To help demystify and simplify the decision-making process, our experts have created an actionable checklist with 13 critical questions to ask them based on two important factors: their giving style and their considerations on fees and financials. Download your checklist.

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The post DAFs vs Private Foundations: Do You Know These 13 Critical Questions to Ask Clients? appeared first on Foundation Source.

About Your Philanthropy

Can you tell us about a time when you were able to see the impact of your giving?
For our 10th anniversary, we awarded larger-than-normal grants to Colorado State to develop a pathway for youth entrepreneurship at the college level. Additionally, we funded the JA Rocky Mountain’s Northern Colorado region to expand its work into southern Wyoming. Both grantees were able to grow their programs significantly and have today established strong, sustainable programs to continue their impactful work. Today, both grantees are working in collaboration with several other nonprofits (Youth Biz, Young Entrepreneurs Tournament, and Generation Schools Network) to create an ecosystem in Northern Colorado, Eastern Colorado, and Southern Wyoming. Each organization is leveraging its strengths to create a larger collaboration and opportunities for educators and students.

Do you work with other grantors, foundations or nonprofits to drive specific projects forward?
The OtterCares Foundation partners with the Northern Colorado Foundation to manage employee-donated funds that support our Innovation Station grants. As the corporate foundation of OtterBox/OtterProducts, we host an annual employee giving campaign, inviting Otter employees to contribute to the Innovation Station Fund. This fund helps create and sustain hands-on makerspaces in K–12 schools across Larimer and Weld counties. The Northern Colorado Foundation securely holds and administers these funds on our behalf.

In celebration of our 15th anniversary, we made two significant pledges to nonprofit organizations we’ve proudly supported over the years. The first is Global Leaders, a service-learning organization that empowers teens in Larimer County. Each year, Global Leaders students travel to Guatemala to build clean cookstoves for local communities. The second is Engineering Brightness, an initiative started by a schoolteacher that engages middle school students in designing, 3D printing, and soldering solar lanterns. These lanterns are then sent to communities in the Dominican Republic and Uganda, bringing light and opportunity to areas in need.

About Your Foundation

How do you engage employees in your foundation?

We engage with our Otter employees in a variety of ways including:

• We send out a weekly email with volunteering opportunities.
• We have a group of employees who apply to be ambassadors for a year in their department within the company, and we train them to cascade Voluntary Time Off (VTO) opportunities or to set up group opportunities with favorite local nonprofits.
• We work hard to get to know employees and help them identify their passions, then connect them with organizations that align with those passions.
• We share information on the company’s TV channel, featuring data, stories, and videos.
• We discuss giving moments in department meetings that share the data on the hours volunteered, or even those who have used all 24 volunteer hours given by the company. They also spotlight an employee or group opportunity to inspire and create awareness.
• Story Tell! This is where employees share a give-back moment or story.

What is one long-term goal for your foundation?
We want to create a movement of philanthropy in the next generation!

Do you have any advice for people looking to start or grow their own corporate foundation?
Establish strong communication channels and key personnel within each department to effectively cascade opportunities with nonprofits, as well as current data on monthly engagement toward quarterly and yearly goals. It’s also important to have leadership buy-in and support, as well as provide the opportunity for employees to take time off work to engage in volunteering or record hours volunteered, if not in the payroll system. Competition between departments is also effective, as well as beginning meetings regularly with a “Give Back Moment or Story”!

Is there a unique foundation feature that has helped you pursue your mission?
By prioritizing relationship-based grantmaking, we can build strong, lasting partnerships with our grantees. This approach allows us to serve not only as a funder but also as a connector within our community. When a teacher has a big idea or needs support to implement a program, we can often connect them with another educator who has faced similar challenges, helping spark collaboration and innovation. Additionally, by engaging employees from OtterBox and OtterProducts, we can provide volunteer support to many organizations we fund, further strengthening our impact and community ties.

What was the worst mistake you made? How did you solve it?
Working with new organizations or organizations with new ideas and not creating a Memorandum of Agreement to give money out in phases or when milestones were reached, especially if the grant is a larger grant. We learned that committing to a larger amount was acceptable, but phasing the grant helped yield better results and more impactful work.

