of “entities that are regrantors of philanthropic dollars.” It asks two main questions: how do grantee experiences with intermediaries differ from those...

When I was approached by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to serve on the advisory group for a research project on intermediary funders, I was immediately keen to participate. From two decades of first-hand experience, I know how valuable it can be to...

For the past several years, my colleagues and I at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have been working with donors who are choosing collaborative funds — those that pool the donations of multiple funders to amplify the impact that any one donor could have — to...

In the organizing world, a key tenet of power is that "power is the product of relationship," meaning people in strong relationships with one another produce power. At EdTrust-West, we embrace this principle of power-building through one of our signature programs, the...

The frequency and intensity of natural hazards, including hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, are reaching unprecedented levels and devastating communities across the globe. Just last year, we witnessed the destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia, which left thousands...

One of the fastest growing philanthropic practices in recent years is the use of collaborative, or pooled, funds — one form of intermediary funding, the subject of a recent CEP report. Like many others, the Ford Foundation participates in multiple funder...

Philanthropy has experienced an explosion in intermediaries in the past decade and I was privileged to have a front-row seat to that growth during my tenure at Arabella Advisors, a leading provider of fiscal sponsorship services to some of philanthropy’s largest...

In the evolving landscape of philanthropy, lean funders — those operating with few or no staff — are playing a crucial role in advancing racial equity. The latest edition of Racial Equity in Lean Foundations, an annual report from Exponent Philanthropy, sheds light on...

After the hottest year on record, 2024 has continued to bring unprecedented heat and extreme weather events. Today, 80 percent of people globally want their country to do more on climate change. The calls for bold action are louder than ever, and much more is needed...

This post originally appeared on The Art of Association blog. It is challenging for philanthropic funders to get started and stay focused when it comes to strengthening democracy. The vagaries of our political system — really a complex system of systems cast on a...

It’s not easy being a corporate CEO these days. Just look at the recent travails of leaders at high profile companies like Boeing or Disney or Starbucks. They, and many others, are struggling to navigate multiple, often competing and invariably vocal, constituencies....

With November’s election looming in the United States, who will be in power is on most of our minds. The election represents a critical window to increase female representation throughout government. Beyond the presidency, women are vying for 21 seats in the Senate,...

From social media feeds to bus depots, messages about the importance of maintaining our physical health are all around us. In contrast, mental health receives far less attention, despite a growing awareness — particularly since COVID-19 — that disorders such as...

Social impact professionals are some of the most extraordinary people on this planet. They work tirelessly to confront injustice, corruption, global pandemics, crumbling democracies, and potentially harmful technological advances — all while designing innovative...

As the old saying goes “Victory has a thousand fathers.” And few victories come as close to that claim as the successes wrought by funders and their grantees.  It takes the concerted effort, partnership, and co-creation of both funders and grantees to effect...