by Jan Jaffe
I’m really pleased to report that GrantCraft is going global and doing it the only way that’s possible – by working at the local level with experienced grantmakers around the world. Fellow grantmakers Brad Smith from the Foundation Center and Gerry Salole from the European Foundation Centre will help guide GrantCraft’s future. They’ll tell you more about how they plan to continue our ten-year tradition of sharing practical wisdom from practitioners — and also their ideas for taking the work to a new level with new topics and a broader reach to foundations and donors in other countries.
I am very excited about this change for several reasons:
You’ll continue to benefit from GrantCraft’s core concept that the people closest to the work know how to do it best. Brad and Gerry have worked inside a variety of foundations and now head organizations committed to collecting knowledge from practitioners. As before, you’ll find the best thinking about the practice of grantmaking at this web site.
You’ll have an opportunity to learn more from funders in different contexts. The Foundation Center and the European Foundation Centre are going global. That means more information and practices that can be emulated in all directions.
You’ll benefit from new leadership for the project. While I’ve loved creating and growing GrantCraft, I’m pleased to pass the baton to a new team with fresh eyes and new networks and ideas. I plan on being of assistance during this transition period while my colleagues are searching for a director in the U.S. and a director in Brussels. Take a look at the job descriptions and circulate them to potential candidates.
Please welcome Brad and Gerry by taking this Quick Question survey to give them your ideas for new guide topics and other changes you’d like to see. Once you’ve completed the poll, order a free guide on me!
Jan: You leave an outstanding legacy!! Many of us have learned from your endeavors over the years, and we congratulate you on a job very well done. Foundations deserve the rap of not being very good “learning organizations.” Your work at Grant Craft has made that less deserved.
We look forward to learning about your next career. Keep us posted.
Gene Wilson
08 Feb 11
Jan -
This is exciting news. What better way to carry your work forward than to build a bridge to our European colleagues? I’ve long lamented the lack of exchanges “across the pond” when there are so many innovative developments around the world we could learn from. Let me add my thanks to Gene’s for the extraordinary leadership you have demonstrated in building this venture and setting a new standard for grounded professional development for our field.
Tom David
Feb 8, 2011
Jan: Kudos and congratulations on taking Grantcraft to this stage. It has been an extraordinary resource to the philanthropy field. I’ve found the guides to be particularly helpful, as they are useful for both earlier-stage and more seasoned grantmakers. I had the pleasure of being interviewed for “Working with the Business Sector: Pursuing Public Good with Private Partners” and found that the writer did an excellent job of synthesizing information and articulating it in useful ways. The guides on evaluation and collaboration are terrific, and I’ve also recommended the one on RFPs to colleagues.
Clearly Grantcraft will be in good hands under the Foundation Center and EFC and I’m excited to see it evolve.
Thank you, and best wishes to all.
Rick Luftglass
Jan,
You’ve done an amazing job! GrantCraft is an outstanding body of knowledge built by a diverse set of practitioners. Undoubtedly, it will be a valuable resource for years to come. It is great to see GrantCraft go global. Bravo!
Liz Bremner
Jan,
What an accomplishment! This is a wonderful development for European grantmaking. It comes at the right moment, as development cooperation in Europe is under enormous pressure and will benefit from the professional shot in the arm GrantCraft will provide.
Congratulations and best wsihes,
Ricardo Wilson-Grau
8 Feb
Jan: I have learned so much at your knee. Your knowledge and clear descriptive presentation methodology are awe-inspiring. You will be missed. Whatever you choose to do next, everyone will gain from your expertise and gentle guiding ways. I know I speak for many when I say “sad to see you go and hoping that wherever you land, we can continue to be inspired by you. Best wishes for the next season of your life.”
Jan — what a great way to transition GrantCraft. Your nuanced treatment of ways to practice excellent grantmaking is a tremendous contribution to the field. I’m sure the program will be in great hands with Brad and Gerry. I wish you well in the next endeavor you take on and will follow it with interest.
