Lessons in Philanthropy: Types of Foundations

By: Nathaniel
Nathaniel is a participant in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Evanston location.

The ELP Evanston class sharing why they are Catalysts for Good.


My name is Nathaniel in the AfG Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy, and I will talk to you to say about community foundations. Foundations are non profits. A non profit is a establishment not for profit. There are many foundations such community foundation which I will be covering today, corporate foundation, family foundation, independent foundation, operating foundation, and a private foundation.



"I am a Catalyst for Good because...
I will save endangered puppies and animals."
- Nathaniel
A community foundation is a organization that helps a certain community or a religion. Money is taken from endowments and uses to make grants that will sever the community. I was surprised that the Bill and the Melinda Gates wasn't a family foundation but instead a private foundation because the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non governmental, non profit dedicated to help people and making scholarships and grants to people and companies that will help/change  the world. The activity  taught me the grant making process how people applied for grants and how companies divides and then decides to pay the full grant or pay for a part of the grant or veto the grant entirely. Evanston has a community foundation called The Evanston Community Foundation or ECF for short. Evanston can thrive by making grants to certain people or companies that are dedicated to Evanston and its people.These people and companies can sponsor activities that help the community by cleaning up the streets or doing a bake sale that the money is donated to Evanston. That money can be used to fixed the parks in Evanston, make sure that public spaces are a safe environment, clean up the neighborhoods around ETHS. There is a lot to do to help Evanston thrive, but it will happen and Evanston will remain to be a great suburb.