Here, we seek to add another concept related to transparency that has been practiced for the past ten years at the Foundation – having an open-door policy.
In philanthropy, an open-door policy means that a foundation is open to having in-person or virtual conversations with potential and current grantees. At The Presser Foundation, it means that staff are 1) Easy to get a hold of – our email addresses and office phone number are published on our website. And 2) Once a grantee reaches out, staff are willing to have conversations about their eligibility, programming, leadership, DEI efforts, potential projects, and more.
An open-door policy can take time and energy on the part of staff. However, it can help save potential grantees time – staff are able to confirm whether or not an organization is eligible for the grant so that they don’t spend time filling out and applying for a grant. In other words, the organization can spend more time on their programming and less time completing an application if they aren’t eligible for funding. In addition, it saves staff time from reviewing applications for organizations that don’t fit the Foundation’s eligibility or criteria.
An open-door policy also helps a funder get to know the nonprofits in a community and the community itself better. The Presser Foundation supports music; thus, getting to know the region’s music offerings helps the Foundation understand how it can best support music in the focus area. The open-door policy helps us advance the Foundation’s mission while also building connections and increasing trust between the Foundation and potential and current grantees.
An open-door policy may not be a fit for every funder. But at The Presser Foundation, we’ve found that it helps fulfill our mission and assists current and potential collaborative partners and grantees in better understanding funding guidelines and criteria. It’s a tool in a toolkit designed to build trust with partners and community, and core to the Foundation’s values.
