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GRANTMAKING: Developing a Giving Strategy
and Guidelines
A $10 million family foundation staffed by Philanthropy Advisors
had as a key mission the promotion of women’s reproductive
health worldwide. But, while the board members all shared
a strong commitment to the issue, they differed with one another
about how to implement their commitment. To accommodate their
differences, the board had initially settled on broad and
non-specific funding guidelines. However, this approach left
the members dissatisfied with both the impact of its grants
and the lack of meaningful engagement and collaboration within
the family. Consequently, the Foundation sought help in developing
a more focused grant program.
Identifying Needs and Researching Options
Philanthropy Advisors staff worked with the board to identify
pressing issues in the reproductive health field, key players,
and opportunities for a foundation of its size to make a genuine
impact. A renowned consultant helped staff scan the field
and made introductions to others with beneficial wisdom and
experience. At staff’s suggestion, the board set up
a reproductive health committee of representatives from all
three generations of the family. Because the committee members
lived in different states, much of the committee work, which
staff facilitated, was carried out via email and phone. The
committee worked closely with staff to learn about the reproductive
health field and devise a strategy to work within it.
Professionalism can Overcome Obstacles
The research conducted by Philanthropy Advisors and the input
of the consultant provided background for board discussions.
Facts and data, coupled with staff’s professional perspective,
allowed board members to move past personal or individual
preferences and place those within the context of identified
needs and successful practices in the reproductive health
field. Staff’s facilitation of board discussions gave
the family an opportunity to engage with issues, rather than
just each other. The result was agreement on an approach through
which the board believed the Foundation could make a difference.
New Strategy and Guidelines
The new strategy established equal grant budgets for international
and domestic programs. Two-thirds of the funds in each program
were allocated to support advocacy, policy, and research work,
leaving the remaining one-third for direct service. This strategy
reflected the family’s sense, confirmed by staff’s
independent research, that systemic problems impeded women,
both at home and abroad, from exercising control over their
bodies and that these problems could be effectively addressed
only through a combination of research, advocacy, and policy
work. At the same time, the board understood the real and
immediate need women and girls had for reproductive health
services. Thus, it ensured that a portion of its grantmaking
targeted service delivery. The Foundation’s new multi-pronged
approach and specific funding guidelines enabled the board
to make strategic long- and short-term investments and see
genuine results, while also effectively engaging all three
generations in fulfilling the family’s philanthropic
legacy.
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