Spending out, spending down, sunsetting – all of these terms refer to the growing movement in philanthropy for foundations to grant out their remaining dollars and close their doors. However, this process doesn’t happen overnight. Spending out a foundation in a way that is respectful and supportive to the work of grantees, staff and trustees takes planning and intentionality.  

On this call we will hear from multiple foundations who are in the process of spending out. We will learn why this was the right decision for their intended impact and how they are approaching this journey toward their organization no longer existing. We will also explore what spending out means for the sector and what the future of this movement might look like for philanthropy.  

Speakers

Kathy Edwards, President and Trustee, Cedarmere Foundation

Kathy is one of the Cedarmere Foundation’s two co-founders. She has a PhD in human and organizational systems and has spent decades working with nonprofit organizations, both as a board member and as an organization development consultant. These experiences are what created her passion for building the capacity of the nonprofits in our community. Leading the Cedarmere Foundation for the last 18 years is the most inspiring and rewarding work of her entire career. Kathy has four children and eleven grandchildren. When she's not spending time with family or promoting capacity building grants within the philanthropic community, she loves to ski, play pickleball, hike, bike, read, take photographs and go for long urban walks.

 

Melanie Matthews, Executive Director, Cedarmere Foundation

Melanie Matthews is a passionate champion for nonprofits and their role in strengthening communities! She wears many work hats, all of which focus on supporting nonprofits and funders, both 501(c)(3)s and 501(c)(4)s, to build a strong and healthy sector.

Melanie is currently the part-time executive director at the Cedarmere Foundation, supporting the organization to sunset after 18 years of capacity building grantmaking, and the project manager for the Statewide Capacity Collaborative (a funder collaborative working to strengthen the nonprofit sector in WA). In addition, she works with the Nonprofit and Grantmaker Advisory practice at BDO, where she facilitates a (c)(4) Funder Peer Learning Group, as well as having her own consulting practice.

Until 2019, Melanie served as the chief operating officer of Campion Foundation and the Campion Advocacy Fund. She is a lifetime member of PEAK Grantmaking, serving on the national board for five years (including three years as co-chair) and was one of the inaugural Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ Change Leaders in Philanthropy fellows.

 

Blanch Vance, Senior Manager, Grants and Strategic Operations, The Grove Foundation

Since 2020, Blanch has worked at the Grove Foundation, a private family foundation, and the Grove Action Fund, its 501c4 social welfare sister organization. Blanch is driven by the vision of an equitable and just earth where we all can live as our best selves. Growing up in Los Angeles, Blanch witnessed the joy and power of community care and collaboration. Today, as Grove’s senior manager of strategic operations and grantmaking, Blanch activates this thinking by ensuring the organization's resilience efforts, operational initiatives, grantmaking systems, seamless structures and respect for nonprofit partners.

Blanch previously worked in grants management at the Annenberg Foundation and oversaw the donor-advised, giving circle and scholarship program at the Liberty Hill Foundation. She currently serves as a member of the PEAK Grantmaking board of directors.

Blanch holds a master’s degree in public administration, a graduate certificate in nonprofit sector management, human-centered strategy, and a bachelor's in history and communications. She is an alum of the Justice Funders Network’s Harmony Initiative, Southern California Grantmaker’s Emerging Leaders Peer-to-Peer Network and the African American Board Leadership Institute. Blanch lives in the Bay Area with her husband and rescue puppy, Summer. Outside of work, you can find Blanch listening to 90s music, enjoying the sun's light or engaging in a spontaneous dance break.

Background and Registration

The Philanthropy Northwest Network Call series takes place one Friday every month to bring an important topic to our network. The goal of these calls is to lift up an issue to our network of funders to deepen their learning, inspire action, and highlight where philanthropy might intersect with this work. 

These calls are open for anyone to join. You don’t have to be from a philanthropic organization or a member of Philanthropy Northwest, but please note these conversations are framed around philanthropy, and the role philanthropy might play around a particular issue.  

Registering for a Philanthropy Northwest Network Call automatically adds you to the Network Calls listserv. You can unsubscribe and remove your email from the list at any time. 

Accessibility 

Philanthropy Northwest strives to make our events accessible to everyone. On these calls, we offer closed captioning and speakers give physical descriptions of themselves in their introductions. The calls are also recorded and we share the recordings and other supportive resources within a week after the call. If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate, please contact JulieAnne Behar. 

Please contact JulieAnne Behar with any questions.