How Foundation Leaders Are Working to Shift the Power Dynamic
A roundup of foundation leaders' insights on how to give well, in their own words.
July 20, 2026 | Read Time: 1 minute
A growing number of foundation leaders are examining their practices — and making changes. They’re asking grantees what philanthropy gets wrong, and they are taking steps to improve things. For example, some foundations are trimming the paperwork they ask grantees to submit, which eats into nonprofits’ program time. Others are making large gifts to the communities they serve without requiring formal proposals.
These efforts represent a shift in how the most effective grant makers see their role. The power imbalance between funder and grantee doesn’t disappear, but leaders are working to listen more than they dictate and measure success by what their grantee partners accomplish.
“Philanthropy is generally, by its nature, a supporting character,” says Jen Ford Reedy, president of the Bush Foundation. “If you slip into main-character syndrome, you will struggle to build trust and support from others.”
Here’s a roundup of foundation leaders’ insights on how to give well, in their own words — from the mistakes funders make most often to the bold bets and partnerships reshaping what good philanthropy looks like.
Editor’s note: Chronicle playbooks are updated on an ongoing basis as new advice becomes available.
Philanthropy Isn’t Broken—but How We Fund Might Be
A New Jersey foundation tried paying grantees for results instead of programs, unleashing both greater creativity and improved outcomes.
Nonprofit Leaders Have Some Blunt Advice for Their Funders
The James Irvine Foundation asked five veteran nonprofit leaders what philanthropy gets wrong. They didn’t hold back.
What Funding Everyday Acts of Courage Taught Us About America
Trust in government and institutions has collapsed. But in communities across the country, ordinary people are quietly rebuilding the relationships that hold democracy together.
FoodCorps Lost Its Federal Funding. A Foundation’s Bold Bet Kept It Thriving.
The leaders of FoodCorps and the Healy Foundation explain how their partnership deepened during a moment of crisis.
Let’s Talk: Getting Funders & Nonprofits on the Same Page
In this moment when foundations and nonprofits face intensifying challenges, a worrisome gap has emerged in poll after poll: Nonprofit leaders don’t think funders understand…
Foundation Leaders Are Too Afraid of Their Donors to Speak Candidly
To push back, I had to learn to break philanthropy’s fake rules.
A Foundation President on How Not to Be a Lousy Funder
Jen Ford Reedy shares some of the grant-making mistakes she sees again and again — and how to avoid them in your own work.
5 Funders, 1 Grant Report: Less Paperwork and Better Results
One nonprofit consolidated five grant makers around a shared goal and cut compliance work by 55 percent — reclaiming hundreds of hours for what actually…
Why the Ford Foundation Has Committed $60M in New Funding to Protect Elections
Ford leader Heather Gerken, a constitutional law scholar, outlines a grant-making strategy designed to battle polarization’s gale-force winds.
MacKenzie Scott Gave Us $60 Million. We’re Giving It Away.
How the Freedom Fund, which has now received two unrestricted gifts from the billionaire philanthropist, is spending its windfall.
