We love spotlighting the incredible work of our clients and in this Foundation Friday series, we’re pleased to share the story of the Pincus Family Foundation whose commitment to the well-being of children is awe-inspiring. Dedicated to supporting their non-profit partners to develop and enhance programs that improve the lives of children, their families, and their communities, we sat down with Executive Director Danielle Scott to learn more about their mission—and how they are keeping the founders’ legacy alive.
About Your Philanthropy
What inspired you to start your foundation?
The Pincus Family Foundation (PFF) was established in 2005 by Founders David and Gerry Pincus to maintain their legacy of helping children in under-resourced communities.
What causes are you most passionate about?
Our focus is the well-being of children. We aim to achieve this by funding projects, programs, and capacity building in our four priority areas: Creative & Performing Arts, Education, Health & Wellness, and Play & Recreation.
What projects/initiatives are you excited about currently?
We recently began a partnership with Catchafire—an organization that matches professionals who want to donate their time to nonprofits that need their skills. PFF sponsored the annual membership for 75 grantee partners. We believe this is a powerful resource that can help them address any number of short-term capacity-building projects. Although some grantees are still ascertaining how best to use this tool, others have received over 850 professional-donated hours, translating to over $166K they didn’t have to spend. We also make this resource available for non-funded applicants to help them prepare for future grant opportunities.
What is one of your private foundation’s achievements that you are proud of and why?
In 2020, PFF led its first conference on strategic innovations in building health institution partnerships, bringing together four grant-funded institutions, Boston Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University, and Tulane University. These organizations became our Health and Wellness Pillar Partners. Our goal was not only to have a symposium but also to create a forum that eliminated competition and nurtured relationships to eliminate siloed beliefs and practices. The outcome resulted in established pipelines among these institutions that continue working independently of the Foundation and a white paper, “A Case Study in Leveraging Strategic Partnerships through Trust Based Philanthropy.” This model is so successful that we are working to replicate it in our other three portfolios.
Can you tell me about a time when you were able to see the impact of your giving?
At the Pincus Family Foundation, we regularly see our impact through our grantee partners’ communications. Our open and transparent relationships enable us to share the journey of their challenges and successes.
How do you stay connected with other philanthropists?
PFF maintains memberships with organizations such as Council on Foundations, Exponent Philanthropy, Grantmakers for Education, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, and Philanthropy Network, where our Executive Director recently became a board member.
Do you work with other funders? If so, how?
We are always open to working with other funders. Currently, we are a funding partner of the Return to Play Fund. Beyond Sport and ESPN co-founded the Return to Play Fund with the aim of using sports to promote youth mental and physical well-being, address racial inequality, and increase access to safe spaces to play sports. Over three years, we will match-fund ESPN in an initiative aimed at engaging and empowering Black and Brown communities across the United States through the return to sports and providing safe spaces to play through the Love.Futbol (LF) organization. LF will mobilize eight communities to facilitate the reclaiming and redefining of dilapidated and underused community spaces, where local partners will deliver programming, targeting, and upskilling young people in an Anti-Racism and Cultural Acceptance curriculum.
What would you want other philanthropists to know about your work?
PFF is a values-driven organization building upon those exhibited by our founders, David and Gerry Pincus. These values affirm our commitment to trust-based philanthropy, with an intentional focus on creating equitable access to healthy lifestyles, education, the arts, and play & recreation.
About Your Foundation
What is one long-term goal for your foundation?
To build a future where each person thrives in an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world.
Do you have any advice for people looking to start or grow their own private foundation?
Remember that no two foundations are alike. Be bold in your vision to positively impact the world and invest fearlessly in change.
Working with Foundation Source
How does Foundation Source help you achieve your goals?
Foundation Source is a terrific back office that ensures compliances are met, offers an amazing grant management platform, streamlines expense processing and reporting, and Private Client Advisors can be great sounding boards.
Can you tell us a little about your experience working with the Foundation Source team?
PFF has been a client of Foundation Source for over ten years. We have been quite satisfied with the support that we receive. We appreciate the structure of having one dedicated Private Client Advisor and the facilitation of platform training for new staff. Interactions with other departments, i.e., accounting and product support, are productive. There is comfort in knowing this resource is available as we pursue our passions.
How was the process of getting your private foundation set up or transitioned to Foundation Source?
The Foundation Source team that onboarded our foundation was crucial as we transitioned from Founder to Board leadership and were still in our infancy. There was much handholding, advice, and encouragement, which allowed us to strategize and develop our purpose in philanthropy.
We are proud to support the work of the Pincus Family Foundation and thank them for sharing their story!
Want to learn more about the ways we support private foundations?
Whether you are looking for support for your existing foundation or want to create a private foundation, our philanthropic specialists are here to help. To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.
