September 14, 2023 "It's Got to Be an Entire Organizational Shift." How Funders Can Better Support Black-Led Nonprofits September 14, 2023/ Martha Ramirez While some strides have been made, many Black-led nonprofits are still out in the cold. New insight from the Young, Black, and Giving Back Institute focuses on resourcing the smallest grassroots groups.Read More
September 14, 2023 Trust-Based Philanthropy Is the Key to a Just Transition September 14, 2023/ Suzanne Singer and Emily Teitsworth, Guest Contributors Citing their own organizations’ partnership as an example, guest authors Suzanne Singer and Emily Teitsworth argue that trust-based giving is key to helping all communities benefit from the transition to renewable energy.Read More
September 05, 2023 “We Follow Their Lead.” How Residents Guide the Black Belt Community Foundation’s Grantmaking September 05, 2023/ Mike Scutari Serving a 12-county region in southern Alabama, the Black Belt Community Foundation relies on community volunteers to guide its discretionary grantmaking. President Felecia Lucky walks us through how that works.Read More
August 29, 2023 Unlocking Abundance: A New Philanthropic Status Quo August 29, 2023/ Renee Kaplan, Guest Contributor What does it mean to fund with an abundance mindset? Guest contributor Renee Kaplan shares five ways funders she’s worked with have challenged their assumptions around how to engage in philanthropy. Read More
August 24, 2023 A New Report Shows Promising Shifts in Funders’ Practices. Whether It’s Enough Is Still Up for Debate August 24, 2023/ Mike Scutari New findings from the Center for Effective Philanthropy show that funders cut reporting requirements and upped general operating support post-2020. It’s encouraging news, but still only represents incremental change.Read More
August 21, 2023 This One-of-a-Kind Nonprofit Collaboration Just Might Upend the Funder-Grantee Power Dynamic August 21, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Through the Hub ONE collaborative, four Michigan nonprofits are sharing admin and even fundraising functions, helping them save on operating costs, pay a living wage, and begin to address power disparities in funding.Read More
August 02, 2023 The Future of Equitable Giving: Understanding and Implementing Trust-Based Philanthropy August 02, 2023/ Stephanie Yan and Amber Coatney, Guest Contributors People talk a lot about trust-based philanthropy, but what does it actually involve, and how can funders implement it successfully? Guest authors Stephanie Yan and Amber Coatney offer some practical perspective.Read More
June 07, 2023 Six Questions for Michelle Morales, President of Woods Fund Chicago June 07, 2023/ Mike Scutari Woods Fund Chicago was one of the first foundations in the city to center racial equity. We chat with its president about the importance of giving young people a voice, a new fund supporting the migrant community, and more.Read More
June 01, 2023 Can Philanthropy Ever Truly Be Democratized? Here Are Three Things Standing in the Way June 01, 2023/ Philip Rojc There’s been a lot of talk, and some action, around making the sector more egalitarian. But are we all kidding ourselves? Here are some inconvenient truths standing in the way of philanthropic democratization.Read More
May 12, 2023 Patience and Trust: Lessons from a 13-Year Grantmaker-Grantee Relationship May 12, 2023/ Shira Shavit and Scott Moyer, Guest Contributors The Langeloth Foundation has been backing the Transitions Clinic Network for over a decade with sustained, flexible funding. In this guest piece, the leaders of both organizations discuss a relationship that extends “beyond dollars.”Read More
May 01, 2023 IP Explainer: Who Should Decide What Gets Funded? May 01, 2023/ IP Staff Philanthropy is difficult to navigate. That’s why we’ve produced a series of explainers to demystify the basics. Today, we go over a key debate happening in the sector: Who should be making funding decisions?Read More
April 21, 2023 Seven Questions for Dr. Hanh Cao Yu, Chief Learning Officer at The California Endowment April 21, 2023/ Martha Ramirez We caught up with Dr. Hanh Cao Yu to talk about how her experiences as a refugee of the war in Vietnam shaped her, what led to her career in philanthropy, her current work, and more.Read More
March 28, 2023 What I Learned From Three Thought Leaders on Trust-Based Philanthropy and Shifting Power March 28, 2023/ Mike Scutari IP’s Mike Scutari moderated a Mozilla Foundation panel on key trends in trust-based philanthropy, featuring some of the field’s preeminent thought leaders. Here are some takeaways from the discussion.Read More
February 14, 2023 This Community Foundation Went All In on Trust-Based Philanthropy. Here’s What It Has Learned February 14, 2023/ Mike Scutari Beginning in 2018, Patricia Mejia oversaw the San Antonio Area Foundation’s adoption of trust-based philanthropy practices. It wasn’t always easy, but the move is paying off for grantees and the foundation. Read More
November 29, 2022 Philanthropy Needs a New Normal: Here Are 3 Ways We’re Reimagining Our Grantmaking November 29, 2022/ Andrea Fionda, Guest Contributor Nonprofits are responding in the moment to a flurry of fast-moving challenges. In this guest opinion, director of programs at the Langeloth Foundation shares three ways they’ve adapted to meet grantees’ needs.Read More
November 15, 2022 Staying the Course: The Need for Mission-Driven Spending in Turbulent Times November 15, 2022/ Dimple Abichandani, Guest Contributor In recent years, more foundations have made payout decisions based on mission and need, not just market forces. Guest author Dimple Abichandani encourages funders to continue this practice, even in a volatile economy. Read More
September 29, 2022 What Does it Look Like to Truly Shift Power in Philanthropy? Here Are 3 Real World Examples September 29, 2022/ Deb Nelson, Guest Contributor Deb Nelson of the Just Economy Institute recounts cases in which overturning funding models made a profound impact. In all of them, collaboration between people of different races, classes and generations were key.Read More
January 20, 2022 Answering the Call: One Foundation’s Approach to Shifting Power and Funding Racial Justice January 20, 2022/ Hanna Mahon and Luke Newton, Guest Contributors Since 2020, philanthropy has had to reckon with historic uprisings demanding racial justice. In this guest opinion, the Pink House Foundation’s leadership share how they responded, including handing over decision-making power.Read More
December 20, 2021 How Billionaire Couple Tegan and Brian Acton Are Giving in the Bay Area and Beyond December 20, 2021/ Ade Adeniji Part of an ongoing series on family philanthropy, we take a closer look at the giving of Tegan and Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp. After an acquisition windfall, the Actons are giving extensively in the Bay Area and nationally.Read More
December 14, 2021 A Non-Arts Funder Commits Millions for the Arts—and Offers Elusive Endowment Funding December 14, 2021/ Mike Scutari The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has made a huge arts commitment that includes often-overlooked endowment support. VP Jim Boyle explains how the foundation’s economic development focus area led them to the arts. Read More