Funding Grantee Leadership & Equity - with Caroline Altman Smith, The Kresge Foundation

In part as a result of the pandemic, more funders are paying attention to the needs and well-being of the people who work in grantee organizations. In this episode, we talk with Caroline Altman Smith, a grantmaker at The Kresge Foundation. The team at Kresge, a large international philanthropy, and their consultants at Community Wealth Partners, have developed a straightforward model for delivering professional development to mid-career grantee staff, with a focus on fueling skills and knowledge for racial equity. Through the program, they’ve also helped to build the marketplace of offerings for nonprofits that are interested in pursuing more talent and leadership development through a racial equity lens.

During the episode, we also discuss how to be a good program officer; how to be a good program officer working on racial equity while white; and some of the important academic programs in the sector for learning about philanthropy and good grantmaking.