2 Foundations Choose Higher Payouts & Invite Philanthropy to Rethink | Nonprofit Quarterly

2 Foundations Choose Higher Payouts & Invite Philanthropy to Rethink | Nonprofit Quarterly: "NPQ has often advocated for foundations to consider higher payout rates, taking up the issue in some detail in Buzz Schmidt’s classic, “‘Deliberate Deployment’ or Perpetuity: Questions to Inform Timing Strategies for Philanthropy.” Since then, we have seen a number of foundations moving to deploy more of their assets in the here and now—if not by “spending down” more quickly, then by investing more of their full assets in mission-related activity. But Schmidt also suggests that foundations consider a set of questions in a more “deliberate deployment” strategy, and that is what we see in this story."



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PhilanTopic: The Transparent Spend Down

PhilanTopic: The Transparent Spend Down: The Transparent Spend Down

The following post by Charles R. Bronfman, chairman of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies (ACBP), is the first in a new blog series, "Making Change by Spending Down," produced by ACBP in partnership with GrantCraft, a joint service of the Foundation Center and the European Foundation Centre. In the post, Mr. Bronfman explains how he, his late wife, Andrea, and ACBP president Jeffrey Solomon arrived at the decision to spend down the foundation by 2016; why he and Solomon decided to take extra steps to create transparency around the spend-down process; and what they hope the added measure of transparency will accomplish.

Foundation Center - Press Release - New Reports Shed Light on Payout Practices and Expense Patterns of U.S. Foundations

Foundation Center - Press Release - New Reports Shed Light on Payout Practices and Expense Patterns of U.S. Foundations: New York, NY — October 23, 2012. The Foundation Center, the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, has released new reports that examine the payout practices and spending patterns of more than 1,000 larger U.S. independent foundations. These reports provide an authoritative, unbiased source of knowledge to help the public and policymakers better understand foundation practice and to help foundations benchmark their own activities.

Understanding and Benchmarking Foundation Payout explains the concept of payout, which refers to the total amount that a foundation reports as its charitable distribution. (The law requires the vast majority of private U.S. grantmaking foundations to distribute at least 5 percent of their net investment assets for charitable purposes each year.)

Spending Down vs. Existing in Perpetuity: The Historic Foundation Debate Continues - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.

Spending Down vs. Existing in Perpetuity: The Historic Foundation Debate Continues - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.: n this WSJ op-ed, Meyerson raises a common concern of conservative philanthropists: the issue of “donor intent.” Many conservatives have argued that modern foundations such as Ford, MacArthur, and Pew have strayed far from the intentions of their founders. For example, J. Howard Pew’s stated intention was that the Pew Charitable Trusts “acquaint the American people” with “the evils of bureaucracy,” “the values of a free market,” and “the paralyzing effects of government controls on the lives and activities of people.”

As donations double, Boston Foundation awards $92m - The Boston Globe

As donations double, Boston Foundation awards $92m - The Boston Globe: "It was another banner year for the Boston Foundation.


The foundation, which is a major grant-making organization that distributes tens of millions of dollars to thousands of nonprofit groups annually, more than doubled the amount of donations it received last year, to about $155 million - up from a near-record $72 million the year before.

The windfall brings its total assets to nearly $1 billion, and the foundation increased its grant-making accordingly. It gave away $92 million in 2007, centering its philanthropy on Boston-area organizations that focus on education, workforce development, and housing.

That payout was the largest in the foundation's history."