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PEAK Grantmaking

Weekly Reader – July 9, 2018

What we’re reading and recommending this week. We add to this post throughout the week and look for your suggestions in the comments.

Monday, July 9

Philanthropy in Brazil: Obstacles, challenges and opportunities (Graciela Hopstein, Alliance Magazine) Brazilian philanthropy is maturing, expanding visibly and becoming more diversified – as indicated by two recent studies. We have never before had so many publications on the topic of philanthropy in Brazil.

Tuesday, July 10

The Economy Is Changing—and So Must We: A New Charge for Nonprofits (Steve Dubb, Nonprofit Quarterly) If the current political and economic systems in the United States are corrupt, decaying, or even collapsing, then plugging holes and filling in gaps—no matter how well we are guided by sophisticated logic models showing the wisdom of our interventions—will fail.

Wednesday, July 11

Supporting Capacity: 6 Tips to Elevate Your Grant Funded Partners (Diane H. Leonard, Foundant) There are numerous other ways grantmakers can support the capacity-building of their grant funded partners, the least of which is to fund general operating support for the organizations they work with. But, while that philosophical debate plays out in the individual preferences of each board room for each grant maker, these six tips are all concrete ways that grantmakers can support and enhance the capacity of their grant funded partners.

Thursday, July 12

Ten Reasons Not to Measure Impact—and What to Do Instead (Mary Kay Gugerty & Dean Karlan, SSIR) Impact evaluations are an important tool for learning about effective solutions to social problems, but they are a good investment only in the right circumstances. In the meantime, organizations must build an internal culture in which the right data are regularly collected, analyzed, and applied to manage implementation and improve programs.

Friday, July 13

A Chance To Do It Differently: Four Ways To Change Grantmaking In The South (Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, NCRP) Any Southern organizer knows the feeling of being assessed by funding criteria developed in the sterile conditions of a foundation boardroom.


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