Governance

What does it take to build governance that fuels transformative philanthropic practice and lasting social change — particularly in these volatile times?

At its best, grantmaker governance sets a strategic rudder that clarifies and maintains focus on an organization’s mission and priorities, despite the buffeting winds of fear and resistance that face our work.

Good governance isn’t magic: it involves mindsets, structures and practices that foster frank conversation, reveal power inequities, and harness the contributions of people with diverse lived experiences, assigned and inherited identities, and talents.

In fall 2023, GEO began a multiyear learning initiative to support grantmakers who are exploring and making changes to their governance practices and culture to make boards more equitable, meaningful and valuable. Grantmaker boards are an essential lever for change in philanthropy. Our goal is to surface and promote concrete practices that help funders better align their governance with their mission and values. This effort builds off the work GEO has been doing as a practitioner — the GEO board has been testing shifts toward equitable governance since 2020 — and a field convener. GEO is working alongside many partners in this work and has convened some of them as part of an advisory group to inform our progress.

In 2024, we:

• Conducted a landscape scan to map governance work in the sector and understand what GEO members are learning and trying
• Amplified Robert Sterling Clark Foundation’s resource Reimagining Nonprofit Governance
• Held a standing-room-only session at GEO’s National Conference, “Equitable, Meaningful, Valuable Boards: Transformation Within Reach,” and offered the same session as a webinar to over 300 registrants
• Convened an intimate group of CEO and board pairs to share what change looks like in practice
• Developed a working paper outlining what we know about how boards often fall short, what we need from governance to advance equity, and experiments some grantmakers are trying to close the gap
• Exchanged learning and worked toward joint programming with partner organizations including BoardSource, Northern California Grantmakers, Philanthropy New York, Camelback Ventures and others

In 2025 we are publishing resources, offering additional convening and peer learning opportunities and facilitating a group of partner organizations working to shift governance. Together, we are exploring the expectations and assumptions about what transformation of boards means and looks like, the actual changes needed, and how to keep a board from snapping back to its old ways under stress or pressure. We’re inviting leaders to experiment and to share what they’re learning in a supportive peer community.

Have questions or want to get involved?

Sign up or contact Meghan Duffy for more information about GEO’s work on governance.