A Blueprint for Faster Giving: Lessons From My Pop-Up Foundation
A former foundation executive’s grassroots experiment shows what philanthropy can accomplish when it prioritizes urgency and trust over traditional institution‑building.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
What a Spanish Cathedral Can Teach Funders About Responding to Trump
During the next 1,300 days of Trump’s presidency, let’s put the bricks in place for a better future while doing everything we can to hold up the foundation.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
As Funders Face New Levels of Risk, What Does Bravery Look Like?
We foundation leaders have long been insulated from threats. It’s time to shed our chicken feathers.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
Amid Funding Freezes and ICE Raids, What Will It Take to Support Grantees?
Grant makers need to reassure nonprofits that they have their backs during these tumultuous times.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
As Trump Takes Office, Philanthropy Should Adopt a Pandemic-Like Crisis Response
Lessons learned in 2020 can serve the field well as it faces another period of uncertainty and upheaval, writes Lisa Pilar Cowan in the first in a series of dispatches on Trump’s initial 100 days in office.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
From TV’s ‘The Gilded Age’ to the Fight for Reparations: Lessons for Philanthropy in 2024
What binge watching a popular television show taught me about philanthropy’s ongoing efforts to move away from antiquated notions of charity.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
Why Grant Makers Should Reject Shiny New Things
Social change takes a lot of time. Too often, foundation officials get bored and forget that.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
Let’s Address the Real Reason Great Fundraisers Are in Short Supply
Too often, nonprofits force development officers to grovel for donations from the rich, rather than emphasizing how to connect people in a community to support an organization’s mission.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan and Michelle Flores
No Thank You: Why One Foundation Leader Doesn’t Want Gratitude From Grantees
Grant makers aren’t giving away their own money so the conversation with their partners should always be about equals working to change the world — not as benefactor and supplicant.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor
2022 Is the Year for Grant Makers to Stop Talking and Start Doing
Because philanthropy has so little external scrutiny, foundation officials must assess whether they are actually making enough of a difference, writes Lisa Pilar Cowan, the author of a series of essays on grant making in a time of upheaval.
By Lisa Pilar Cowan
Contributor