From Values to Action: Evolving Practices in Family Giving

At a recent convening hosted by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, more than 50 family foundations—including Jewish family foundations—gathered to exchange bold ideas and practical strategies to strengthen their giving. The event highlighted a shared desire to deepen impact, foster connection, and give with greater intention. 

Featured panelists Mieka Wick, CEO of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and David Daniels, President and CEO of the Bainum Family Foundation, offered valuable insights into how families are evolving their philanthropic practices to meet the moment.  

Here are five standout approaches families are using to being more purpose and clarity to their giving.  

1. Align on Values
   We know that families believe in the importance of grounding their work in shared values and in aligning across generations on what drives their giving. While this often happens informally, today’s diverse perspectives make it especially important to create intentional space to reflect on the unique values and identities each member holds. Facilitated dialogue can help surface what how each family member wants to express their Jewish identity and values, and what moves each member to give. Many donors and families emphasized the need to listen first, then act.Another powerful idea shared: create archives for future generations that preserve older generations’ stories of values and impact, along with their hopes for what will carry forward.  These testimonies—in video, audio, or written format—can help connect generations across time and ground future decisions in inherited wisdom.
2. See the Past the Entity to the Ecosystem
   Today’s challenges do not respect organizational boundaries. That’s why family foundations and Donor Advised Fund holders are moving beyond dockets of individual grantees to funding ecosystems. For example, rather than supporting a single organization focused on food insecurity, families are looking at how their investments can contribute to the broader effort to end food insecurity. This includes supporting organizations, to be sure, but also investing in policy, advocacy, collaboratives, infrastructure, and other efforts aimed at addressing root causes.This shift also means rethinking how support is structured. Increasingly, family foundations are embracing multi-year, general operating grants that provide the long-term stability nonprofits need to thrive. Some are even creating trust-based capital endowments to anchor critical institutions over time—investing in solutions, not just symptoms.
3. Get Proximate—and Stay There
   One of the most transformative trends in philanthropy is the commitment to proximity: building real relationships with grantees and the communities they serve. That means engaging in site visits, inviting grantees to board meetings, and co-creating pilot programs and new grants. Some families are even bringing issue-area experts or non-family leaders onto their boards to deepen insight and humility.Indeed, many philanthropists are finding that staying close to the work is a win-win. Listening to most affected ensures that giving is not only well-intentioned, but well-informed and well-placed.
4. Reimagine Your Payout Strategy
   More family foundations are choosing to increase their annual payout rates, treating the IRS requirement as a minimum rather than a ceiling. They are assessing the needs around them and putting their resources to work to meet the moment now. For those with the means, a greater payout can be a powerful way to align resources with urgency and practice more agile generosity.
5. Engage the Next Generation Early and Often
   To ensure legacy, start early. Whether the next generation is in high school or their twenties, it’s never too soon to begin involving them in the family’s philanthropic efforts. The key is to create thoughtful entry points. Some families offer opportunities for young members to recommend grants within a framework of the foundation’s values. Others offer matching grants for causes they care about—giving them a chance to build relationships with grantees, see impact firsthand, and learn from experience. 

For all the challenges we are facing today, family philanthropy remains a growing bright spot. As government funding retrenches and the needs grow in our Jewish community, this work will be more vital than ever. Families are moving beyond the checkbook—deepening their commitments, expanding their strategies and making a difference.

If you are interested in learning more about intergenerational giving practices, please reach out to foundation@shalomdc.org. 

To explore what giving Jewishly means to you, join our June 16th zoom learning: Rooted in Meaning – The Jewish Values Behind Our Giving.