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.
Hort Innovation develops venture fund to back startup solutions.Fund was created in partnership with impact investment firm, Artesian, and includes a A$60mn investment through Frontiers.The Hort...more
Fraserburgh entrepreneur celebrated with honorary degree from University of Stirling.Stanley Morrice became an influential figure in both the retail and wholesale sectors.He was recognised for his...more
Highland charities to be offered inspiration to boost income at major Inverness networking event hosted by Social Enterprise Scotland.The Eden Court Theatre meet-up is designed to give leaders of...more
The Creme de la Creme of the local business community gathered for the prestigious Cheshire Business Awards.This year's theme was Hollywood Glamour with special "star guests" including Laurel &...more
Entrepreneurs have appealed to the government to lift the ban on Facebook.They said Facebook is a crucial platform for their online operations.The ban, imposed in 2021, has crippled the livelihoods...more
Jeju United (hereinafter referred to as Jeju club) won the Minister of Employment and Labor Award to boost social enterprise growth.It co-promoted the hosting of the Korea Social Economy Expo in Jeju...more
Foundation: Changemakers
The three-day International Symposium invited over 60 experts, scholars, and business representatives from around the world to delve into how collaborative innovation can address complex social...more
ADB Approves $7.85 million Grant to Help Improve Fiscally Sustainable Growth in Samoa.ADB approves a $200 million loan to upgrade Sri Lanka's power sector infrastructure.Norway announced it will...more
The Adirondack Foundation will award $1000 for up to 30 community events this winter.The Kindling Awards are open to nominations from anybody for a community event that brings people together, and...more
AAACU donates $10K to Bay View Park courts project.The project would replace the old courts with a new tennis, pickleball, and basketball complex, complete with new LED lights.The total cost estimate...more
New News from...
Rockefeller Foundation
Central Valley Community Foundation
Rush County Community Foundation
Arlington Community Foundation
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Santa Fe Community Foundation
Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation
Northern New York Community Foundation
Google.org
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Childcare Charitable Group Named Top Social Enterprise
Employers For Childcare Charitable Group (EFCG), a Lisburn-based charity, has been crowned top Social Enterprise at the Ulster Final of 2014’s Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards. EFCG seeks to “make it easier for parents with dependent children to get into work and to stay in work.”