Northern California Grantmakers

GrantCraft asked their readers the following questions:

• What are the advantages, besides money, of being supported by [a funder collaborative?
• What are the downsides?
• What can grantmakers do to make a funder collaborative work well--from the grantee's point of view?

According to GrantCraft the "[g]rantees’ perspective is framed by one singular finding: they are almost as likely to call their experience with funder collaboratives “mixed” or “negative” (43% and 5% respectively) as to report a generally positive experience (52%). By contrast, a large majority of grantmakers call the experience a positive one (70%).” (emphasis added)

Read the survey results online.

Learn more about NCG’s funder collaboratives:

• Arts Loan Fund
• Emergency Loan Fund

GrantCraft has two new guides for grantmakers.

Funding Community Organizing: Social Change through Civic Participation offers a grounding in the basics of community organizing, as well as examples of what the work can accomplish in many different fields and communities.

Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds provides information to help foundation determine if advocacy is a good choice for their organization and presents the legal procedures and potential pitfalls of advocacy funding.

GrantCraft‘s new tool grew out of conversations, interviews, and workshops GrantCraft held with grantmakers about what it takes to be effective on the job. The cards, and the activities they’ve included, encourage grantmakers to reflect more deeply on how to meet and manage expectations: your own, your foundation’s, and your grantees’.

For more information about Roles@work visit the GrantCraft website.