Resources

We at Sunlight Giving would like to hear from GEO colleagues about how and when you may choose to (or not to) support a government entity. In particular, we’d like to know: In what cases do you provide grants directly to government entities and what are the terms of those grants? We’re interested in the funding of state and especially local initiatives, rather than big government philanthropic arms like CDC Foundation; What application materials do you require from them, especially around financials? And is there any special due diligence you conduct?; What are the risks of funding the government?; Sometimes we hear from partner funders, “we don’t fund government.” For those foundations, what are the reasons why you have decided not to fund government?

ACT for Alexandria, a community foundation in Alexandria, VA, is developing a capacity building cohort focused on racial equity for nonprofit leaders in our community. We are curious about any of your experiences with similar initiatives.

For any of my peers that are managing grant programs for other entities in the community, could you share what your fee structure looks like? Do you asses fees by charging a flat percent on the amount of the asset in the fund, per grant cycle, or per application reviewed? I am working on a partnership whereas we would manage a fund, a couple of grant cycles a year, a selections committee, and the due diligence of any funds granted.

GlobalGiving is convening a small number of the corporate partners for whom we handle grantmaking later this year in Washington DC. We’re looking for someone to lead a discussion on impact reporting in grant making. This person ideally would: Have a strong understanding of the impact assessment landscape for funders; Have experience implementing and/or managing "successful" impact reporting frameworks in trust-based grantmaking environments, (preferably both domestically and internationally); Be open to lively debate and discussion about impact assessment alternatives.

Do any foundations have experience with building an in-house branded program? In order to build this brand and maximize effectiveness of the Upgrade initiative, we are in need of marketing and strategic guidance. We are interested in learning from your experiences. We’d also appreciate any recommendations of individuals or firms you have worked with who have led you through a strategic marketing process.

NoVo is doing some research on Family Forward workplaces as a way to see how/where we may want to enhance our current practices. As part of this we are exploring policies/practices related to travel with children, when travel is seen as essential part of one's job responsibilities. So, my questions are: 1. Do you have a travel policy that reimburses childcare expenses when an employee is travelling? If yes, a) is there a limitation on the child's age under which the the travel expenses are reimbursed? (if yes, what is the age?) b) do you reimburse all expenses for the child (flight, hotel, meals, etc.) and are there any caps on expenses? c) do you reimburse for a caretaker to travel with the employee and child and are there any caps on expenses? d) do you have different policies for domestic and international travel? e) Is the benefit available to everyone? When are people eligible? 2. If a nursing mother is travelling without the child, do you cover expenses related to shipping breast milk?

I have a question for you regarding closed RFP processes and how to make them more DEI-aligned. For GEO conferences, we create an RFP and ask for proposal submissions from our members, nonmembers and others. Our process has been to create a curated list of contacts that are notified when the RFP opens. We want to expand our list and are also considering what it would be like to move away from a closed, curated RFP notification list in order to get a broader range of applicants submitting proposals. My questions for you are: • One idea we are considering is posting the RFP link more publicly on our website, in our newsletters, etc. But, what else could we be doing to ensure that our RFP goes to more than our usual suspects? I was thinking of reaching out to nonprofit associations, asking our partners to promote, etc. • How have you been considering what it means to have a closed/ invite-only RFP alongside values of diversity, inclusion and equity?

I’m interested in what language others have used that we might consider and thoughts on a more inclusive definition of artistic vitality without changing our strategy. Has anyone been engaging in this conversation or exploration?

Who funds poverty-related issues like human services, community health, access to education, workforce, food security etc. around Dallas County? Related, are there organizations you fund who do good and effective work in these areas, create impact, and could benefit from technical assistance to build fundraising capacity?

Does anyone operate within a region that utilizes an online community platform for local nonprofit organizations to communicate with each other? Think a private social media site – only accessible to local nonprofit organizations – where they can post needs for specific items, program availability, events, grant opportunities, etc. I’m looking for resources, best practices, experiences with a particular platform, as well as anyone who has tried this and run into difficulties with startup or ongoing operation.