2012 National Conference

Liz London, The Bridgespan Group

Despite the aspirations many grantmakers have of doing “big” things with their grants, in reality their dollars occupy a small share of the funds behind the largest nonprofit success stories. One of the most common and important challenges we encounter is how to have a lasting positive effect on grantees’ financial sustainability and growth despite the time-delimited nature of our direct support. Far too often, grantees exit a grantmaker’s portfolio in the same or worse financial shape as when they entered it. To get the most bang for our buck, foundations need to take grantees’ funding pursuits as seriously as their programmatic pursuits. This session will offer participants concrete guidance on how they can better support the financial sustainability of their grantees and amplify the impact of their investments during the grant period as well as in the years that follow.

Funding Outcomes