Working with Foundation Source

How does Foundation Source help to simplify your company’s charitable giving?
Foundation Source and their Impactfully platform has been an invaluable tool in streamlining our grantmaking process. The application wizard makes it simple to create user-friendly, easy-to-navigate forms for applicants. Matching grants with their corresponding outcome reports has significantly improved our ability to track long-term impact. Additionally, the built-in charity database and support from the charity research team save us considerable time and effort, ensuring our funding goes to the right organizations.

Can you tell us a little about your experience working with the Foundation Source team?
Working with the team at Foundation Source has been a truly positive experience. Not only do they provide exceptional customer service, but they also take our user feedback seriously, often implementing suggestions that enhance the platform. Our Private Client Advisor is consistently responsive and thorough when communicating. One of the highlights has been the opportunity to meet quarterly with the software development team. These sessions allow me to learn about new features in Foundation Source and explore how to apply them to further our mission of igniting tomorrow, today.

How was the process of getting your corporate foundation set up or transitioned to Foundation Source?
The process was very smooth, and I believe OtterCares has used Foundation Source since its establishment as a private foundation.

Thank you to the OtterCares Foundation for sharing their story with us! To learn more, visit ottercares.org.

Have a Foundation Source story you’d like to share?
Write to us at marketing@foundationsource.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!

Want to learn more about the ways we support private foundations?
Whether you are looking for support for your existing foundation or want to create a private foundation, our philanthropic specialists are here to help. To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.

The post OtterCares Foundation Interview Part Two: Inspiring Students To Give Back appeared first on Foundation Source.

Looking For Even More Insights?
Check out more blogs on giving and investing trends!

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The post New Infographic Sheds Light On How Donors Are Navigating Uncertainty appeared first on Foundation Source.

What inspired the creation of the Foundation?
OtterCares was founded in 2009 by Nancy Richardson, co-founder of OtterBox. Nancy founded OtterCares to create lasting change in education through philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and innovative education. We believe that one young and inspired mind can change the world.

What causes are you most passionate about?
The Foundation is passionate about learning experiences and environments that inspire students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists who create lasting and impactful changes in their communities.

What is one of your corporate foundation’s achievements that you are proud of and why?
We’re proud of our external grants. We see educators as innovative and entrepreneurial in their ideas. Often, they recognize the needs and problems faced by students and the schools in which they work, and they devise solutions. We appreciate the opportunity to listen to educators’ ideas related to these needs and provide seed funds, so to speak, for new ideas and programs.

One example of this is Geometry in Construction where two educators (one a math teacher and one a Career Technical Education Teacher) created a solution to a problem they both were seeing in education. The math teacher saw Geometry as the most failed class across the US at the high school level, and the CTE teacher saw declining enrollment in the construction pathway. The two educators created a new course, “Geometry in Construction.” The class became one of the most popular math and CTE classes in their school because students loved the hands-on, innovative learning environment and were fueled by purpose and passion as they built each home. The educators established a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and each year, the students in the class would build a house for the organization. The students met the family, and now they were constructing not just a building, but also creating someone’s next home. The connection to philanthropy (using your time, talent, or treasure) resonated deeply with them. The initial grant, seed-funded by OtterCares, was approximately $10,000, and the funds were used to purchase trusses for the house’s construction. The educators started a nonprofit and subsequently expanded the program to over 1,000 schools in the US.

Another example of this is the nonprofit Engineering Brightness, which was established by an educator who was inspired by students’ desire to solve light poverty. Students learn STEM principles as they connect with children in other countries and build solar-powered lanterns tailored to their specific needs.

Project Heart is another example. This philanthropy program was created in 2016 for educators and youth program providers. The website serves as a digital hub where educators and youth program providers can inspire one another with ideas to integrate the language and experience of philanthropy into their learning environments. Our dream is to create a movement of philanthropy in the next generation!

