December 9, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
The decision by the Weingart Foundation to award emergency grants to pay for administrative costs and other operating expenses is being hailed by several people in the nonprofit world.
In response to the economic recession, the foundation, in Los Angeles, will offer a new “core support” program to assist well-run social-service groups in Southern California, the organization says on its Web site.
Sasha Dichter, director of business development at the Acumen Fund, writes that the move deserves the headline: “Nation Stunned: LA-based Weingart Foundation Places Trust in Nonprofit Grantees.”
“This is absolutely, positively not meant to be a dig on the Weingart Foundation. To the contrary, they deserve praise,” he adds.
On his blog, Mr. Dichter writes that Weingart’s decision — and the fact that it made news in the Los Angeles Business Journal — is a sign that foundations too often make grants to support programs, which hurts charities.
“There’s a serious power imbalance here, one that has to change if we are going to increase the impact and efficiency of the nonprofit sector,” he writes.
Read The Chronicle’s article about how foundations are assisting their grant recepients during the downturn.
What do you think of Weingart’s decision? Should other foundations follow suit? Click on the comments link to share your views.
