We’ve spent some time with our website this month to bring greater clarity and focus to how we communicate. Included in the refresh are the following: Redesigned menu bar with sections for Charities, Clients, and Resources New summary of our granting process for charities New FAQ page for charities where we respond to questions like: Can I tell you about … Read More
Fall 2021 grants available
Stronger Philanthropy’s third granting window for 2021 is soon approaching. This fall’s granting window of October-November is when the following four clients make grants for the year: Bridgeway Foundation (second window in 2021) Horwood-Labbad Fund John & Rebecca Horwood Fund Redleaf Foundation In preparation for the fall round of grants, Stronger Philanthropy does the work of introducing charities to our … Read More
MacKenzie Scott blazes a new path
Articles that claim there’s a new way to do philanthropy merit some examination since traditional models aren’t perfect. So I was drawn to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s recent cover spread on MacKenzie Scott whose divorce from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos suddenly put her in the driver’s seat of a $60 billion settlement. In 2020 she gave $5.7 billion in unrestricted, one-time … Read More
Leverage the privilege
A recent article by Elise Westhoff in the National Review highlights how philanthropy is increasingly fueling division as capitalism and its fruits are under attack. With heavy media attention on Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg and their obscene wealth and power, all of capitalism becomes suspect. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Many philanthropy leaders now insist, … Read More
Podcast with Ben Johnson
Mark Petersen recently had the opportunity to chat with colleague Ben Johnson, CEO of Frontier Marketing, on his podcast. Mark and Ben discuss shared interests in major donors, fundraising, innovation, and more in Episode 18 of Ben’s podcast. In the podcast you will hear about a unique challenge grant we co-created several years ago where we successfully quadrupled major donor … Read More
Deluded altruism
The title caught my eye, and I immediately clicked “Add To Cart” and bought Delusional Altruism. In two words, Kris Putnam-Walkerly sums up one of my niggling worries about the grants that I’m involved with. Giving makes us feel good, but we’re deluded. There’s a sincere desire to respond to the needs of society, vast sums of money are granted, … Read More
Summer 2021 grants available
Stronger Philanthropy’s second granting window for 2021 is soon approaching. This summer granting window of May-June is when the following three clients make grants for the year: Kehila Foundation Levante Foundation River Dali Foundation In preparation for the summer round of grants, Stronger Philanthropy does the work of introducing charities to our clients by developing Charity Profiles. We aim to … Read More
A year of pandemic
It was a year ago that we were rudely awakened by the announcement of the pandemic, and so much has since changed. Investments have been on a roller coaster. Charitable activity has been severely impacted. Families have been divided by health restrictions. Consumption of digital media has skyrocketed. Public funding has been flowing with abandon. Mental health has taken a … Read More
Foundations need to spend more
How does your family foundation or fund set its annual giving budget? This is a question that arises each year, and is one that requires some discussion within a family. The legal requirements mandated by the CRA are actually very minimal. Under the Charities Act and to comply with a foundation’s charitable purpose, endowed foundations must give 3.5% of average … Read More