Maintaining Your Commitment to Strategic Family Philanthropy

What is the value in family philanthropies transitioning from collections of individual interests to more strategic, coordinated approaches? Does the effort required to get everyone on the same page help or hurt family dynamics? And are there measurable differences in foundation impact?

Almost 20 years ago a former TCC Group colleague, Ashley Snowdon Blanchard, authored Strategic Philanthropy: Maximizing Family Engagement and Social Impact. It continues to be one of the most downloaded resources available on our website.

The premise of the piece was straightforward: Families that adopt a coordinated, strategic approach to their philanthropy will be more effective both in their giving and in strengthening their bond. She also offered numerous real-world examples of how this approach was simultaneously amplifying their philanthropic impact and deepening their connections to one another, including within her family’s own foundation. Blanchard identified steps to becoming a more strategic family philanthropy that included:

→ Identifying and committing to shared values and interests, rather than focusing on the “pet projects” of individual family members.

→ Developing defined grantmaking goals and strategies that balance the insights of family members with the experience of grantees and field-specific experts.

→ Embracing ongoing family learning to ensure that shared goals and approaches can be refined and evolve as needed to achieve impact.

The piece remains relevant as every year a new group of family philanthropies considers how to sustain family connection within and across generations while giving more effectively. At the same time, it could seem dated as a number of family foundations now hold multiple billion-dollar endowments, and even some relatively small family foundations have realized tremendous growth in their philanthropic resources over the past couple of decades.

Which led us to ask: What enables family philanthropies to sustain their engagement in coordinated, strategic, family-unifying philanthropy as endowments grow, family members disperse, new generations assume leadership roles, and interests shift?

At TCC, we continue to manage the grantmaking of several family foundations, along with providing strategic consulting services to a range of family philanthropies. This hands-on experience with the day-to-day workings of family-led philanthropies has helped us identify three specific commitments for family philanthropies of all sizes engaged in strategic grantmaking:

REVIEW your strategic goals and approach on a regular basis. Interests and values may evolve over time as global and familial circumstances change. Engaging new generations in your philanthropy will undoubtedly accelerate this process.

What makes strategic philanthropy such a powerful unifying force for family philanthropies is the collective buy-in required. But do not make the assumption that, once established, this buy-in will continue in perpetuity. Instead, embrace the opportunity to reaffirm, refine, or reconsider goals and strategies every two or three years.

This process of self-assessment will strengthen shared commitment and ensure that family members do not begin to quietly “check out” when a collective approach no longer feels relevant to them.

LEARN in collaboration with your grantees. Nothing reinforces a commitment to maintaining a strategic approach as much as understanding how your giving has directly impacted those you seek to serve. And while grant reports offer valuable insights, they often do not provide the same depth of understanding.

Organizations value opportunities to deepen connections with funding partners, and your family members will value seeing firsthand how their support is making a difference. Arrange opportunities for family members to witness what a typical day looks like for the organizations they fund—who they are serving, how they are doing it, and the difference the family’s support is making.

Of course, as families become more geographically dispersed, this type of engagement can become more challenging. At TCC, we encourage our family foundation partners to set aside funds to enable family members to engage in regular learning opportunities related to foundation priorities. This could include travel expenses related to participating in site visits with grantees, as well as attending virtual trainings or in-person conferences on topics related to current or future foundation priorities.

ENVISION how your family foundation may need to evolve. Over time, foundation assets will likely continue to grow; board members will become more dispersed across generations and geographies, and funding interests will shift. Even in the most closeknit families, foundation management and governance will become more complicated.

Family foundations that regularly consider potential future challenges (and opportunities) will be best positioned to evolve existing approaches or create new strategies that will enable their philanthropy to continue generating family unity and impact long into the future. TCC often supports these foundations with guidance informed by deep field knowledge on evolving governance models and family engagement strategies, landscape research and analyses on possible new areas of grantmaking focus, and other needed expertise and resources.

While family philanthropies typically come into existence as a means to give back and keep future generations of a family connected, they are each as unique as the founders who created them and the family members who guide them. But being effective in achieving the goals of unity and impact requires an ongoing commitment to communication, mutual respect, and flexibility that is true of every successful relationship.

For families seeking to harness the full unifying power of strategic philanthropy, we welcome the opportunity to partner with you in developing a tailored approach that is exactly right for your family and your foundation.

March 18, 2026

Strategic Philanthropy: Maximizing Family Engagement and Social Impact

Navigating Challenging Conversations: Getting on The Same Page to Strengthen the Impact of Your Family’s Philanthropy

Meeting a Family’s Growing Philanthropic Needs

Stay Updated