Comprehensive, honest feedback for grantmakers

Philamplify assessments include key findings and recommendations based on stakeholder feedback and research-based best practices to improve foundations’ impact.

These assessments are tools for nonprofits ready to put pressure on foundations to improve how they support social justice movements.

Foundations seeking actionable insights from their peers to apply to their own organizations will find invaluable real-world insights, too.

NCRP has conducted 12 assessments of foundations across the U.S., including:

The California Endowment

The California Endowment has emerged as a leader in promoting health equity in the Golden State. It could have a greater impact if it added a focus on bolstering the state’s nonprofit advocacy infrastructure.

Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund is one of Colorado’s most important grantmakers.

In examining the foundation, we asked: Is donor intent compatible with strategic, social justice philanthropy? The issues are complex, but the answer is: Yes.

Hess Foundation

Hess Foundation grantees love that it provides unrestricted support with minimal reporting requirements. But the foundation’s lack of transparency and communication with grantees limits its impact on the communities it serves.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The Knight Foundation has an admirable commitment to risk and innovation. But it lacks explicit goals and strategies, often leaving stakeholders unsure what the foundation intends to accomplish.

The Kresge Foundation

Although Kresge exceeds most of NCRP’s criteria for effective social justice philanthropy by working with low-income communities to address systemic urban issues like poverty, health and climate resilience, the foundation needs to explicitly integrate a racial equity lens throughout its work.

Lumina Foundation for Education

Lumina has been successful in calling attention to the problem of low college attainment rates, especially for marginalized students. How can Lumina improve to achieve its ambitious goals? Experts and community members share their ideas.

New York Community Trust

The New York Community Trust has a strong commitment to equity and meeting community needs. Can it build on its strengths to become a true public leader in New York City?

Oregon Community Foundation

The Oregon Community Foundation engages a large network of volunteers and donors across the state to support local concerns. Can it also build a statewide legacy of equity and inclusion?

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

The Woodruff Foundation is doing more than it appears at first glance to help marginalized communities. It could achieve even greater impact by convening nonprofits to tackle pressing issues and bringing more diverse voices into its decision-making process.

Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is genuinely committed to increasing opportunity for people living in poverty and preserving oceans and rivers as well as the livelihoods of those who depend on them. However, its market-oriented approach has led to some successes and some disappointing outcomes.

William Penn Foundation

William Penn Foundation has been lauded for its work on pre-K, the environment and the arts, but it has encountered bumps in the road due to changes in leadership and strategic direction.

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

This pilot Philamplify assessment found the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation was an exemplar of strategic-just philanthropy in its goals and strategies. But, grantees and other stakeholders raised a few specific issues that warranted further examination.