Orientation Resources About Grantmaking and Foundations
Whether a foundation is just forming or training a new set of board and staff members, finding good orientation materials can be incredibly challenging. After answering thousands of questions and writing dozens of resources, Kienker Consulting’s team frequently recommends the following resources as the perfect starting point for grantmaking teams that need professional or board development materials. Many of these are one-of-a-kind resources in the field, created in partnership between the Council of Michigan Foundations and the Kienker Consulting team.
Kienker Consulting regularly provides trainings on these and other topics through the Council of Michigan Foundations. For a full list of topics and resources authored by Kienker Consulting’s team, see the Resources page. To request custom trainings for your organization or PSO, please submit a Contact form with information about your needs.
Private Foundations
What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Private Foundations: This resource provides an orientation to the unique legal regulations and best practices of private foundations.
Community Foundations
What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Community Foundations: This resource provides an orientation to the unique legal regulations and best practices of community foundations.
Corporate Philanthropy
Choosing a Corporate Philanthropy Approach: This resource offers an overview of topics and distinctions among the three primary forms of corporate philanthropy: corporate giving programs, corporate foundations, and corporate donor advised funds.
Donor Advised Funds
Frequently Asked Questions About Donor Advised Funds: This resource addresses frequently asked questions from grantmakers, donors, and advisors about donor advised funds (DAFs), specifically about donor contributions, grantmaking, and DAF management.
Grantmaking - General Process and Due Diligence
The Basics of the Grantmaking Process and Due Diligence: This resource provides an orientation to the general steps of the grantmaking process and highlights areas where due diligence takes place.
Grantmaking with Purpose: Sample Grant Materials: This resource provides sample documents for the initial stages of the grantmaking process, including rubrics, applications, and internal planning documents.
Grantmaking - Categories, Fund Types, and Unusual Grant Situations
Frequently Asked Questions About Grantmaking: This document offers guidance for foundations on making grants to a variety of fund types.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fund Agreements: This resource explores frequently asked questions about community foundation-based component funds and fund agreements.
Navigating Scholarships and Grants to Individuals: This resource provides essential information for establishing and managing scholarships and grants for individuals.
What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Tipping and the Public Support Test: This resource provides guidance on the issue of tipping for grantmakers, including how to calculate the public support test and avoid “tipping” grantees.
Legal, Finance, and Operations
An Operations Checklist for Foundation Compliance: Legal requirements and operational best practices for private foundations and public charity grantmakers, including community foundations.
A Guide to Fiscal Stewardship: Preventing and Mitigating Financial Mismanagement and Fraud: This resource explores frequently asked questions involving preventing and managing through challenging operational and grantmaking situations, primarily around situations of financial mismanagement and fraud.
Political Activity for Foundations, Staff, and Leadership: Legal Limits and Institutional Considerations: This resource explores the legal intricacies and best practices foundations should know to navigate situations that may inadvertently run afoul of prohibitions on charitable organizations related to supporting or opposing candidates for public office.
Board Governance
What Boards and Executives Need to Know about Conflicts of Interest: This resource offers information about conflict of interest situations and policies for private foundations and public charity grantmakers, including community foundations.
What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Reasonable Compensation: This resource provides guidance on determining reasonable compensation for staffed private foundations and public charity grantmakers, along with special issues for determining board compensation.
What Boards and Executives Need to Know about Self-Dealing: This resource offers information about self-dealing rules for private foundations and public charities, as well as special issues relevant to families and corporations engaged in philanthropy.