Dear Reader,

Why do philanthropists choose to shape their giving with a specific geographic focus? What are the advantages of an effective place based funding strategy? Our team works with foundations, family offices, individuals and corporations that focus their giving within geographic parameters with hopes of increasing impact. It takes focus and intention to do it well.

What is place based giving?



The Milken Institute defines Place Based Giving as, “An approach that targets a specific location—be it a neighborhood, municipality, or even multiple counties—upon which to focus charitable resources and make a transformative impact.”



What are the motivations for a place based strategy?

• Preference to give where funds were created and/or the business is located.
• Desire to dig into a community and fund needs for the long haul.
• Ability to understand philanthropic impact--giving in one place can narrow the complexities of evaluating impact.
• Creates unity around a family legacy and purpose by focusing on one place.

Source: National Center for Family Philanthropy

What are key ingredients for a place based strategy?

Stay Focused on Systems Change:

• Focus on complex issues at the local level and address specific needs for a targeted strategy.

Listen + Partner:

• Genuinely listen to those on the front lines addressing the community’s needs to ensure buy-in and trust.
• Demonstrate a long-term investment in the community.

Experiment + Innovate:

• Opportunity to experiment with bold solutions--philanthropy allows for innovation, mistakes, adaptation and evolution.
• Provides catalytic community investments that allow for risk.

Source: Milken Institute

Place based funding can be highly rewarding, especially if a philanthropist can dedicate themselves to a particular community over a long period of time. Partnerships flourish and donors develop a deep appreciation for local complexities. Evaluating impact can be simpler to accomplish.

Blog Launch | Connect with Purpose

Grant Philanthropic Advisors is expanding its expertise sharing in the firm’s new blog – Connect with Purpose. The blog provides a way for our team to highlight topics of interest in our field and with our clients.

• Five Reasons Why You Want to Engage an Independent Philanthropic Advisor sets the stage for the many benefits our clients experience including maximizing philanthropic impact.

• Timing is Everything | When to Engage a Philanthropic Advisor showcases life changes that may lead to a potential client engaging a philanthropic advisor.

What's Inspiring Us

Call to Action in the South

Janine Lee: A Champion of Equitable Grant Making in the South - The Chronicle of Philanthropy (5 min read). We are honored to share this tribute to Janine Lee's legacy on southern grant-making.

Curious Podcast

Another Side of Downtown Josh Brown - 50 Fires: Money and Meaning with Carl Richards (51 min listen). What is your earliest memory of money? If you haven't listened to this podcast yet, tune in to hear about how others talk about money, especially with their kids.

Endowment Funding Report

Funding Nonprofit Endowments: Foundation Perspectives and Practices - The Center for Effective Philanthropy (30 min read). This study, with nearly 300 foundations participating, examines how and why foundations fund nonprofit endowments.

Power in the Hands of Women

Survey: The Great Wealth Transfer Will Make Women More Affluent And More Confident Than Ever - Ellevest (10 min read). We are proud to read that women are increasing in economic power, and will continue to do so over the next few decades.

Philanthropy Survey

Help our colleagues at 21/64 and National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers gain valuable insights on how you engage philanthropy consultants or advisors to advance your giving.

Take the Survey

As April draws to a close, we wish you time to unwind and embrace your passions.

Gratefully,

Kaky + The GPA Team