Trust-Based Philanthropy

Trust-based philanthropy is a big part of what we do and think about every day.

Our approach to grantmaking stems from our founding family’s experience in nonprofits and philanthropy. We know our partners are closest to the issues and communities they serve. They are the experts in their work. And our role is not to just fund them, but to come alongside them in partnership and help reduce the burdens philanthropy has historically imposed.

What trust-based philanthropy means to us

For us, grantmaking is so much more than just funding the great work nonprofits are doing. It is about spending time listening to them and learning from their expertise. It is about being accountable and responsive to those we are supporting. And, it is about sharing our insights from our unique vantage point, and mobilizing our resources and connections to advance our partners’ missions.

How we practice trust-based philanthropy

• We do our homework by researching prospective grantee partners before asking them for anything.
• Whenever possible, we provide multi-year, unrestricted grants so nonprofits can use funds where needed and plan for the future.
• We limit our paperwork and reporting requirements for our partners and find ways to learn more about their work through meaningful engagement.
• We ask for input and feedback, and then we adapt our processes based on what we learn.
• We provide support beyond our grant by connecting, convening, consulting, and amplifying our partners’ voices through communication.

Learning instead of proving

Because we value our partners’ time, we don’t ask them to complete lengthy evaluations just for us. Instead, to understand how our partners think about their impact, we look at the information they are already sharing through their websites, annual reports, and updates. We also invest our time in relationship building, so that we can get familiar with their challenges, successes and opportunities.

We see our impact in terms of how well we respond to our partners and how well our grantmaking practices align with trust-based philanthropy.

A process rooted in trust

Our grantmaking process is rooted in trust-based philanthropy, which means we take a special interest in learning from, listening to, and supporting those closest to the work. To be mindful of a nonprofits’ time and expertise, we are intentional in how we engage with them every step of the way. To save nonprofits time spent on LOIs and requests for proposals, we do not have an open application process. Instead, we learn about nonprofits through ongoing research, community outreach, and from the introductions submitted on our site — and then we reach out when we find strong alignment.

To learn more about trust-based philanthropy and about other funders who have embraced similar values, visit the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. Nonprofit organizations that share our mission can introduce themselves for future partnership consideration, or read more about our approach and our grantmaking process.