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Liesel Pritzker Simmons, principal and co-founder of Blue Haven Initiative, and her mom Irene Pritzker, president of the IDP Foundation, have built innovative family philanthropy efforts. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks episode, hear how Liesel and Irene have learned alongside one another while forging their own identities as impact investors and change agents.

Successfully transferring wealth to the next generation requires healthy and open communication within a family. In this Insights episode, learn how philanthropy can create the unique opportunity for families to do this by sharing values, making decisions, and giving back together.

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, this roundtable discussion was centered around faith-based institutions that seek to align their investments with the belief systems that guide their organizations while also being held accountable by their philanthropic donors. The diversity of the six participants—ranging in size and scale, complexity, geography, and faith—led to a robust discussion yielding multiple perspectives on the imminent challenges of COVID-19, faith-based initiatives, and three key takeaways on navigating the new landscape.

COVID-19 is exacerbating ongoing geopolitical and societal challenges, and the existential crisis of climate change looms large. In this 16th edition of the Global Risks Report, it highlights the implications of major risks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and an emerging risk landscape spanning from the digital divide to navigating global fractures to considering strategic investments to avoid catastrophic outcomes.

In this Family Philanthropy Speaks conversation, Jeff and Tricia Raikes join Nick Tedesco to discuss how they have changed practices and acknowledged privilege throughout their donor journey. Jeff shares the value of diversifying their network, which opens the doors to new grantees and opportunities for impact. Tricia describes a revelatory moment that changed her views on youth homelessness and notes the need to embrace discomfort as she grapples with her own understanding of racial inequity.

When an off-the-shelf solution doesn’t cut it, responsible investors can turn to customized separately managed accounts (SMAs) to build portfolios that align with their values, including expressing their individual ESG views. With an SMA, investors can also gain the market exposure they’re seeking through portfolio construction, active ownership, or a combination of the two.

Some families start a private foundation because they want to give back while others are seeking tax savings. Whatever the impetus, private foundations serve as a powerful and flexible philanthropic vehicle and offer tremendous advantages over giving as an individual donor.

At the most basic level, the difference between a donor-advised fund (DAF) and a private foundation is the construct, or form, in which each entity is created and operated. Because a private foundation is a freestanding legal entity, and a DAF is an account, the two charitable vehicles offer very different levels of control, authority, and philanthropic versatility. For families considering which charitable structure to form, this side-by-side comparison is a helpful guide. And it turns out that form does dictate function.

While it might seem like a great position to hold a concentrated position in a low-basis stock that has appreciated over time, it poses several challenges related to investment risk and taxes. Here are some charitable options for lowering your risk while doing the most good with your gains, whether that means giving to a worthy cause, gifting to a family member in a lower tax bracket, or both.

In philanthropy, meaningful change is the aim—it’s the purpose and the promise. But in striving for and achieving impact, effectiveness must go beyond healthy funding practices with grantees and the greater communities we serve. It must touch on intra-family dynamics, family philanthropy staff, and speak to the varied stages within the family fiving lifecycle—from purpose to succession and legacy.