Family foundations and other family donors play an essential and increasing, yet often unheralded, role in addressing social challenges and enhancing the quality of life in communities across the globe.
The Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Johnson Center is the first of its kind in the nation. The Chair works with a network of partners to pursue a comprehensive, international program of applied research, speaking and writing, professional education and teaching, and other activities.
The Chair was made possible by the vision and generosity of the Frey Foundation, one of Michigan’s largest family foundations, which was established in 1974 in Grand Rapids by Edward J. and Frances T. Frey.
Current Projects
Community-Centric Fundraising Adoption and Effectiveness Project
This first-of-its-kind national study aims to understand nonprofits’ experiences with Community-Centric Fundraising, their successes and challenges, and what results organizations have seen since enacting CCF principles. Established in 2019 by a group of BIPOC fundraisers, Community-Centric Fundraising is a fundraising model grounded in equity and social justice that encourages holistic and mutual support of the nonprofit sector.
Dr. Dale is pursuing this research in partnership with co-researcher, fundraising practitioner, and consultant Maya Hemachandra of Sambar Nonprofit Solutions. Support for this project is provided by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy.
Research on Family Philanthropy
Elizabeth Dale’s research on individual and family philanthropy, with an emphasis on women and LGBTQ+ donors, gives important insight into the diversity of donors, the causes they support, and how they make giving decisions. In addition to her applied research and scholarship, she is a thought leader in examining philanthropy with an equity and inclusion lens and a champion for giving, both professionally and personally. She frequently speaks with philanthropists and fundraisers and teaches courses on philanthropy and fundraising, as well as governance and the nonprofit sector. Examples of her work include:
Moving Money and Shifting Power for Social Justice: Voices of Wealthy Next-Gen Donors
In partnership with the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University, this report highlights the insights of a small group of high-net-worth millennial and Gen Z donors who are committed to equity and wealth redistribution. The study examines how they define and practice social justice philanthropy and is one of the first to consider how gender, race, sexual orientation, and other aspects of identity motivate and influence giving. Learn More.
Giving With Pride: Considering Participatory Grantmaking in an Anti-Racist, LGBTQ+ Community Foundation
This case study of Pride Foundation, a regional LGBTQ+ community foundation in the Pacific Northwest, documents how the organization shifted its grant-making practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and considered both a participatory grantmaking and trust-based model as part of a broader commitment to racial justice. A subsequent chapter also appears in the forthcoming book Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy: How Democratizing Decision-Making Shifts Power to Communities (Georgetown University Press, 2024). Learn More.
The Million-Dollar Donor Journey: Stages of Development for High-Net-Worth Women Donors
With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this research examined the life trajectories of a cohort of women donors who had made gifts of $1 million or more to causes that benefit women and girls. The research illustrates an ongoing process to “learn about giving” and details common stages donors experienced prior to making their million-dollar gifts. Learn More.
More Resources on Family Philanthropy