A client came to us with the desire to engage her six grandchildren, ages 10-20, in philanthropy. Bob Kelly worked with her to establish a family foundation in her name, giving each grandchild a seat on the board. Bob's team helped guide the grantmaking process, soliciting ideas from the grandchildren about favorite causes they wanted to support. One child was really into skateboarding. One was passionate about surfing. Another loved horses. The team helped translate the children's interests into more than $4 million in meaningful grants to charitable organizations in the U.S. and internationally.
One of our core values at BK is that grantmaking must be sustainable - we are here to ensure your money is being put to good use. In the case of this family foundation, Bob and team searched for organizations that were positioned to do the greatest amount of good before recommending them to the board. Once identified, Bob worked with prospective grantees to define achievable goals, develop sustainability plans, and establish fundraising programs to ensure the longterm success of each organization. The process continued each year, with Bob's team following up to measure the impact of each grant and report back to the board.
The amount of legwork involved was more than the founder or her grandchildren could have done on their own. But with BK's help, the young board members were able to learn the joy of philanthropy and make a lasting impact in their community while becoming closer as a family.