Internally at Otterbox, we serve as the connection point of nonprofits to employees. Consistently, our corporate engagement rate of employees volunteering is over 90%. Last year, 96% of OtterBox employees volunteered for at least one hour, with an average of 18 hours per employee. We also facilitate closed2open, a day where Otterbox closes all doors and all employees open their hearts to their community, volunteering for the day. You can watch a recap video of our 2025 closed2open and see the incredible stories and moments including:

• 540 Otter employees volunteered across 13 countries and 4 continents
• 4,320 total hours contributed
• $144,677 in estimated value delivered to nonprofits
• 31 in-person projects in Northern Colorado, 42 remote projects, and 4 virtual collaborations

What would you want other philanthropists to know about your work?
Educators and youth program providers inspire us, and to best understand what they hope to achieve, building a relationship and seeing their work and impact is extremely important! Most educators aren’t great at writing grants, so seeking to understand is vital to us. We fund in a small geographic footprint, so knowing who we are investing in and the ideas they have is significant. It also allows us to connect like-minded grantees and grow the impact of the dollars we invest in them.

We would like to thank the OtterCares Foundation for sharing their story with us! Plus, keep an eye out for part two of this interview! To learn more, visit ottercares.org.

Have a Foundation Source story you’d like to share?
Write to us at marketing@foundationsource.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!

Want to learn more about the ways we support private foundations?
Whether you are looking for support for your existing foundation or want to create a private foundation, our philanthropic specialists are here to help. To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.

The post Setting Students Up For Success: A Conversation with The OtterCares Foundation appeared first on Foundation Source.

#1: Expanded Excise Tax on High Compensation. The bill amends Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 4960, expanding the 21% excise tax on compensation exceeding $1 million. Previously, under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this tax applied only to the five highest-compensated employees of a tax-exempt organization, current or former, with liability allocated proportionally among the exempt entity and related organizations via Form 4720. Starting in 2026, the tax will cover all employees—current or former—of the tax-exempt organization earning over $1 million who were employees during any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2016. This means that tax-exempt organizations must now review compensation records from 2017 and onward to identify any current or former employees paid over $1 million, even if they weren’t among the top five earners in such past years.

For example, a retired executive receiving a $1.2 million deferred payout from a related for-profit subsidiary would trigger the tax, with the subsidiary liable for its share on the $200,000 excess. This broader scope could increase compliance costs and push nonprofits to restructure compensation to avoid tax liability. Advisors should review compensation agreements and related-entity structures to mitigate exposure.

#2: Charitable Deduction Changes. The bill reshapes charitable deductions for individuals and corporations. For individuals, it establishes a permanent above-the-line deduction for non-itemizers, capped at $1,000 ($2,000 for joint filers), encouraging modest giving among the roughly 90% of filers who don’t itemize.

For itemizers, a new 0.5% floor on adjusted gross income (AGI) applies, meaning only contributions exceeding this threshold are deductible. Carryforwards are also allowed only if this 0.5% floor is met.

The 60% AGI limit for cash contributions to public charities is made permanent, preserving incentives for larger donations. However, the tax benefit for itemized deductions is capped at 35 cents per dollar, down from 37 cents for top-bracket taxpayers, slightly reducing high-earner incentives.

For corporations, a 1% floor on taxable income is imposed, so only contributions exceeding this threshold are deductible, up to the existing 10% limit. Independent Sector estimates this could reduce corporate charitable giving by approximately $4.5 billion annually, straining nonprofit budgets, particularly for smaller organizations.

A new nonrefundable tax credit of up to $1,700, starting in 2027, applies to donations to organizations granting scholarships to private or religious K-12 schools, potentially diverting funds from broader charitable causes.

Ready To See The Rest of the List?
Check out the complete resource.

Learn More About How We Support Advisors
Schedule a call or reach us at 800-839-0054 to learn how we can best support your clients who are passionate about philanthropy. Together, let’s #begiving.

The post 4 Key Tax Changes for Exempt Organizations: Help Your Clients Navigate The OBBB’s Complex Landscape appeared first on Foundation Source.

