When grantmakers consider providing capacity-building support for the first time or refining their existing capacity-building support, it can be challenging to figure out where to begin. This post, which originally appeared on the Center for Effective Philanthropy's website, digs deeper into what it looks like to evaluate and implement capacity-building support through a case study with Healthcare Georgia Foundation.
In 2018 and 2019, GEO is developing a publication, workshop and conference to help grantmakers think through what it takes to do this work well. As we embarked on the development of these programs, the language around these topics proved tricky. Nonprofit partners told us that phrases like “grantee inclusion” are frustrating because they reinforce power dynamics and define nonprofits by their relationship to a funder. In addition, language that doesn’t encompass both nonprofits and community members doesn’t reflect the entirety of our goals. Other organizations working on similar issues shared their own struggles with the lexicon. So, we reached out to our contacts, including members, other grantmakers and nonprofits, to help inform the language we use moving forward. Here is a summary of the key results of that survey.
After three years of working to expand the bench of evaluators, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has learned a few things. In sharing those lessons, we invite others in philanthropy to join us as we apply them to our work. Connect with Foundation staff through an upcoming GEO Member Call or directly to discuss other ways to engage in expanding the bench.
The Center for Effective Philanthropy conducted a study to discover what support nonprofits need and how funders are currently meeting those needs. This post, which originally appeared on the Center for Effective Philanthropy's website, highlights some key lessons from the research.
In September 2018, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations released "Get on the Balcony: How Grantmakers Can Ignite Change." This members only publication explores helpful approaches for jump-starting a change initiative, drawn from the reflections of GEO members.
After 17 successful years of inspiring and nurturing people with innovative, grassroots ideas to positively impact their communities, The Sprout Fund has decided to sunset in 2018. In doing so, the Pittsburgh-based organization has decided to share their lessons learned in "The Sprout Fund Field Guide for Philanthropy & Civic Action." This is part two of a two-part series sharing their lessons learned.
After 17 successful years of inspiring and nurturing people with innovative, grassroots ideas to positively impact their communities, The Sprout Fund has decided to sunset in 2018. In doing so, the Pittsburgh-based organization has decided to share their lessons learned in "The Sprout Fund Field Guide for Philanthropy & Civic Action." This is part one of a two-part series sharing their lessons learned.
The Maddox Charitable Fund's original website bespoke a transactional as opposed to a visionary approach to grantmaking. Ten years later, it no longer represented who or what Maddox had become. Maddox developed a new website based on the guiding principles of relationships, accessibility and transparency.
The Claniel Foundation has shifted to providing 100 percent of its grants for general operating support. This post, which originally appeared on the Center for Effective Philanthropy's website, outlines why they made the shift and the importance of general operating support.
Organizational assessment tools can be used to gauge an organization’s strategic focus, leadership, governance, human resource capacity, financial and fundraising structure, and learning and evaluation ability. The Hewlett Foundation commissioned a scan to discover which tools are available, and how these tools can be most effectively used.
