Good Grantmaking Practices

Our good grantmaking practices work includes:

• Promoting the importance of general operating support, multi-year funding and nonprofit representation in the discussions on philanthropy.
• Demonstrating the important role of advocacy, organizing and civic engagement in bringing about social change.
• Researching and documenting corporate philanthropy.

FLEXIBLE GRANTS

Nonprofits use general operating support funds to use in the best way it sees fit to achieve its mission. The flexible nature of core support grants enables grantees to pursue unforeseen opportunities, adapt to the times and adjust programmatic priorities as needed.

Multi-year funding enables nonprofits to plan ahead. It recognizes the long-term commitment needed to solve complex and difficult issues that many nonprofits and foundations are grappling with.

Together, general operating support and multi-year funding are important in creating healthy and effective nonprofits. Unfortunately, there continues to be a severe shortage of these types of grants at a time when grantees need as much core operating money as possible both to help cope with funding cutbacks and to help offset the increased demands for services.

NCRP has been calling for foundations to increase their flexible, multi-year general support grantmaking as one way to help nonprofits build their capacity to serve marginalized communities.

CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

Many businesses give back to their communities through their corporate giving. Our work includes research and analysis on the philanthropy of specific sectors and corporations.