The Importance of Small Foundations

Small foundations tend to combine the ethos and generosity of an individual donor with the public presence and permanence associated with an institution.

Download complete essays or read below.

• Extending Reach Through Funding Partnerships

  by Joseph Getch & Raymond Orr from First Nations Development Institute – Feb 3

  Two small foundations discover that collaborating helps them better serve their grantees and their mission.

• Taking Risks for a Positive Change

  from Institute of Mental Hygiene – Feb 3

  Taking a grantmaking risk helped establish an award-winning support program for parents of disabled children.

• Towards Sustainability

  from The Montgomery Foundation – Feb 3

  With a gift to its community, a foundation helps a long-time grantee become self-sustaining.

• Creative Grantmaking

  from The Washington Square Health Foundation – Feb 3

  One small foundation blends charitable work with the principles of the market to increase their giving resources.

• Giving More Than Grants

  from Three Guineas Fund – Feb 3

  Sometimes one of the best gifts a foundation can offer does not come in the form of money.

• Focused Giving

  from DeBusk Foundation – Feb 3

  Concentrating grant-giving on a single project or mission can help a foundation with limited assets be more effective.

• Personal Generosity for the Public Good

  by Virginia Esposito from National Center for Family Philanthropy – Feb 3

  Whether a donor or philanthropic family chooses to make grants for a specific period of time or for generations, those gifts are motivated and enhanced by their passions, their commitment, and their creative energies.

• The Evaluation Wars

  by William A. Schambra from The Hudson Institute – Jan 18

  Using local wisdom: "A smaller foundation can often outperform large foundations when it comes to uncovering truly effective grantees."

• Starting Small

  by Adam Meyerson from The Philanthropy Roundtable – Jan 18

  Is being small a liability or a smart strategy? There is a lot to recommend about the passion and strength of smallness. This wisdom of starting small is Meyerson's topic.

• Why a Foundation?

  by Timothy R. Walter – Oct 1

  For those considering starting a foundation, it's pretty easy to do. This essay outlines some questions to consider as you begin.

• Nimbleness

  from The Frees Foundation – Sep 1

  One small foundation's ability to act quickly and confidently saved a project funded by one of Houston's largest foundations.

• Foundations as Certifiers of Nonprofits

  from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation – Aug 31

  Small foundations touch thousands of nonprofits each year. A foundation's support can be a stamp of approval in a way a checkbook donation from an individual is not.