I want to build off of Pia Infante’s recent post lauding Ford Foundation President Darren Walker’s letter explaining significant shifts in both what and how the foundation funds. Pia lifts up that Ford not only engaged in a deep process of listening to its grantees – they actually acted on what they heard. In closing…
As I pondered where to start my series of reflections on barriers to multi-year, unrestricted funding, a scene from two years ago came to mind: I was at The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s national conference in Detroit. It was the “Q&A” portion of a plenary session on the meeting’s last day and someone stood up…
Last week, Pia ended a really thoughtful and heartfelt post by asking us how we survive spiritually in our work. What buoys us? She began her reflection by noting that she was marking her first year as TWI’s co-executive director. I’ll begin my answer to her question there as well – primarily because the first…
Based on feedback from their third CEP Grantee Perception Report, Don Howard of the Irvine Foundation announced this week their intention to make some changes. Namely, providing more general operating support, being more flexible about grantee timelines and objectives, and deepening staff engagement. As with Darren Walker’s letter from the Ford Foundation, I am encouraged…
How do we know if we’re making a difference? It’s a question that’s been in the spotlight for some time now within the nonprofit sector – and one that can be particularly challenging when it comes to assessing the impact of social issues through art and media. In her inaugural post on the beta site,…