Knowledge, Research & Innovation Effective Nonprofits & Philanthropy
Getting Better at Doing and Giving for Good
Bermuda | Cuba | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | South Africa | United States
To help build a more effective nonprofit and philanthropic sector, Atlantic’s grantmaking contributed to improving the use of data, bolstered scholarship and strengthened infrastructure institutions.
Grants also supported efforts to promote standards of excellence, make better information available about charities to the general public, and to encourage sharing of information and resources among nonprofit organizations.
Adding More Tools to the Toolbox
Atlantic helped undergird the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors with stronger systems of research, analysis and information exchange.
Networking That Works
Networking is an effective way to share information about operational effectiveness. Atlantic’s support for the National Council of Nonprofits helped cross-fertilize the work of member groups of 37 state and regional association of nonprofits.
Filling the Knowledge Gap
Support from Atlantic to leading research institutions, such as Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, helped improve the amount, quality and circulation of information about the nonprofit sector and its operations.
Providing Good Guidance
Atlantic supported the Urban Institute and GuideStar to create an online database of IRS Form 990s that foundations, scholars, practitioners and the public could use to research individual nonprofits they might want to support.
Here’s Who’s Helping Write the Next Chapter in This Continuing Story
Summaries of Case Studies, Evaluations & Reports
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What Ambitious Donors Can Learn From The Atlantic Philanthropies’ Experience Making Big Bets
Source: The Bridgespan Group
This report analyzes 25 of Atlantic’s “big bet” grants—those over $10 million or more to a single organization or focused initiative—and highlights impact and lessons. The report also discusses what worked and some of the challenges the foundation, its grantees and partners faced. Atlantic President…
Resource type: Research Report
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Value, Time, and Time-Limited Philanthropy
Source: Tony Proscio, Duke Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society
Leaders of limited-life foundations often assert that spending all of their resources in a relatively short period gives them the ability to do more good, to produce more social value, than if they were to hold the same resources in a lasting endowment and disburse…
Resource type: Research Report
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Sustainable Models of Practice and Legacy Effects
Source: Queen's University Belfast
How can grantees sustain the impact of their work — especially after their funding ends? This series of research reports identifies sustainability practices and skills that have enabled Atlantic’s grantees in Northern Ireland to continue their work after the foundation ceased funding their operations. The reports draw on the experiences of organizations…
Resource type: Research Report
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The Foundations of Civil Society
Source: Tony Proscio
This report presents findings from a review of Atlantic’s grantmaking between 1984-2001 to support the fields of nonprofits, philanthropy, and volunteering in the United States. Author Tony Proscio interviewed some three dozen nonprofit scholars and practitioners to gather their insights and observations about how Atlantic’s…
Resource type: Research Report
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