Recently we witnessed a grant application from a small charter elementary school in an economically struggling port city spark a private foundation’s five trustees’ enthusiasm in an unusual way. What happened next affirmed our belief that the time funders spend working on process, clarifying their goals, and developing partnerships with their grantees leads to trusting relationships and confident philanthropic investment.

The program described in the application was a perfect fit with the foundation’s stated desire to help individuals realize their full potential while utilizing existing resources and leveraging the community’s strengths. Trustees saw strength in this low-profile independent program’s adoption of acknowledged best practices; the administrators relied on volunteers, collaborated with existing service providers to meet scholars’ needs, and targeted students and families least likely to seek enhanced educational opportunities on their own.

After making a grant at the requested level, the board invited the school’s founding director to their next meeting for a conversation about the school’s progress and plans. This candid discussion further solidified the trustees’ positive impression of the program. They also learned that the school had just launched a campaign to replace their facility, an aging former public school building.

Enthusiastic about the school’s results, the trustees acted immediately and decisively. Learning about the foundation’s unexpected $500,000 capital grant on his drive home from the meeting, the school’s director called it a “game changer.” Likewise, the trustees were elated.

What inspires a private foundation to move beyond business as usual? How do trustees recognize the right time and the right opportunity for bold action? How might a grant that is transformative for the recipient also affect the giver?

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Notes from an NPO Conversation at GMA Foundations
Last month we were joined by leaders from non-profits working to advance policy change in Boston and Massachusetts. Our guests explored with us the challenges facing advocacy work as well as the building blocks to effective advocacy that set the stage for progress. We were particularly interested in learning about communicating these challenges and successes with funders.

From teen pregnancy to voter turnout, organizations advocate for legislative and policy agendas that will improve the lives of individuals and families, recent immigrants, low-income communities, and everyone in between. The message for funders? 1) Don’t lose sight of the individuals and families who need these changes, and 2) Patience is key.

Key Themes
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The Foley Hoag Foundation is now accepting applications for its December review cycle, which carries an application deadline of October 22, 2015.

Originally focused on improving race relations among youth in Greater Boston, the Foundation’s mission is now broadened to support programs addressing inequality in its various forms, including but not limited to racial, ethnic or gender disparities. Preference is given to innovative projects where a small grant is likely to make a meaningful difference.

Through its grantmaking activities, the Foundation is committed to fostering a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation among people of diverse backgrounds, for the long-term benefit of all residents of the city. The Foundation’s guidelines may be accessed at http://foleyhoag.com/…/the…/foley-hoag-foundation-guidelines