Successful change isn’t about technology alone—it’s about empowering people to work better, smarter, and more collaboratively. Whether you’re rolling out a new CRM or rethinking your grantmaking system or processes, the “Ps and Qs Framework” helps you manage change with intention and drive a deeper alignment between people, purpose, and process. Philanthropy technology, aka PhilTech, applications can ease and facilitate connections across the various participants in the philanthropic ecosystem, including donors, nonprofits and advisors.

To help grantmaking organizations prepare for change, we have created a simple framework to help them better understand their organizational context. When we reflect, align and plan before diving into technology implementation, we position ourselves for a better return on the investment of time and money and open the door for greater impact. Here’s how it works:

Start with the Ps: 5 Key Pillars of Change
Each “P” represents a core element of your change management strategy:

• Purpose – Why are you making this change? What is your vision for success?
• Problem – What specific issue or challenge are you solving for?
• People – Who will be impacted? Who needs to be engaged, heard, and supported?
• P-Essentials – What current workflows, rules, or routines will be affected? What tools, functions or technologies will enable the change?
• Partners – Who can you rely on to champion, implement, or support this change?

Now Ask the Qs: Clarifying Questions to Guide the Journey
Each “Q” aligns with a corresponding “P” to help you think through the change more intentionally:

1. What is your purpose?
   Define the “why” behind your change. It is important to anchor your change strategy in your mission, your values, and the outcomes you hope to achieve. This is your guiding north star. Stay focused on it.
2. What is the problem you want to solve?
   Avoid vague goals: knowing what you want to do and why will ensure your team is fully aligned. It is essential to articulate the challenge clearly and connect it to a specific pain point or new opportunity. If you’re looking to create new functionality, add services or address a need, consider completing the following sentence: “I need/want to [achieve something].” Connecting the challenge to the outcome will help you stay focused on what is important for the change to be impactful. This is also how you will “make the case” for change clear and compelling.
3. Who are the people involved, and what are their needs?
   Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Successful philanthropy involves collaboration across multiple people: givers, their advisors, nonprofits, their advisors, and so on. At the heart of it, your “change strategy” is essentially a “people strategy.” Map your stakeholders—internal and external—and consider how the change will affect them. Understanding their motivations and needs and knowing how they like to receive information will be key to your success.
4. What processes, policies, or procedures will be impacted? What functions do you need?
   Look at what needs to evolve. Start with mapping your current-state operational workflows and procedures. A shared awareness of where you are starting from and where you’re going will help you identify gaps.
   If there are policies related to the impacted processes, now is the time to review them. If you don’t have a policy but need one, TAG has numerous examples in its Knowledge Center from peers and other grantmaking organizations.
   Identify functional requirements tied to the problem you’re solving. Hint: when collecting your requirements, if you do so with the user and the function in mind you will have a head start on drafting your user stories: “As a [role], I want to [do something].”
5. Who will be your partners in supporting the change?
   In order for your change to stick, you need to consider how to support and reinforce that change. Identify internal champions, external experts, and trusted collaborators who can partner with you to build the conditions for success: the awareness, the desire and the ability to change.

The challenges and pitfalls organizations encounter when adopting new tech are rarely about the technology itself. Without creating a shared vision for success that addresses the needs of all the humans involved and what they need to understand to adapt to the change, grantmaking organizations will not and cannot be successful.

You can find additional resources from TAG’s website by visiting tagtech.org.

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The Technology Association of Grantmakers is a nonprofit member organization that promotes the power of technology to advance the goals of the philanthropic sector.

About The Author
Jean Westrick is the Executive Director of the Technology Association of Grantmakers, a nonprofit organization that cultivates the strategic, equitable, and innovative use of technology in philanthropy. Westrick brings two decades of experience building communities, leveraging technology, and leading innovative and programmatic strategies. Prior to being named Executive Director of TAG, Westrick was the Director of IT Strategy and Communications at The Chicago Community Trust where she led change management efforts for the foundation’s $6M digital transformation initiative. Also, while at The Trust, Westrick directed On the Table, an award-winning engagement model designed to inspire resident action that was replicated in 30 cities nationwide. A longtime advocate for equity in STEM education, expanding technology access and increasing science literacy, Westrick holds a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University and a Master of Science from DePaul University.

