The Catalytic Philanthropy Podcast

Over the course of 12 years, the Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation in Hawai'i convened a group of organizations working in a new approach to education focused on the environment. Over time, the foundation and its partners nurtured and developed this emerging field through peer learning, developing different models of program delivery, and demonstrating impact. Organizations around the state are taking no...

Catalytic funders work to understand the ecosystem of their issue or community. They find out what grantees need to perform well and be strong and sustainable. Doug Bauer talks about how listening also allows him to understand the relationship between the nonprofit and public sectors in New York State, and how engaging with diverse organizations connects him to this big ecosystem. By engaging cons...

A powerful thing happens when philanthropists demonstrate humility through listening and respect - they earn trust. Trust allows funders to learn how they can support grantees to do bold, ambitious work. Trust also builds relationships with partners who are essential to advocacy and systems change. Phil Li, one of the country's foremost champions of a trust-based approach to philanthropy, explores...

Small, place-based foundations are uniquely positioned to make change in the policy arena. In this three-part Podcast, Michael Weinberg chronicles the Thornburg Foundation's move into advocacy, the first steps, the unfolding journey, and what the advocacy coalition ended up accomplishing, which surpassed expectations. Michael explores how successful advocacy work is grounded in research and data,...

The Gifford Foundation is small, but its dedication to listening gives it a very big presence in Syracuse, New York. Executive Director Sheena Solomon sees listening to community members and building trust as a mindset; she calls it "Proximity." Proximity empowers Sheena and her staff to be better at the capacity building work they specialize in. Sheena wants to know what nonprofits' real needs ar...

A challenge for people with promising ideas is to have someone believe in their work and offer the first grant. Philanthropy has the freedom to provide this risk capital, and small foundations excel in early-stage funding, backing ideas that later attract the attention of large foundations and government. Meet a small funder whose purpose is to find creative entrepreneurs in the environmental and...

A challenge for people with promising ideas is to have someone believe in their work and offer the first grant. Philanthropy has the freedom to provide this risk capital, and small foundations excel in early-stage funding, backing ideas that later attract the attention of large foundations and government. Meet a small funder whose purpose is to find creative entrepreneurs in the environmental and...

Small foundations have the agility and openness to make bets on new ideas and mavericks, and help revitalize entire fields -- while unleashing creativity and sparking new collaborations. Meet a funder who became so knowledgeable about their field, that they could see the potential of a completely new way to do the work. Mary talks about the power of this "Insider/Outsider" role, and how her founda...