Client Experience

Mead Family Foundation

Bringing on the next generation can be incredibly fun and rewarding. The Mead Family Foundation had been funding education, arts and human services in its local community for 25 plus years, but as several board members retired and new voices joined in 2012, the foundation hired Intentional Philanthropy to manage the foundation and engage its new board members. Intentional Philanthropy oriented these new board members in creative and fun ways, and worked with the board on a strategic planning process to identify issues that would more deeply engage the broader family. (One board meeting included a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” style competitive game-show reviewing the family’s legacy, tax & legal requirements, personal family fun facts, and community information.) Furthermore, rather than continue to expand the number of issues addressed through the foundation’s grantmaking, IP helped family members realize their common passions around access to opportunity, self-sufficiency, and empowerment. This then uncovered a common concern for high school youth transitioning to college or the workplace. The family then decided to focus a substantial portion of its funding on addressing college and career readiness with a focus on graduation, financial literacy and sustainable career attainment. The expanded board now has a shared goal in supporting the youth of their community. As a result, their meetings are more fulfilling, they have been able to more accurately measure the value of their dollars in the community, and they have attracted additional funding to their grantees by being able to communicate the bottom-line impact of their grants. IP continues to manage the Mead Family Foundation’s grant cycles, board meetings, and all administrative needs.

Learn more about the Mead Family Foundation