What Grant Makers are Doing

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

The Council on Foundations welcomes Mark R. Kramer’s offering Steve Gunderson recommendations for guiding the council as its new chief executive (“What Grant Makers Really Need,” September 1), and we hope to hear more from Mr. Kramer and others on the direction we should be taking together to strengthen the field of philanthropy.

As the interim chief executive of the council, and CEO of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for 23 years, I understand the “great potential” Mr. Kramer mentions and the opportunity to “advance social progress.”

The field of philanthropy is rapidly changing and, as we’ve stated in our 2005-09 Strategic Framework, the council will continue to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations as they strive to fulfill their missions.

Of course, increasing transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in the sector are major components of that plan and remain at the forefront of our agenda. For example, the council’s board adopted a Statement of Ethical Principles to better define the ethical expectations the council has for its members. Members will be required to subscribe beginning with this year’s membership renewal.

The council’s board substantially revised the organization’s process for imposing sanctions on members who violate the law or fail to operate in accordance with ethical norms.

In 2004 the council started the “Building Strong and Ethical Foundations: Doing It Right” program to take the lessons of good philanthropy and moral suasion to grant makers, their advisers, foundation executives, and trustees across the country. In partnership with regional grant-maker associations, the council has brought this program to about 1,300 foundation trustees, executives, staff, and professional advisers in nearly 30 meetings around the country.

The council has been working with members of Congress and with Congressional staff to support our recommended changes to the laws governing both private foundation and public charity grant makers. Many of those recommendations, first described in extensive comments to the Senate Finance Committee during the summer of 2004, have been included in the reports of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, a process that the council has strongly supported.

The council is also working hard to increase the public’s understanding of the vital work being done by foundations and to better convey their contributions to society. We need to ensure foundations are seen as exemplary models of accountability and as a force for positive change.

Lastly, like Mr. Kramer, I agree that “demonstrated merit” is the key to unlocking our full potential. Today more and more foundations are voluntarily testing their processes with grant seekers, assessing their work with grantees, and measuring the effectiveness and impact within the communities they serve. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation, for example, have grantee-perception reports posted, warts and all, for public viewing on their Web sites.

Through publishing, conferences, speakers’ programs, and innumerable meetings across the country, the council has accomplished much to help foundations improve the effectiveness of their grants. Could and should we do more? Of course — and we shall.

There are many paths to excellence and I would like to note that the work of the council and that of the other philanthropic-support organizations is complementary, supportive, and directed toward a common goal. And while there remain plenty of opportunities for even further improvement, it is exactly those challenges the Council on Foundations looks forward to meeting.

Colburn S. Wilbur
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Council on Foundations
Washington