Thanks, Jan, for all the great work for so long. I learned a lot from you and wish you well.
Jan,
You contributions to the field are priceless. It is great to see your work go global. But, also know that we shall miss you and hope that you do stay in touch!
Starita
Jan,
You contributions to the field are priceless. It is great to see your work go global. But, also know that we shall miss you and hope that you stay in touch!
Starita
Jan, thank you for all the contributions you made to our philanthropic field and to so many social movements by way of your shared knowledge. I know I’ve benefited from your brilliance as I did my grantmaking work. Keep in touch! And as for GrantCraft, I’ll keep recommending it.
Jan–you have stewarded a great resource to the philanthropic community and it has made such a huge impact in the field and will continue to do so. Let me join in the praise–a job very well done. All the best in whatever the next journey is. Be well, Joann
Dear Jan,
As you close this chapter of your live, you deserve to be congratulated for making of GrantCraft a reality as an unique resource for us, practitioners in philantropy. Your grateful, Lia
PS: do not forget to send your contact information
Jan – you’ve been an inspiration to me through sharing the wealth of knowledge from practitioners. This invaluable input provides for creating a desired community transformation. It is always encouraging to be part of a process that is developed, implemented and reaches the heights reflecting sustainablity. May our good LORD reward you in a new career and please keep us posted of any new developments in the new career.
Congratulations, Jan, on an excellent and inspiring job! All the best to you on your next venture, which I’m sure will be equally successful.
Dear Jan,
Thank you for all of your contributions through GrantCraft. Your work and insights benefitted practitioners of all stripes and types and now “your baby” is poised to reach an even greater audience. I´ll definitely be reading it for European and worldwide perspectives as well for wisdom from the US. Please stay in touch!
Jan –
You and GrantCraft have been important partners and contributors to grantmaking in Michigan. We look forward to continuing to benefit from GrantCraft in the future and to welcoming you back to our state!
Congratulations to you and the GrantCraft team for many years of outstanding work and for leading a successful transition to this new phase of international work.
Jan has done a fantastic job working as an entrepreneur inside a large foundation and creating the thing of beauty that is GrantCraft. In this next phase of GrantCraft, the Foundation Center in New York and the European Foundation Centre in Brussels are poised to build on what Jan created and make this a truly global resource. The challenges will be many, starting with the fact that in Europe, as in many parts of the world, foundations lean more towards operating their own programs than making grants. Nevertheless, so much of the “practical wisdom” (I have always loved that phrase!) applies. Imagine taking the wisdom embodied in GrantCraft and combining it with the new technology now at the disposal of our field: philanthropy has only begun to realize its potential!
GrantCraft has done a great job disseminating a rich body of knowledge in grantmaking. Kudos to the Ford Foundation for its vision and to Jan for her leadership over the past decade. In an increasingly globalized environment, international giving or cross-boarder giving has become a norm of the day in the foundation world.Emerging democracy and civil society are taking place in the developming world. I sincerely hope that the new leadership will make it an integral part of GrantCraft’s vision statement for its next decade to promote philanthropy and indigenous giving outside the Euro-American sphere.
Jan: congratulations on crafting a strong transition for GrantCraft.
Phew! GrantCraft crafted a whole new way of seeing our field and the many different skills it requires. Thanks to Jan and the Ford Foundation for lifing up the daily work of grant makers to allow us all to see, consider, and make choices about how we do our work! Here’s looking forward to the new eras of both Jan and GrantCraft.
Congratulations, Jan! I remember the very first materials you put together on evaluation–back in 1990. That is still a key subject for grantmakers, especially in the social justice field. You and Ford have established a tremendous foundation for the next, global move.
Grantcraft is great helpful for my work, actually it has becoming my dictionary. I hope It can be translate into Chinese verson or Guide. I would like to do this freely. Thanks.
Wang Shuwen
SEE Foundation
Beijing, China.