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About     Courses     Customized Grantmaker Education     Philanthropy Leaders Interview Series

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About

The Grantmaking School at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy offers the first university designed but field informed curriculum for teaching the techniques of effective grantmaking to foundation professionals. We craft our curriculum to meet the practical needs of grantmakers and deliver it through our instructor network of highly experienced field practitioners.

The work of grantmaking professionals is absolutely essential to effective philanthropy. They are the interface between applicants and grantees on the outside of the foundation, and the executive staff and boards of trustees on the inside. Recommendations made by grantmaking professionals shape the selection, management, and ultimately, the societal impact of projects funded by their foundations. It is through them that foundations learn most of their lessons and achieve their potential for good.

Given the central role played by grantmaking professionals, the vital interests of both foundations and society are best served when these players have the capacity to perform their work at the highest possible level.

We see both a need and an opportunity for advanced education of foundation grantmaking professionals. With a practical curriculum designed to build the essential skills of experienced grantmakers, The Grantmaking School has been designed to improve the practice of philanthropy through research-based education.

The Grantmaking School seeks to help build a rich culture of ongoing learning and continuous improvement in the grantmaking field, and to ultimately improve the practice of philanthropy for all.

History

Developed with the guidance of national experts and leaders in philanthropy, and founded by Distinguished Professor of Philanthropic Studies Joel J. Orosz, Ph.D., The Grantmaking School is the first university-based program for teaching the techniques and ethics of grantmaking specifically to foundation grantmaking professionals. Every member of its instructor base is a current or former foundation program officer or CEO, ensuring a practical orientation in the curriculum.

The Grantmaking School began as part of the Johnson Center for Philanthropy's Philanthropic and Nonprofit Knowledge Management (PNKM) Initiative, funded by a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In 2003, an Advisory Committee comprised of a diverse group of senior grantmakers, consultants, and foundation leaders from around the country met to advise on the development and strategic direction of The Grantmaking School and its curriculum. The first course, Advanced Proposal Analysis: A Critical Examination of Complex Issues was piloted in 2004 and has subsequently been held in various cities across the country.