Family Ties: Multigenerational Family Foundation Board Engagement

The fifth generation of John E. Andrus’s descendants, drawing from nearly 500 Andrus family members, operates with carefully developed governance practices that they believe yield a more effective board—and foundation. On the occasion of its centennial, the board and staff of the Surdna Foundation presents the practices and structures that seven large, multigenerational family foundations have created to maintain family involvement; select, orient, and engage family members across generations; and keep the board and foundation focused on impact.

Although these seven stories do not mirror the practices of every family foundation, they serve as useful examples for the many family foundations earlier on in their paths to creating lasting legacies of effectiveness.