The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking: How Foundations Find, Fund, and Manage Effective Programs

Setting Grantmaking Priorities

“No people,” observed Mandell Creighton, “do so much harm as those who go about doing good.” While Mr. Creighton was undoubtedly exaggerating in order to make a point (Joe Stalin, for example, probably did more harm than even the most avid do-gooder), there is more than a little truth to this remark. Foundations that have not bothered to set goals for their funding—or those that have, but have decided not to share them with the grantseeking public—comprise an excellent example of Mr. Creighton's point. Foundations can waste buckets of their own money—and hours of grantseeker time—if they have not firmly set their priorities for social change and clearly communicated these priorities to the public.

It is obvious ...