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In order to have a successful and productive relationship, a foundation and a grantee must form a mutually beneficial partnership, based on open communication and shared vision and goals. By working together and combining their unique strengths and resources, both are able to be more successful in fulfilling their missions. While our foundation doesn’t practice hands-on philanthropy, we do strive to be an active and supportive partner to our grantees. As a partner, it is incumbent upon us to clearly and consistently articulate our values and goals. Similarly, we expect grantees to be forthright and open in their communication to us. In addition to understanding an organization’s mission and a project’s relevance, we want to know what challenges the organization is facing and what they are working to improve. Together, we can often develop strategies to address these challenges and strengthen an organization. We will make challenge or conditional grants and provide feedback to help grantees inspire participation, motivate leadership, improve infrastructure and governance, or take other action on specific issues. In addition, we require 100% board participation in a capital campaign to ensure that a board is fully committed to the effort and understands its leadership role in the campaign. We encourage grantees to use this requirement to motivate their boards, educate trustees, and build their case for support. The relationship between foundations and nonprofits typically focuses on the support foundations provide to nonprofits. It is, however, a mutually beneficial relationship. As noted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy in its survey of nonprofits, “Foundations are ultimately reliant to a significant degree on grantees to advance their (the foundations’) agendas.” The impact of a grant depends on how it is managed and leveraged by the grantee. A solid investment is one that makes a difference by improving lives and our world through well-designed and effectively implemented projects. Through their vision, creativity, and expertise, our grantees enable us to realize our goals and together improve our society.
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