Foundation Grants
Community Vital Signs
About Us
Two Years On, Foundations Stand By Issuing Bonds In Pandemic
Foundation: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Bush Foundation, California Endowment, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Lilly Endowment
When the Ford Foundation took the unprecedented step in June 2020 of issuing $1 billion in debt to help stabilize other nonprofits, it delighted investors and inspired several other large foundations to follow suit.
Two years later, the foundations all stand by their decisions to take on long term debt, allowing several to essentially double the amount of their grantmaking, the AP reports.
But they also caution they are unlikely to repeat the move any time soon.
The foundations mostly issued social bonds ranging from $100 million to Ford's $1 billion.
The unusual move allowed them to increase their donations and take advantage of favorable market conditions, instead of dipping into their endowments.
As of June this year, the Ford Foundation has spent more than 90% of the funds it raised in its only bond offering, with 70% of the grants so far going to organizations led by people of color and 87% going to general support, meaning the funds could be spent any way the organizations wanted.
"It just let us put on steroids something that we wanted to do anyway," says Hilary Pennington, an executive vice president of the Ford Foundation.
Greg Ratliff, senior vice president at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, says issuing bonds was an innovative use of the foundation's assets.
Read the Entire Article
Selected Foundation News
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
Joyce Smith's studio offers a wide range of painting, drawing, and craft classes.Classes include clay art classes, resin classes, canvas painting classes, geode art classes and acrylic pour...more
Over two-dozen local high school and middle school students will showcase their work in the 13thA annualCatwalk Student Fashion Show.The show is organized by Resource Depot, a nonprofit creative...more
Catherine Schlimgen is senior assistant city attorney for the city of Sioux Falls.She graduated from college with a degree in theater performance.Her husband and she love finding and eating at local...more
The North Kitsap Schools Foundation has awarded more than $98,000 in grants for the 2024-25 school year.The grants are intended to fund innovative, hands-on learning experiences for students...more
New Haven Schools Foundation 5K Fun Run/Walk returns April 26.Event includes a timed 5K race with age-group medals, School Spirit Trophy for the most creative costumes from New Haven Unified School...more
This year's forum focuses on the expanding role of artificial intelligence in artistic creation.It will address issues of authorship, agency, copyright, ethics, and the future of creative...more
New creative studio combines 'all things fancy' with sewing, balloons, events in Shalimar.Sara Morrison specializes in balloon designs and "fairy hair" services.Codi Bailey is a home economics...more
Foundation: Dallas Foundation
The D.O.C.'s Prescription for Underserved Dallas Youth: Stay in School, Learn Skills, Help Drive Industry Change " Dallas Innovates Jakes Foundation, the Dallas Regional Chamber, and Taylor...more
The Dreams Experience Academy (DEA) is a nonprofit creating new pathways into high-growth creative industries for Dallas youth."The reason you are in here tonight, you were born for this purpose,"...more
Trellis Impact 25 Brings Together VERGE, Bloom and GreenFin To Change the Course of Sustainability Events.VERGE empowers professionals decarbonizing and future-proofing their organizations and supply...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
The Power of Being Unreasonable
Teju Ravilochan co-founded the Unreasonable Institute in 2009 to design an academy to tackle poverty, social justice, and educational voids. It’s a social-good school for traditional and nonprofit companies to learn how to speed-up, find partners, and help fund their world-changing ideas.