trust-based grantmaking

Supporting A Bolder Form of Leadership

By June 18, 2015

I was reminded yesterday, at LeaderSpring’s A Bolder Form of Leadership luncheon, that non-profit organizations, on average, spend $29 a year on leadership development. Given how vital developing leadership is, this investment (or lack of it) is striking. In the NCRP’s report Cultivating Nonprofit Leadership, philanthropic support for leadership development is studied and found lacking….

Read more

Towards Trustworthiness: A Practical Application of Trust Based Investing

By May 11, 2015

In recent conversations, including a few I had while at the Council on Foundations Annual Meeting, folks have asked how to adapt TWI’s 9 Practices of Trust Based Investment in their specific contexts. One family foundation executive asked, “How do I get my 24 person multi-generation family member board, to change the grant-making practices that…

Read more

Funders, Bathroom Stalls, and Hegemony: Reflections on a Missed Opportunity to Build Trust

By April 20, 2015

Last week I gathered up TWI’s NYC-based grantees, a couple of funder colleagues, and a couple of consultant friends for a conversation about trust-based grant-making.  I followed many of my own rules, and intentionally stacked the group with mainly women of color leaders and practitioners – folks whose approaches to transforming inequalities were based in…

Read more