1. Northern California Grantmakers Values-Based Grantmaking Practice
Miriam Billinger, Program Finance Officer

2. Who We Are Founded November 2000 Endowment of $6.6 billion
Awarded 2,900 grants totaling $4.1 billion in commitments
2019 grant budget of $296 million
Average* grant term is 2 years
Average* grant size is $1.1 million
*Five year average
Founded 2000
Endowment of $6.6B
Awarded 2900 totaling $4.1B
$300M annual grantmaking budget
Term 2 years
Size 1.1M
~300 grants/year

3. Environmental Conservation
What we fund
Tackle large, important issues at a scale where we can achieve significant and measureable impacts.
Environmental Conservation
Science
Patient Care
San Francisco Bay Area

4. Grant Practice

5. Guiding Documents
“If we are successful, the key principles, policies and practices outlined here will bring alignment from the intention of our founders, to the decisions of the board, to the choices of staff and the actions of grantees.”
2 sources what and how
External = 2015 articulates our founders vision for the foundation.
Internal – 2018 practical guidelines and expectations for how we strive to fulfill the foundation’s mission
Balance
Specific and Flexible
Embracing our desire to make long-term commitments and recognizing that change is a healthy and necessary part of creating impact
Respecting a diversity of opinion, while creating foundation-wide alignment

6. Program Finance
My part of the grantmaking puzzle
Program Finance

7. MISSION MONEY PF in GA Intersection financial lens
strategic approach to grantmaking
Strong focus on outcomes, measurement, and durable impact.
Work w/ PO and Grantees 2 focus areas:
1)Grantee financial ecosystem- current, during, after how financially healthy and resilient are our grantees?
2) the grant budget: Are we providing the right amount of resources at the right time to achieve outcomes.
Tailor
Evolved practice Field receptive
credit check vs getting to know you

8. What’s in a budget? What’s NOT in a budget?
Many lessons learned from NFF
Grantee sustainability
Grantee financial resilience
Consult and training with program officers and technical assistance with grantees to
Identify Financial Risk to outcomes
Financial Risk to organizations

9. Alignment This is hard Still learning
Guidance is specific and flexible – we have detailed, multi-year grant budget that we modify all the time
Long-term commitments in the form of 5-10 year initiatives, but our average grant term is 2 years.
Financial sustainability takes time.
We don’t’ solve this – but 1st step = identify
Respecting a diversity of opinion, while creating foundation-wide alignment. I work with individuals and do a lot of training to attempt alignment.