The Services We Provide

• Strategic philanthropic advice, specific charitable program design, and oversight and management services to individuals, families and foundations.
• Facilitation of individual and family discussions on charitable intent, goal-setting, creation of appropriate gift vehicles and grantmaking procedures, including regular reporting mechanisms. Assistance with on-going philanthropic program planning, and methods of evaluation and improvement.
• Creation and management of family foundations, corporate foundations, and public charities, including fiduciary oversight and income distribution, governance structure, regulatory compliance and reporting.
• Conduct periodic symposia and educational retreats for individuals, families and nonprofit entities aimed at promoting awareness, collaboration and creative solutions from philanthropy.
• Provide guidance and expertise for grantee nonprofit institutions in the areas of governance, board development, strategic planning, program improvement, response to philanthropic challenges or opportunities, coordination of development and institutional objectives, and refinement of program goals and strategies. Assistance with regulatory compliance and reporting. Working with key volunteer leaders and management, assist in the development of practices that link philanthropic initiatives to the direction of the institution, including campaign feasibility, guidance and ongoing counsel.
• Advice to family offices, with particular attention to the management of foundations and family trusts.

Strategic Philanthropy: Creating a Giving Plan

• Philanthropic Audit.
  We begin by helping clients think through the impact of five to ten years of aggregate giving from their personal funds and their foundations.
• Developing a Mission Statement.
  We lead clients through a discussion of past charitable giving or future interests to get a full understanding of their philanthropic priorities. At the end of this exercise, we help draft a mission statement that respects the interests of each individual family member while promoting the common ground among them.
• Creation of a Governing Instrument.
  Just as "standardized" forms don't meet "specific" goals, the structure you choose for your foundation will have an impact on the foundation's operations. We advise clients on the choice of entity between a trust or a corporation, and can create that controlling instrument.
• Philanthropic Program Design.
  Guided by the mission statement, and tailored to the specific desires of each individual family philanthropist, we get to work on how the philanthropy will be produced. We introduce clients to various models of delivering on their charitable goals, from direct operation of charitable programs to the making of grants. We help set funding priorities and develop grantmaking guidelines that instruct every grantee on the mission and focus of the foundation and on the expectations of the foundation directors and trustees. We write and issue requests for proposals, and assist the directors and trustees in their review of submitted proposals.
• Grantmaking.
  When facilitating the grantmaking process, we try to bring the family members together for a personal encounter with the philanthropy in action, and coach the family on how to interact with prospective grantees and actual grantees. We assist clients in reviewing grant requests, summarizing those that meet the prescribed guidelines and securing the necessary verification of tax-exempt status.
• Grant Monitoring and Evaluation.
  Clients who invest in philanthropic projects often want to know on an ongoing basis how their grants are being used and what impact they are making. We monitor the success of these grants through intermittent updates and evaluation reports from the grantees.
• Investment of Foundation Funds.
  We can serve as a fiduciary to develop and achieve the foundation's investment goals or work with clients and their financial advisors to achieve their foundation investment that same goals.
• Regulatory Compliance.
  We assist foundations with obtaining tax-exempt status for federal and state purposes, and with annual information filings required by the IRS and state agencies. We advise foundation boards with respect to their duties and obligations, and especially assist them with steering clear of tax penalties that can affect both the foundation and the board members individually.