Ghetto Film School, HFPA Grantee
The mission of a philanthropic foundation can be specific or general. Guidelines for making grants can range from education to health to preserving historical heritage to building arts centers to religious purposes. Some foundations have mandates to contribute only in specific geographic areas, to capital expenses, operations or tangibles like food, medicine, or clothing and shelter. Yet other foundations make grant according to the decision of the board of directors with no specific guidelines.
Foundations may change their philanthropic focus due to changes in directors, societal and community needs or simply a desire to redirect their grantmaking. Periodic reviews of the mission and guidelines help to assess current relevancy and effectiveness of goals, strategy, management, processes, and outcomes.
Family Foundations are an important way for a family to impart a culture of philanthropy to the next generation. Bernhard Solutions works with families to establish family goals and giving strategies based upon family values, geographic regions, guidelines and other issues of importance to the family including facilitating discussions about how decisions are made, what types of grants reflect current family values, how much to grant, what information about the organization is important to consider, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant.
We work together to create the mechanics of the process by establishing eligibility requirements and limitations, grant applications, grant cycles, application review processes and post grant reports and assessments.
Bernhard Solutions works with the foundation team to establish or evaluate the purpose of the foundation, set grantmaking priorities and guidelines, prepare grant application forms, develop or review processes, and evaluate the impact of grants. The services we provide include researching organizations that fit well with the business or corporate mission, financial vetting, management assessment, and likelihood of successful outcomes.