The post The Ps and Qs Framework: How Your Grantmaking Organization Can Manage Change with Intention and Drive Deeper Alignment appeared first on Foundation Source.

We’re also excited to share that Foundation Source won in another category: Thought Leadership (Americas). These awards recognize Foundation Source’s powerful combination of modern, cloud-based platforms and professional services, including specialized administrative, compliance, tax, and program guidance that enables our firm to provide comprehensive philanthropic support at scale. It also underscores the value of innovative and dedicated leadership.

At the heart of this evolution is a commitment to making charitable giving more accessible, efficient, and impactful. From private foundations to donor-advised funds and planned giving, Foundation Source now offers a comprehensive suite of technology, administrative, and philanthropic consulting services. These solutions are designed to support professional advisors in helping their clients align their wealth with their values—driving social good in ways that matter most to them.

This award is a testament not only to Mr. Mrak’s leadership but also to the dedication of our entire team. Together, we’re redefining how philanthropy fits into the broader wealth management ecosystem.

To learn more about this recognition and our continued innovation, read the full press release.

We’re On a Roll!
For the second year in a row, Foundation Source has been named as a finalist in the Philanthropy category for leveraging PhilTech at the Wealth Management Industry Awards. Check out the full list of all the finalists. The awards ceremony will be held on on Thursday, September 4th at Cipriani in New York City. Congratulations to all of the finalists!

Learn More About How We Support Advisors
Schedule a call or reach us at 800-839-0054 to learn how we can best support your clients who are passionate about philanthropy. Together, let’s #begiving.

The post Celebrating Leadership in Innovation: Joseph Mrak III Wins WealthBriefing’s 2025 Wealth for Good Award appeared first on Foundation Source.

To learn more read the full report.

Total Giving
Total estimated charitable giving in the United States reached just over $592 billion in 2024. What’s more, total giving grew by 6.3 percent between 2023 and 2024 in current dollars (3.3 percent when adjusted for inflation). This was led by individual and corporate giving and fueled by a strong stock market and GDP growth.

Giving by individuals totaled just over an estimated $392 billion, growing 8.2 percent in 2024. This is a growth of 5.1 percent when adjusted for inflation.

“Despite uncertainty in the market, economy, and the political environment, Americans continue to be generous and committed to giving back,” said National Philanthropy Executive Gillian Howell. “Individual donors are particularly energized – a trend that we expect to grow as  younger generations passionate about grassroots social change harness more financial power. The development of modern tools and resources is also making it increasingly easy and cost-efficient for individuals to give. Nonprofits are leveraging technology that enables features like automated transactions, electronic grant delivery, and intuitive real-time dashboards for funders to seamlessly monitor giving activity alongside investments.”

Foundation Giving
Charitable giving by foundations also grew between 2023 and 2024—in this case by 2.4 percent, reaching an estimated total of just over $109 billion in 2024. When adjusted for inflation, foundation giving stayed flat at 0.5 percent between 2023 and 2024.

Giving by foundations includes grants made by independent, community and operating foundations, and amounted to 19 percent of all gifts made in 2024 (the exact same figure we saw in 2023). Giving by individuals represented the largest contribution by source at 66 percent.

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Giving
One of the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicles are DAFs. In fact, according to the report, DAFs are now driving a growing percentage of individual giving as donors are looking for new ways to give. DAFs serve as a strategic giving tool that is simple and streamlined to use, making it easy for donors to contribute more, efficiently fueling overall charitable giving.

Who Received The Most Contributions?
Religious organizations once again received the largest share of charitable dollars in 2024, at 23 percent of total giving (down just 1 percent from 2023). Human services organizations made up the second-largest portion in total gifts received at 14 percent of the total in 2024—the same percentage as 2023.

