Giving Compass' Take:

•  Talia Milgrom-Elcott, writing for Forbes, spoke with experts in the field to generate a list of ten steps for successfully funding nonprofits during COVID-19.

• Why is this a critical time for funding nonprofits? How can you make sure you're doing more harm than good in supporting nonprofits and their communities? 

• Learn more about how you should go about funding nonprofits during COVID-19.

Philanthropy: This is your moment. Businesses are facing bankruptcies and mass layoffs, with small businesses hit hardest of all. Widespread closures of nonprofits will be no different, according to industry experts. Nonprofits employ 10% of the nation’s private-sector employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and provide the key services and supports that communities depend on, from education to mental health to arts & culture and beyond.

I spent seven years at Carnegie Corporation, a national philanthropy. I now run a nonprofit and support a funders’ collaborative of almost 40 philanthropic, corporate, and family foundations, so I have perspective on both sides of the table. In moments of crisis such as these, funders are uniquely positioned to do good, or do harm.

I wanted to know what funders were doing to support their grantees and strengthen the field during this time of instability, so I spoke to some great ones: Gregg Behr of the Grable Foundation, Kim Brenneman of the Heising-Simons Foundation, Lisa Pilar Cowan of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Justine Lucas of the Clara Lionel Foundation, and Charmaine Mercer of the Hewlett Foundation. Coupled with insights from industry experts, here are ten things funders can do.

  1. Pause
  2. Make things easier by reducing reporting and other requirements
  3. Convert restricted grants to general operating
  4. Provide in-the-moment assistance on the biggest emerging challenges for existing grantees
  5. Support the field
  6. Free up new funding for immediate response
  7. Find the people closest to the work and trust them: they’re the experts!
  8. Be open to making strategic shifts
  9. Focus funding on the most marginalized
  10. Connect personally

Read the full article about funding nonprofits during COVID-19 by Talia Milgrom-Elcott at Forbes.