GRANTMAKING:
Developing a Giving Strategy and Guidelines
A 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.
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.
