Designed for professionals new to the field or new to their role, Philanthropy 101 grounds you in the basics of foundations, nonprofits, grantmaking, and the field of philanthropy. Participants gain a deeper understanding of what philanthropy is, what makes it distinct from the business and government sectors, and how their own roles fit into the broader field. The course introduces many essential concepts — including ethics, accountability, equity, and power dynamics — along with providing an overview of the fundamentals of grantmaking.
Suggested complementary courses: Grantmaker Ethics & Accountability
Participants in this course explore how the processes of proposal solicitation and analysis can set the stage to build capacity, foster meaningful relationships, advance equity, and authentically share power — all within the context of a foundation’s overall mission and grantmaking philosophy. This course is equally valuable for program officers new to the role, or veterans looking to refine their process.
Suggested complementary courses: Site Visit Essentials for Grantmakers, Grantmaker Risk Management
Dive into the fundamentals of grant proposal financial review and analysis — including organization and project budgets, financial statements, audits, and the IRS Form 990/990EZ — with an emphasis on centering equity in practice. Participants practice reviewing and analyzing real-life financials to prepare them for financial analysis in their daily roles. This course content is regularly updated to account for changes in FASB regulations and the financial implications of current events.
Suggested complementary courses: Beginner’s Guide to Reading Form 990, Intermediate Guide to Reading Form 990
Whether preparing a grant recommendation for the board, developing a strategy document to share with stakeholders, or drafting blog posts, writing persuasively is an essential component of a grantmaker’s role. This interactive, group-coaching experience focuses on sharpening the analytical skills that are the basis for good writing. Participants bring their own writing samples and put new skills into practice with our grantmaking experts, with additional time to focus on individual foundations’ unique requirements.
Suggested complementary courses: Proposal Analysis for Grantmakers
Ideal for foundation staff, donors, and others engaged in grantmaking, this course provides practical tools and step-by-step guidance to help you navigate ethical challenges in grantmaking.
Learn how innovative site visit methods can help balance power dynamics and establish more authentic relationships, enabling grantees to showcase their strengths within their authentic context.
This course from the Johnson Center explores a trust-based, risk-tolerance/management framework that both honors the grantee partnership and leads to increased impact.
This course is designed to ground you in the basics of Form 990 — including practical and purposeful ways to leverage information from a 990 with a nonprofit, financial, or foundation lens.
This interactive, virtual course will help funders and nonprofit professionals better understand the funding perspective and how to use 990s as a tool to assess organizational or collective impact.
Our competency model for foundation program officers — rigorously validated by fieldwide experts — maps the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of successful program staff. These competencies form the bedrock of our professional learning courses.
Program officers rely on strategy development, implementation, and evaluation design and management to implement the grants process and engage in continuous improvement.
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201 Front Ave SW, Suite 200, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504 | (616) 331-7585 | jcp@gvsu.edu
