There are thousands of private family foundations excited about making good investments in impactful organizations like yours.
However, whether you discover them on Instrumentl or through your network, there are several key questions you need to ask before applying so that you can be on the same page and ensure a healthy ongoing relationship with the funder.
A case in point is a prominent youth organization that recently accepted a substantial million-dollar gift from a private family foundation. I’m close with the leader of the organization and called to congratulate him—but he sounded flustered. He wasn’t as thrilled as I suspected he would be.

When I asked why, he shared that while initially appealing, the decision to accept the gift has since placed him in an impossibly difficult position.
He now faces the daunting (and intimidating) task of navigating pressure from the foundation to alter their programming and priorities—any nonprofit leader's nightmare. Sadly, this crisis could have been easily averted if the right questions had been asked at the outset.
To help you avoid situations like these, I’m going to walk you through the 5 critical questions I always ask a foundation before applying. Mark them down. It will save you many future headaches.