What’s Ahead For Giving?
This was the first time in three years that total giving outpaced inflation, which peaked in 2022 and has been declining since—another factor that supports consumer confidence and discretionary spending. What’s more, growth in total giving in 2024 was similar to the 40-year averages – 5.5% in current dollars (2.7% adjusted for inflation). So, while “uncertainty” may feel like the new normal, this data signals a positive year aligned with long-term trends.

As always, our experts continue to watch the charitable sector carefully, including the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which introduces changes that will impact tax-exempt organizations and charitable giving. The implications for the charitable sector are still unclear and the bill’s complexity underscores the need for proactive planning to sustain the charitable sector’s vitality. We recommend working proactively with your advisor to successfully navigate these rules.

No matter what the future brings, we’ll be here doing our part to serve and support the philanthropic sector with modern giving solutions.

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The post From Foundations to DAFs: Key Takeaways From Giving USA’s 2025 Report on Philanthropy appeared first on Foundation Source.

In short? Their report found that most families are deeply concerned when it comes to ensuring their wealth has a positive impact on the next generations.

For instance, almost half of the respondents want to see their wealth invested well, while 35% note it is important to maintain family unity. And almost one quarter want to establish a positive legacy and avoid entitlement.

Check out the full report.

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Today’s leading advisors are tapping into our subject matter experts to propel their practice with philanthropy. There are a few simple ways you can stay at the forefront:

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The post Wealthy Families Are Looking to Their Advisors to Help Them Examine the Societal Impact of Their Fortunes appeared first on Foundation Source.

Can you tell us about AtlasDaughters?
AtlasDaughters cultivates transformative journeys for mothers and their children to fuel philanthropy in innovative nonprofit work— inspiring giving and empowering the next generation of change agents. It is a social venture, which was born out of all my philanthropic work. We’re on a fearless mission to move significant capital into the hands of women who are leading innovative solutions for human and planetary health. We are dedicated to delivering impeccable trip curation, multi-generational learning, and high-end touches, while our nonprofit partners offer us unprecedented access to opportunities that will transform their regions once capital is unlocked.

How does the Marks Family Foundation support AtlasDaughters?
The foundation, which is managed by Foundation Source, gives grants to all of the AtlasDaughters non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, investing in these important projects while also educating the next generation about global impact. We use the Marks family Foundation to deliver grants to each of our NGO partners that AtlasDaughters works with because I feel strongly that giving is led by women. I’m the first to check in, and then I bring my daughter in and ask other families to join me. So, we invest in all those nonprofits as well, which are related to the foundation.

What inspired you to start AtlasDaughters?
It was inspired by a field journey I took to Zimbabwe with my daughter, Ruby, and my mother in the spring of 2023. I wanted to bring my daughter into my world of philanthropy, and I experienced her blossom into a global traveler who contemplates global challenges and her ability to contribute to meaningful change. Spending a day with her peer kindergarten class at a school in the middle of Harare was a transformational experience for her. She learned how solar electricity works, witnessed a birth in a rural health clinic, and even helped with a solar panel installation. When we returned, I sat in the back of a crowded room as I watched her give a 45-minute presentation to her school all by herself on her experience in Zimbabwe. She was 6 years old at the time. We revel almost weekly on the beautiful memories we created together and today, a philanthropist is emerging. She understands intrinsically the work that her mother does in philanthropy and she wants to be involved.

How does AtlasDaughters approach intergenerational philanthropy and why do you think it’s so important?
I’m so passionate about intergenerational philanthropy and how we can show up, create, and give back together as families. AtlasDaughters is dedicated to teaching the next generation of philanthropists and ensuring everyone has a spectacular experience along the way. We believe in you, your children, and our collective power to drive significant impact with the next generation of change agents and for families and communities around the world. I personally have so many peers of young moms with school-age children that are already exercising philanthropy in various ways and it’s no longer something people think about as a “legacy” and when they get older in life. I see so many people with school-age children and there’s just so many ways that they can create impact and do meaningful things together.

