Board members and staff of philanthropic institutions regularly reach out to CMF to learn more about executive searches. The Ask CMF team has curated the following resources for those engaging with executive search firms or guiding an internally-driven executive search process for a grantmaking organization.

Board members and staff of philanthropic institutions regularly reach out to CMF to learn more about succession planning. The Ask CMF team has curated the following resources for organizations considering how to plan for a hypothetical or forthcoming transition for executive positions.

Board members and staff of philanthropic institutions regularly reach out to CMF to learn more about the various types of grantmaking foundations. At the most basic level, these organizations provide philanthropic support to nonprofits, individuals and other entities through grants, scholarships and other charitable activities.

While private foundations have strict rules for self-dealing among disqualified persons, many of these rules are well-established best practices for other grantmakers and public charities. As public charities, all 501(c)(3) organizations are intended to serve the public good and should not be used for private or individual benefit.

This resource shares helpful information about conflicts of interest relating to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Conflicts of interest are of concern for both private foundations and public charities. While self-dealing is strictly prohibited, organizations have the opportunity to manage conflict of interest situations through policies and procedures. The IRS now requires that foundations file a conflict of interest policy with its application materials, if they have adopted one. In practice, receiving exempt status essentially requires that a conflict of interest policy be adopted and submitted.

Racial equity is crucial to effective philanthropy, and lean foundations—those with few or no staff—are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact. Our 2024 publication, “Racial Equity in Lean Foundations: The Lean Funder’s Equity Journey,” delves into how these foundations are incorporating racial equity into their work to drive better decisions, achieve more equitable outcomes, and amplify their philanthropic impact.

Collected through FOMR data, surveys, and interviews with members, this report centers on the relevance of racial equity to our members’ mission, as well as their board and staff demographics. We also describe how racial equity relates to good governance, grantmaking, and investment practices. New in the 2023 report, we focus on allyship and use Service Never Sleeps’ CLAIM framework (Care, Learn, Act, Influence, Maintain) to help you explore what it means to adopt an allyship approach in your philanthropy.