In an Ecosystem of Trust, the Possibilities Are Endless

I spent a good part of my career working on the grant seeking side of the equation, where I went through all the hoops of funding cycles.

Opinion: The next generation of nonprofit workers are demanding more for themselves, and we should support them

They should be set up to do meaningful work that helps repair the world, while still living whole, happy, joyful lives.

We’re here to clear the air on what trust-based philanthropy is and what it isn’t

Recent pieces in Alliance magazine have attempted to poke holes in trust-based philanthropy, the approach to giving that is being increasingly recognized as a strategy to address the inherent power dynamics between funders and nonprofit organizations.

Trust-Based PhilanthropyCarrie Avery, Philip Li, and Brenda SolorzanoApril 25, 2022Alliance Magazine, Durfee Foundation, The Whitman Institute., Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Headwaters Foundation, Trust-Based PhilanthropyComment

Setting up your nonprofit the way you play with LEGOs

I’ve had a Harry Potter LEGO castle in the corner of my living room for about a decade.

Pandemic Reflections, Two Years On

COVID-19. It feels like it became COVID-20, then COVID-21, and now COVID-22.

Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Leaders, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Trust-Based PhilanthropyPhilip LiMarch 21, 2022COVID-19, community, Covid-19, racial injustice, social and systems-level change work, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Trust-Based Philanthropy, democracy, leadership, pandemic, Foundation, foundation, Funding, grantmaking, grantee, Grants, governance, Genral Operating Grants, human rights, philanthropy, charity, philanthropic sector, social justice, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., money, impact, Endowments, New Year, NYC, nonprofit leadership, organizations, power, social impact, nonrofit, social change, board members, expertise, equity, trust, systemic racism, time, trust-based philanthropyComment

Opinion: Nonprofit leaders, like everyone else, are scared and tired during these difficult times

I have had the word ‘grace’ rattling around my brain a lot these days.

A Leadership Lesson from Ukraine

In 1990, I traveled to the USSR including Ukraine, which was still a republic of the Soviet Union (and St Petersburg was known as Leningrad).

Getting to Know You Series: Meet Marissa Martin of The Advocacy Institute

Elisabeth Rapport (ER): Tell me a bit about your professional background and what led you to The Advocacy Institute.

Chronicle of Philanthropy, Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Face Plant, FFIS, Foundation, Getting to Know You, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Trust-Based PhilanthropyElisabeth RapportFebruary 15, 2022Foundation, pandemic, racial injustice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, COVID-19, community, charity, democracy, Endowments, Funding, leadership, funding collaboratives, foundation, Covid-19, equity, Networks, Getting to know you, General Operating, Genral Operating Grants, expertise, New Year, New York City, human rights, philanthropy, philanthropic sector, impact, time, social justice, grantmaking, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., Sterling Network NYC, Social Network Analysis, social and systems-level change work, money, Racism, systemic racism, Asian Americans for Equality, anti-Asian Racism, nonrofit, NYC, Grants, grantee, organizations, power, post covid, board members, social impact, governance, social change, Trust-Based Philanthropy, trustComment

The genetic code linking violence toward Asian Americans and the murder of George Floyd

Prejudice against Asian-Americans is nothing new. Sadly it is as American as apple pie and Jim Crow.

Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyRev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, President of Auburn Seminary and Cathy Kim, Board Member, Asian Americans for EqualityFebruary 7, 2022anti-Asian Racism, Asian Americans for Equality, pandemic, racial injustice, Racism, grantmaking, grantee, power, peace building, philanthropic sector, philanthropy, impact, post covid, Prejudice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Networks, New Year, NYC, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., nonrofit, COVID-19, community, democracy, equity, Foundation, governance, social justice, Sterling Network NYC, leadership, human rights, organizations, social impact, trustComment

A nonprofit thought leader’s resolutions for a new year: To follow and to fail

Although the New Year came in without much fanfare, amidst the pandemic and uncertainty, I did make a few resolutions that will guide how I do my work and live my life this year.

New Year, New You? This Year, Perhaps, Yes.

2022 is here. It came in quietly, at least in my corner of the world.

Robert Sterling Clark, Philanthropy, Philanthropic Sector, Nonprofit Sector, Foundation, Leadership, New York City LeadershipPhilip LiJanuary 11, 20222022, New Year, philanthropy, philanthropic sector, Trust-Based Philanthropy, Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark FoundationComment

2022 Is the Year for Grant Makers to Stop Talking and Start Doing

I keep two Post-its on the wall behind my computer where I can see them while on Zoom calls.

Lisa Pilar CowanDecember 21, 2021Comment

A Return to "IRL" Adventures

Back with people again, IRL. In real life. Last month I presented at two conferences (who knew that these would actually happen in 2021?!).

Philip LiDecember 8, 2021Comment

Getting to Know You Series: Meet Daniel McPhee of Urban Design Forum

Elisabeth Rapport (ER): Tell me a bit about your professional background and what led you to the Urban Design Forum.

Elisabeth RapportNovember 22, 2021Comment

A View from the Ropes Course

Earlier this fall, I was at an Outward Bound reunion that brought a group of us together to catch up, reminisce, and think about moments and ways in which that experience has informed our work and lives in the (many) years since we ventured into the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota…

Philip LiNovember 10, 2021Comment

Getting to Know You Series: Meet Jasmine Gripper of the Alliance for Quality Education

Elisabeth Rapport (ER): Tell me a bit about your professional background and what led you to the Alliance for Quality Education.

Elisabeth RapportOctober 21, 2021Comment

Organizing Liberatory Networks: An Invitation

These are emerging reflections on the work we have done within networks, which includes networks for and led by people of color, multi-racial networks, queer networks, immigrant networks, and other groups that have come together to shift systems towards equity and liberation.

Susan Misra, Trish Adobea Tchume, Robin Katcher, Natalie Bamdad, Natasha WinegarOctober 11, 2021Comment

Remembering John Hoyt Stookey

The Board of Directors of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation pays tribute to an extraordinary fellow member, John Hoyt Stookey, who died on January 31, 2021.

Paul DolanSeptember 27, 2021Comment

New Report from the Monitor Institute by Deloitte Explores What's Next for Philanthropy in the 2020s

The report comes as a result of a thorough 18-month research process, including interviews with 200+ philanthropy executives, professionals, donors, board members, experts, and grantees.

Elisabeth RapportSeptember 17, 2021Comment