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PEAK Grantmaking

Weekly Reads – October 30, 2020

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A roundup of timely insight from the grantmaking community and beyond.

New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support examines the state of practice in philanthropy regarding multiyear GOS. Findings of this study reveal a sobering disconnect between attitudes of foundation leaders and the experience of nonprofits, as well as a similar disconnect between the attitudes of foundation CEOs themselves and their foundations’ practices.” [more]
– Center for Effective Philanthropy

“The explanation for why multiyear GOS is not being more widely provided seems to be that it simply isn’t seen to fit with a foundation’s approach, hasn’t been prioritized, or, for a subset of community foundations, isn’t seen as possible given constraints. In sum, the clearest reason that came through in the data is that foundations are not interested in changing their ways.” [more]
– Ellie Buteau, Center for Effective Philanthropy

Independent Sector’s report, Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector, found that “more than four in five nonprofits anticipate their revenue will be lower in 2020 than what they projected [… and] that 8 percent of the sector’s jobs, or nearly a million positions, have been lost during the pandemic…”. [more]
– Independent Sector, on PND by Candid

“It is time for the sector to re-evaluate foundation perpetuity. What good is being accomplished now by the $900 billion and more that is invested each year in the private market instead of being put to charitable use? How can individual people, communities and a country that is facing down potentially existential threats accept the possibility for more grant funding in 10 years instead of the certainty of support now?” [more]
– Ryan Schlegel, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, in Inside Philanthropy