Foundations That Are Serious About Achieving Equity Need to Rethink How They Work

Before I had kids, I never saw playgrounds. But once I was pushing a stroller around town, I noticed that they were everywhere.

Meet Trish Adobea Tchume, our Sterling Network Organizer: Part Two

Psychologically, I think so many of us are still sort of operating in triage mode right now, and rightly so. While in many ways things have calmed down from the height of the pandemic, we still suffered the most deaths due to the virus by far of any state in the nation. People are still holding that trauma and will be for a long time.

Covid-19, Foundation, Getting to Know You, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyElisabeth Anderson RapportOctober 6, 2020foundation, philanthropy, Trust-Based Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, nonrofit, Getting to know you, Sterling Network NYC, leadershipComment

All of Us in Grant Making — Not Just the Financiers — Need to Pay Attention to Investments (Dispatches)

I developed a case of math phobia in eighth grade, moving from the front to the back of the classroom and rushing through my homework in the cafeteria before school.

Making Things Easy for Grantees Is High Priority for Foundation Officials. But Are We Doing It Right?

I was on the phone with a friend the other day, catching up after a few months on each other’s work, communities, and families.

We’re All Dealing With Anxiety and Uncertainty. Let’s Not Let That Affect How We Make Grants (Dispatches)

When I am anxious or uncertain, I like to start a new project. Taking action makes me feel better — in the short run.

Foundation, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Covid-19Lisa Pilar CowanJuly 21, 2020pandemic, racial injustice, grantmaking, Grants, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, COVID-19, systemic racism, FundingComment

Why Philanthropy Can’t Keep Hoarding Assets in the Pandemic

Talking in public about toilet paper ranks right up there with jokes about “quarantinis” and Zoom Brady Bunch references on my list of pandemic pet peeves.

Nonprofit Leaders Respond To COVID-19: Early Lessons From The Field, Part 2

This is Part Two in my series about how organizational leaders are responding to and navigating COVID-19. This article is an attempt to reflect and organize the questions that leaders around the country are grappling with as they consider their organizations’ post-COVID resilience and stability.

Covid-19, Foundation, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Sterling Network NYCBrooke Richie-BabbageMay 19, 2020foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, COVID-19, philanthropy, leadership, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory.Comment

Change Is Too Rapid in Covid-19 Era to Tie Nonprofits’ Hands With Old Rules (Dispatches)

I always thought the saying ”You can’t step in the same river twice” came from the Quaker nature camp of my youth, but apparently it was the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said it (significantly earlier than when I was a camper in the 1980s).

Covid-19, Foundation, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Trust-Based PhilanthropyLisa Pilar CowanMay 12, 2020COVID-19, nonrofit, foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Trust-Based Philanthropy, philanthropy, leadershipComment

Nonprofit Leaders Respond to COVID-19: Early Lessons From The Field

We are in a moment of unprecedented tumult and change. Every day, nonprofit leaders are challenged to think and respond in new ways, and in a constantly shifting social, political and economic context that leaves even seasoned leaders reeling and grasping for answers.

Covid-19, Foundation, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Sterling Network NYCBrooke Richie-BabbageMay 7, 2020Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, nonrofit, COVID-19, foundation, Funding, philanthropy, Sterling Network NYCComment

Covid-19 Lesson for a Grant Maker: Listening and Understanding Matters (Dispatches)

At the beginning of the Covid-19 shelter-in-place guidance, I went up and down the staircase of my 13-floor Brooklyn apartment building, slipping notes under people’s doors, assessing need, collecting offers of help, and navigating different levels of technological savvy to create and moderate an online discussion list for building residents to stay in touch with each other.

Covid-19, Foundation, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Trust-Based PhilanthropyLisa Pilar CowanApril 28, 2020philanthropy, Trust-Based Philanthropy, foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, nonrofit, Funding, funding collaboratives, leadership, COVID-19Comment

Trust-Based Philanthropy is Trending. What Will It Take to Sustain It?

Last week, over 200 foundations signed a pledge calling upon philanthropy to loosen restrictions on nonprofit partners amidst the mounting uncertainty of COVID-19.