http://www.tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/11/paul-brest-bill-somerville-mix-it-up Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:42:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/11/paul-brest-bill-somerville-mix-it-up/comment-page-1#comment-5229 Paul Brest Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:42:27 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/11/paul-brest-bill-somerville-mix-it-up#comment-5229 It is helpful to distinguish between strategies for an overall foundation initiative (e.g., reducing air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley) from strategies for the grants to particular organizations that may be aspects of the initiative (an environmental justice group working on one aspect of the problem). For a complex philanthropic initiative like this one, with many grants, the foundation must usually play an overarching role. The happy exception is when a foundation is fortunate to find a strong organization so aligned with its mission that it can make a general operating support grant (which is ideal from everyone’s point of view when missions are aligned). Here, the grantee organization develops strategies, the foundation examines them in the due diligence process and invests in the organization if it believes the strategies are robust and the organization has the capacity to implement them. When making grants for particular projects, who develops the strategy depends on what expertise the funder and grantee can contribute to the process. The grantee organization is always involved, but a foundation with experts on its staff may also have valuable knowledge to contribute. In the best of all worlds, strategies are co-constructed, with each party contributing what it has to offer. It is helpful to distinguish between strategies for an overall foundation initiative (e.g., reducing air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley) from strategies for the grants to particular organizations that may be aspects of the initiative (an environmental justice group working on one aspect of the problem).
For a complex philanthropic initiative like this one, with many grants, the foundation must usually play an overarching role. The happy exception is when a foundation is fortunate to find a strong organization so aligned with its mission that it can make a general operating support grant (which is ideal from everyone’s point of view when missions are aligned). Here, the grantee organization develops strategies, the foundation examines them in the due diligence process and invests in the organization if it believes the strategies are robust and the organization has the capacity to implement them.
When making grants for particular projects, who develops the strategy depends on what expertise the funder and grantee can contribute to the process. The grantee organization is always involved, but a foundation with experts on its staff may also have valuable knowledge to contribute. In the best of all worlds, strategies are co-constructed, with each party contributing what it has to offer.

]]> http://www.tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/11/paul-brest-bill-somerville-mix-it-up/comment-page-1#comment-5227 Dorian Adams Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:58:28 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/11/paul-brest-bill-somerville-mix-it-up#comment-5227 Fantastic Forum: Great speakers, great crowd. Thank you! Fantastic Forum: Great speakers, great crowd. Thank you!

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