Collaboration Through Funder Networks

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations — in partnership with representatives from the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the Council on Foundations and Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation — is making sense of the current landscape of funder networks with an eye toward greater coordination of effort and the ability of emerging donors to more quickly find like-minded colleagues by developing a comprehensive directory and maps of funder networks. In addition, this project includes survey research and a series of case study interviews designed to deepen our understanding of the potential for funder networks to accomplish goals and activities that lead to greater funder effectiveness. This report explores the practice
of collaboration by funder networks, integrating findings from our survey of nearly 200 participating funder networks and interviews with four funder networks.