Resources

Do you offer either (a) planning grants to applicants before an intensive proposal process, and/or (b) declined applicants grants or honoraria for people/nonprofits who spent time applying to your foundation and then were declined?

I am interested in more information about the use of guided conversations to augment if not replace select reporting requirements. If you are using site visits or other informal communications to gather application or reporting information - I would greatly appreciate you sharing any specific tools you use or insights you have gained through the process

Oak is in the process of several grant-making improvement projects including developing a new grants management system, streamlining the grant-making process, and clarifying due diligence. As these projects are being developed, we would like to bring on a consultant who will help us envision and develop a harmonised and centralised resource that provides comprehensive instructions on how to make a grant. This resource should be simple, organised, easy to find information, and make good use of visuals to aid in understanding the process. Ideally, the consultant would also serve as a thought partner in developing the training of staff to launch the new resource.

Employee Benefits question For those who cover a percentage of the premium for employees who participate in your foundation’s group medical health insurance plan, do you continue to pay any portion of the monthly costs when the employee goes on Medicare?    Further, for employee spouses who participated in the group medical health insurance plan, do you pay any portion of the monthly cost for spouses when they go on Medicare? 

We are looking to create a tuition reimbursement policy and developing a practice for employees who want to pursue degrees or certificate during their employment. If you have a policy and/or a practice in this space, I would most appreciate anything you might share here about it.

I’m doing some research into creating a (likely 2-year) post-college fellowship program and was hoping to get some insight from other foundations who manage this type of fellowship. In particular- • How do you manage recruitment? • What do the Fellow’s job description and assignments look like? • What are the ultimate goals of the Fellowship and how do you ensure they’re achieved?

Hello – we’re conducting some research on grants management systems (GMS) and wanted to hear from others if they have a GMS that they might recommend? The system needs to be robust with both internal management and external application infrastructure. System needs to support at minimum: multiple grants rounds within a year with no less than 15 unique applications; deployment of multi-year grants; processing of more than 2500 grant awards within a year; integration with a financial management system and process no less than 3000 payments within a year; management of over 100 internal users and over 900 external users; processing of at least $150mm in a single, year-long grant cycle; and robust reporting functionality. Thank you!

Hi All, Would anyone be willing to share examples of grantmaking policies prohibiting grants to hate groups, organizations under active investigation and/or organizations unreflective of the foundation's values? If the policy was written for a community foundation that would be especially helpful. Thank you,

Does anyone have any recommended resources for evaluating an Executive Director of a small foundation?

Hello!  I work with the Stryker Johnston Foundation in Kalamazoo, MI. We are currently in the process of seeking a branding/communications consultant to assist us in our brand development efforts. We want them to have experience working with nonprofits, align with our anti-racist platform, and have expertise in developing visual brand identities. We will be intentional about working with folks that are representative of our grant partners. If you all have recommendations, could you please send them my way? Appreciatively,