It happens more often lately. You get a knot in your stomach. Surprises at work. This time, it’s when you open your browser to unexpected news: the neighboring school district got awarded a six-figure grant from an out-of-state private foundation.

Why wouldn't you focus on the $600 billion worth of grants given out by the government? Why should you instead concentrate on the $10 billion coming from private foundations? There are four reasons

What is a foundation? The definition appears obvious at first. A foundation is a nonprofit entity that awards grants to organizations. Thinking about a foundation's objectives, however, makes the definition fuzzier. Some are

STAGE 1: Grant Prospecting Grant prospectors use several different styles and techniques to find appropriately aligned grantmakers (i.e., their giving history and priorities are a good fit or match for your school's

For most of our client schools, fundraising covers 20% of operating expenses. How? They've moved on from individual donations. They've stopped going for the low hanging fruit and are thinking big. They spend

Venture philanthropy. Angel philanthropy. Enterprise philanthropy. Impact philanthropy. Catalytic philanthropy. Strategic philanthropy. These are some of the names that are being used to describe the rise of a new kind of grant giving;

The first time I met Lee he was greeting students with a smile and checking the crosswalk as they jumped off the school bus one by one. We met in the school's parking