By Gary Castagnola, Ellen & Clarence Peterson Foundation
The following ASF member story was posted to the ASF Discussion List recently in response to the question: How has your foundation been able to create change, even without a large grant budget? Additional stories and like this will be shared at ASF’s 2012 National Conference in the session on “Making an Impact When You Grant Less Than $100K Yearly.”
During the initial years of our foundation, beginning in 1986, none of our trustees had any prior experience serving on a board of directors for a nonprofit organization. Our accountant told us the dollar amount of required distribution and we divided the dollars among the directors. Each of us then selected a nationally known qualified organization for our grant dollars.
After a couple years, none of the grantees ever sent even a postcard of thanks. Our dollars were indeed a drop in the ocean. Thereafter, we focused mostly on giving to local and much smaller organizations that each of us had encountered. This shifting of our resources had an immediate impact on both our grantees and our fellow board members.
Along with money, some of us came to know the grantees on a local and personal level, helping them with our business and management expertise. We could see the results of our efforts and leverage our dollars beyond anything we would have experienced by simply sending a check in the mail.
To illustrate one program in particular, a local, small food bank contacted us to ask for help with capacity building. They needed additional storage to place food goods for a growing population of homeless and underserved families in an extremely depressed community in south central Los Angeles. Rather than rely on a written grant request, we visited with them and came to understand their needs. Continue reading
