Advocacy by 110 nonprofit organizations over a five-year period has brought more than $26.6 billion in benefits to low-wage workers, communities of color, rural residents and other marginalized groups.

That's one finding in NCRP's new study, Leveraging Limited Dollars: How Grantmakers Achieve Tangible Benefits by Funding Policy and Community Engagement.

Our research found that every dollar grantmakers and other donors invested in policy and civic engagement provided a return of $115 in benefit.

In the report, you'll discover how investing in advocacy and civic engagement:

1. Helps foundations leverage their grant dollars for significant benefit to communities across the nation

Funders for LGBTQ Issues has created the The Common Vision Guide to Structural Change Grantmaking. Take a look - and be sure to join in the conversation. The site is set up to share Funders for LGBTQ Issues' experience - and to have a place for discussion about structural change grantmaking.

The Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace is gathering information that will be helpful to grantmakers who are interested in funding in these areas and are hoping you will click here to take the survey. We are researching the field to find out how funders develop and implement grantmaking strategies with a social justice emphasis. We hope to develop material that will be of practical value to funders who want to have an impact on social justice issues.

This survey is designed to only be taken by grantmakers (rather than consultants or researchers). If you have been a grantmaker in the recent past, please respond from that perspective.

The information gathered through this survey will be confidential and no names will be attributed in any report without the express permission of those supplying the information.

A paper by Barbara Masters and Torie Osborn from the Foundation Review

Attached is a post from the Greater New Orleans Foundation about an online social justice giving circle they've started - the Neutral Ground.

Two blog posts by Albert Ruesga challenging the notion of requiring nonprofits to produce theories of change.

Blog post by Albert Ruesga on the White Courtesy Telephone raising some questions about Grantmakers for Effective Organization's report "Do Nothing About Me Without Me," which talks about stakeholder involvement (for which Albert posted a great graphic)in Philanthropy.

Caring to Change sought new notions about how grantmaking might better serve a foundation's mission while holding even broader benefit – helping it to be more effective at creating a better world. Building on the commentary and ideas of both foundation leaders and of those not often involved fully in setting strategy, particularly younger staff and people of color, we found that that the "Common Good" best organized and expressed the wisdom and the longing of those engaged by the project.

After offering information on the background of the project, Foundations for the Common Good explores the notion of the Common Good and its value base, argues that it is by serving the Common Good that foundations can be truly role-driven in realizing philanthropy's full potential, and suggests three broad strategies, with specific notions under each, that flow from the project's findings. Appended to the essay are lists of those involved and a summary of their critique of grantmaking, further detail on methodology and a fuller discussion of the Common Good. Also appended are a PowerPoint presentation used with interviewees, and a Chronicle of Philanthropy Opinion piece.

Interesting article about shifting foundation practices to use network approach: click here.

A paper written by Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor for the Barr Foundation.