What gaps have you seen when it comes to fostering intergenerational philanthropy and how are you approaching this?
My role in the family foundation is self-taught. As I was educating myself and taking next-generation courses, I noticed that the educational resources available are really geared towards adults of wealthy families and not towards kids. So, I just knew I had to create something that would give kids a seat at the table. For instance, we have a whole curriculum on global impact, and I host workshops for families. I redeveloped all of this global impact and philanthropy work in a way that’s simplified and palatable for kids to understand because it didn’t exist.

What cause(s) are you passionate about?
The Marks Family Foundation was started by my parents and as the next generation, I run the foundation. Since we don’t have any staff, I have a lot of agency within my family to direct some of the issue areas and where we give. We also still offer some of the original interests of my parents, but for me personally, I feel strongly about investing through a gender lens with women and girls. Not as a giving area, but as a giving lens. We fund various causes around education, music in the arts, healthcare, and disease research. But whatever vertical it is, I’m always looking at that from a female lens and asking, well, how are women and girls inadvertently affected by these causes that we care about as a family, and are there specific areas that we can dive into and fund that will help close the gap?

In terms of your current projects and initiatives, do you have anything that you’re particularly excited about?
I’m looking forward to our inaugural AtlasDaughters trip to Samoa. We are collaborating with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, on the Greater Good Diaper Project. The Marks Family Foundation founded the pilot for this project that focuses on eradicating plastic diapers, which account for nearly one third of plastic waste in the region by implementing a compostable diaper solution. This initiative not only addresses waste management but also creates employment opportunities for women in Samoa.

Can you tell us about a time when you were able to see the impact of your giving?
One that comes to mind is related to AtlasDaughters and my experience of getting involved with the family foundation and learning about philanthropy. My mom, my daughter, and I went to Zimbabwe to see the project work that we were doing with an organization based out of California called We Care Solar, which delivers life-saving electricity to rural birthing clinics across Africa. In some of these geographies, women would have to go with candles or kerosene to light their birth because there is no electricity. Imagine being in labor and walking three hours to the nearest birthing center, and then getting turned away because you don’t have a safe way to deliver your baby by providing your own light. Our family invested in bringing solar electricity to all of Zimbabwe. And we went there on a trip with my mom and daughter, there were three generations who were learning and seeing the impact of literally bringing light to every birthing center. We visited the communities that were celebrating light for the first time, and seeing the impact of what our foundation had done was a monumental moment for me and the inspiration for starting AtlasDaughters.

Do you have any advice for people who might be thinking about starting their own private foundation or maybe a social venture like you have?
Start. Just start. Some philanthropists are holding back their charitable intentions due to fear of making mistakes, but the moment to help is now. While we may be facing uncertain times, there is a lot of paralysis around spending and not getting it right, and the only way to figure out your philanthropic path is to find the causes that you like and the things that you care about and just start doing it. Start learning as much as you possibly can. You’ll make mistakes and that’s okay because you learn from them. Also, if you’re young and still working, there’s no reason to hold your money captive because they’ll be more down the line—you’ll continue to generate income and there’s never a better time than yesterday or now. Problems are not going to get easier to solve in the future. There’s just going to be new ones.

What has your experience been like working with Foundation Source?
Foundation Source has been immensely helpful to me because I’m a one-woman show managing the foundation. Just the administrative aspect of dealing with all the grants can be burdensome. I also run AtlasDaughters, have a venture fund, and three kids, so I’m just busy. Prior to Foundation Source, it had been difficult for me to figure out what I can and can’t do with the foundation, but now I feel supported with the team of resources. I feel like if there is a will, there is a way, and I feel supported!

We’d like to thank Amy for sharing her story with us! If you would like to learn more, visit the Marks Family Foundation at marksfamilyfdn.org and AtlasDaughters at atlasdaughters.com

Have a Foundation Source story you’d like to share?
Write to us at marketing@foundationsource.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!

Want to learn more about the ways we support private foundations?
Whether you are looking for support for your existing foundation or want to create a private foundation, our philanthropic specialists are here to help. To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.

The post Giving Kids a Seat at the Table: The Marks Family Foundation Shares Their Insights on Intergenerational Philanthropy appeared first on Foundation Source.