Foundation-Government Partnerships: Your Reality and Theirs

Grantmaker: “This initiative is a top priority for my foundation.”
Government partner: “This initiative is one of hundreds of responsibilities for my agency.”

Grantmaker: “We can be selective about what we decide to work on.”
Government partner: “We don’t have a lot of flexibility about our priorities.”

Grantmaker: “We have mechanisms that give us a certain amount of flexibility about timing.”
Government partner: “We have annual budget cycles to which we must adhere.”

Grantmaker: “We don’t pick up the tab for defunded government services.”
Government partner: “An important program just got cut; philanthropy should fund it.”

Grantmaker: “We see this work as a long-term commitment.”
Government partner: “An election can change everything.”

Grantmaker: “Government is mysterious.”
Government partner: “Foundations are mysterious.”

Takeaways are critical, bite-sized resources either excerpted from our guides or written by Candid Learning for Funders using the guide's research data or themes post-publication. Attribution is given if the takeaway is a quotation.

This takeaway was derived from Working with Government.

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