Contribute to the Philanthropic Growth and Impact Fund
Featured Resources
bi3 Article: Trust-Based Philanthropy is Grounded in Mutual Accountability and Learning
A new article shows how applying a trust-based philanthropy lens helps funders capture the full impact of grants, describes how bi3 evaluates initiatives, and how building funder-grantee relationships grounded in power-sharing, transparency, and mutual accountability helps achieve greater impact.
New Competency Model for Foundation Program Officers Released
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University has released a competency model for foundation program officers.
Taking A cultivate approach to Improve Community Health
Health foundations are increasingly recognizing that their mission is not simply to award grants to deserving nonprofit organizations, but rather to play a catalytic role in improving the conditions that influence health, especially at a population level.
Explore Philanthropic Growth and Impact Topics
Recent Items - Advocacy Strategies
Latest Resources
Palm Health Foundation
Six years ago, the foundation launched our Healthier Together initiative, committing $1 million to six communities with the greatest health disparities in Palm Beach County. Healthier Together represented a radical shift in our grantmaking – we put residents at the core of developing health solutions around their own needs, rather than force-fitting a system that doesn’t always recognize the complexity, culture, context and circumstances of diverse communities.
Pivoting to Advocacy and Organizing
This post to Exponent Philanthropy’s blog by Jennie Riley of the Rx Foundation describes the value and impact of the foundation’s shift toward funding advocacy, organizing, and citizen-engagement capacity.
Changing the Landscape: People, Parks, and Power
Prevention Institute recently published this report which proposes an approach to addressing park and green space inequities that prioritizes building power among people closest to the problem so that they can drive policy and systems change solutions.
Trust-Based Philanthropy: An Overview
This guide, created by Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, is a useful starting point for funders who want to explore or deepen their commitment to trust-based philanthropy. It can also spark deeper discussions at grantmaking organizations around the role of leadership and staff in upholding a trust-based culture.
Trust-Based Philanthropy Project: 7 Responsibilities of A Trust-Based Board
Much like how trust-based philanthropy advocates for funders to partner in a spirit of service to grantee partners, it equally encourages boards to see their role as partners — both to the foundation’s leadership and to its staff. This can be embodied in several ways that invite a more trust-based, meaningful, and joyful approach to serving on a foundation board.
Leading with Intent: BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices
Based on BoardSource’s 2021 survey of nonprofit leaders, Leading with Intent: BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices, provides benchmarking data on board composition, culture, and practices. It also offers a framework for exploring key questions
Reports and Publications
2024 Health Equity Survey: Understanding the Changing Landscape
In 2024, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) surveyed its Funding Partners to understand how their health equity work has evolved. The survey consisted of 40 questions including demographic information, program focus areas, partner engagement, organizational strategy, priority population, successes, and challenges. This report summarizes findings from the Health Equity Survey titled, “Understanding the Changing Landscape.”
Diversity in the Leadership, Staff, and Boards of Health Philanthropy
A new Grantmakers In Health survey of health funder leadership, staff, and boards found that health funder organizations are more racially and ethnically diverse than the broader field of philanthropy.
Advancing Health and Creating Lasting Impact: MacKenzie Scott’s Grants to Health Foundations
In 2019, MacKenzie Scott announced that she was stepping into the world of philanthropy to give away her multi-billion-dollar fortune “until the safe is empty”. She has kept her word—to date, she has given away $16.5 billion. Her initial process for choosing which organizations would receive grants was shrouded in mystery. From 2019 to 2023, Scott used a process she termed “quiet research” to identify possible grantee organizations. The lucky organizations received a call from Scott’s consultants, who let them know they were receiving a grant for immediate use however they would like to spend it. In the Fall of 2022, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) became one of those grantee organizations, along with more than 20 health foundations. Two additional GIH Funding Partner organizations received gifts in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Trustee Resources
Explore this page to browse resources, publications, and events related to foundation trustees.