GuideStar Blog

Traditionally, foundations have chosen to maintain an air of mystery about their grantmaking priorities, selection criteria, and even the organizations they support. However, in today’s increasingly digital and connected world, foundations have an opportunity to streamline their grantmaking processes, share their stories of impact to inspire others and attract potential collaborators, and highlight their grantees to draw other prospective funders and supporters to them.

The following article is cross-posted from Alliance magazine blog. Based out of the UK, Alliance magazine is the leading global magazine on philanthropy and social investment.

“Lean” foundations—those with few or no staff—make a significant contribution to American philanthropy but their size conditions how they operate according to the latest annual benchmarking report from Exponent Philanthropy (EP), which supports small foundations.

The rumors are true—creating a relationship with a foundation before submitting your proposal can significantly improve your chances of being awarded. Even if you don’t meet face-to-face with your prospective funder, simply becoming a familiar name can give you an edge over hundreds of other applicants.

Our team at Instrumentl has put together the three easiest and most effective ways to make contact and build relationships with foundations. Read on to find the approach that’s best for you.

The following article is cross-posted with permission from Alliance magazine blog. Based out of the UK, Alliance magazine is the leading global magazine on philanthropy and social investment.

Foundation payouts—how much a foundation spends as a proportion of their assets each year—might sound obscure and esoteric but the reality is anything but that. In the United States and Australia, a minimum payout of 5 percent is required by law, in Canada it’s 3.5 percent, but in the United Kingdom and elsewhere foundations are free, within reason, to spend how much (or little) as they like.

Every year, more than 7 million visitors turn to GuideStar for comprehensive information about nonprofit organizations. Millions of other users tap this information through the more than 200 websites and platforms that use our nonprofit data.

In the early days of foundations, the transition from the first generation to the second often didn’t begin until the children of the founder were gathered in a lawyer’s office to read his or her will.

There, the founder’s adult children would often be surprised to learn that the family had created a foundation. In some cases, they didn’t even know that their families had enough wealth to support philanthropy.

Thankfully, those days are largely over.

Today, these abrupt transfers are becoming less common—and they are giving way to a much more deliberate approach to involving the next generation.

The vote this week from the UK to leave the EU has stunned people around the world, leaving the world’s press and much of the UK itself, baffled. Why on earth would people vote to do something that is evidently against their economic interests? Why, in particular, would those with the least vote for something that will – as all financial challenges do – affect them disproportionately to others? You can feel sympathy for home-owners who will lose value in their properties but it is those who don’t own homes and lose jobs that will really suffer. So why on earth did they do it?

Like nonprofits, Public libraries have evolved into organizations that provide expanded services to the local community. They go beyond just books and often act as an anchor in the community, providing a full array of educational and social services.