Donor Resources
Resource directory
Lots of funders face logistical barriers to maximize impact. Here you’ll find a useful collection to address common challenges.
Thought Leadership, Listservs, and Knowledge Libraries
We spent a decade learning through trial and error. But you can skip steps by learning from these leading thinkers.
Common Affinity Grantmaker Groups
Affinity groups are networks of like-minded organizations with a common desire to influence grantmaking and grant-seeking processes. Affinity groups work together to be more responsive to the needs of a particular region, sector, or other group.
International Grantmaking
Grantmaker-Specific
“Leadership Funders Group” (LFG) - Building Movement Project
Africa Specific
Central America
Central America Donors’ Forum: Run by Seattle International. They also host a Central America Donors’ Forum Roundtable (invite only) monthly.
US Specific
The Capital Collaborative by Camelback Ventures (Committed to POC and non-binary-led organizations in the US)
European Philanthropy
Global Development
Sector-Specific
Organizations with trustworthy pipelines
Not sure where to find visionaries or organizations doing great work? Don’t worry, these folks have done the hard work for you:
Ashoka (Global)
Echoing Green (Global)
Dovetail Acceleration Portfolio (Africa)
Global Health Corps Fellowship (Global)
Princeton in Africa Fellowship (Africa)
Princeton in Asia Fellowship (Asia)
Obama Fellowship (Global)
The Mulago Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program (Southern Africa or South/Southeast Asia)
Skoll Fellowship (Global)
White House Fellows (US)
Fiscal Sponsorship
If the organization you’re interested in doesn’t have a 501c3 designation, you can work with these intermediaries:
Important Events in Global Development
Philanthropy dictionary
501(c)(3): IRS designation for public serving nonprofit organizations exempt from income tax and eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts
990: Form used by the IRS for annual reporting by nonprofit organizations
BOD: Board of Directors
CBO: Community-based organization
CDD: Community-driven development
CFRE: Certified Fund Raising Executive - certification/credential for fundraisers
DAF: Donor advised fund
ED: Equivalency determination - a good-faith determination that a non-U.S. organization is equivalent to a U.S. public charity
ER: Expenditure responsibility - a set of grantmaking and monitoring procedures and requirements enabling U.S. grantmakers to make grants to foreign organizations that are recognized as neither 501(c)(3) public charities nor the equivalents of U.S. public charities
Fiscal Sponsor: A non-profit organization that has offered its legal and tax-exempt status to other groups.
IGA: Income-generating activities
I&E: Income & expenditure statement
INGO: International non-governmental organization
MFI: Microfinance institution
MOU: Memorandum of understanding—letter of agreement between parties
M&E: Monitoring & evaluation
MEAL or MEL: Monitoring, evaluation, and learning
NGO: Non-governmental organization
NPO: Nonprofit organization
PD: Program director
P&L: Profit and loss statement
PO: Program officer
PSOs: Philanthropy-Serving Organizations have deep content knowledge in their specific areas of expertise, whether it is knowledge of a particular funding issue, population group, or philanthropic practice.
RFP: Request for proposals - an announcement of grant fund availability
SDGs: Sustainable development goals, a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future"
SROI: Social return on investment
WHT: Withholding Tax
VAT: Value-added Tax