Links to Donor Networks
Below are links to an inspiring variety of donor networks. . We encourage you to take time to explore the links and get a sense of what groups are out there.
Some Key Differences
Membership: Many of the networks here serve only individual donors. Some, however, also serve institutional grantmakers.
Focus: Donor networks tend to focus on two or three of these different areas of focus:
- Personal support: to provide a safe place to explore the personal issues of wealth (e.g. how money affects identity, relationships, life purpose, lifestyle...)
- Philanthropy education: to give guidance and practice on becoming a strategic funder
- Identity support: to bring people with wealth together around commonalities such as gender, age, sexual orientation, and religion
- Interest-area education: to help members gain expertise in a specific cause (e.g. environment, community development, media, ending poverty)
- Ideological perspective: to attract people who share a set of key common values
- Collective action: to take action together as a group (e.g. to pool funding, to advocate about public policy)
List of Networks
The following list is not exhaustive. The one-phrase descriptions are just to help you to begin to sort among groups you may not be familiar with-- they can’t capture the richness of each group’s programs and mission!
- Association of Small Foundations: educational network of foundations with few or no staff
- Council on Foundations:
- Affininity Groups in Philanthropy: philanthropy education by identity and interest area
- Family Foundations Program: education for family foundation members and trustees
- Environmental Grantmakers Association: for individual and institutional environmental funders
- Gill Foundation: for funders of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues
- Global Philanthropists Circle: wealthy philanthropic families from around the globe funding anti-poverty and development initiatives
- Grantmakers without Borders: education on being an international social justice grantmaker
- Jewish Funders Network: personal and philanthropic issues of being Jewish and a grantmaker
- National Network of Grantmakers: institutional and individual social justice grantmakers
- Network for Social Change: donors primarily in the U.K. supporting positive social and ecological change.
- Rachel's Network: women committed to environmental giving and activism
- Resource Generation: people with wealth age 15-35 who are interested in progressive social change
- Responsible Wealth: taking action on policies to lessen the gap between rich and poor
- Philanthropy Workshop: year-long training in strategic philanthropy for major individual donors
- Social Venture Partners: supporting local nonprofits through pooled giving and volunteering
- Threshold Foundation: a community of support and a pooled foundation for a more just, sustainable world
- Wealth and Giving Forum: a network of very high net worth philanthropic families
- Women Donors Network: for women giving $25,000 or more a year to social change
- Women's Perspective on Money & Spirituality: for women with wealth linking money and spiritual values
- Youth Jams: young people seeking to use their substantial money and influence to make change and deeply explore class and social change.