Is Your Grantmaking Supporting Systems Change? Introducing the Sustainable Grantmaking Benchmark
The Schott Foundation for Public Education, January 2026
The philanthropy field seeks to advance long-term systemic change, yet much of its giving has been short-term, restricted, and episodic. These approaches are misaligned with the sustained, flexible funding nonprofit organizations need to make real and lasting impact. At the same time, nonprofits operate in an increasingly volatile environment, competing for a limited pool of philanthropic dollars. These conditions can leave organizations financially fragile and unable to advance progress—even when funders intend otherwise.
To help address this gap between intent and practice, the Schott Foundation for Public Education partnered with PTKO to create the Sustainable Grantmaking Benchmark. The Benchmark translates funders’ shared values into comparable, observable practices and offers a standardized way to assess whether grantmaking is providing the long-term, flexible, and responsive support that organizations need to lead systems change.
The inaugural cohort—Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, The Grove Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, Communities for Just Schools Fund, and the Schott Foundation—demonstrates how transparency can strengthen the entire field. Their participation signals a growing movement toward durable, equity-driven philanthropy.
As Dr. John H. Jackson, Schott’s President & CEO, notes, “The Sustainable Grantmaking Benchmark is more than a report; it’s a call-in to philanthropy.”
Developed with guidance from an Advisory Group of sector leaders (GFE, ABFE, NCRP, NCFP, UPF, GEO, NAP, AAIP, Bridgespan, HIP, and others), the Benchmark ensures credibility, fairness, and alignment with equity and sustainability.
Is your organization ready to understand how your practices align with your values?
The Benchmark is available to private, family, and community foundations; philanthropy-serving organizations and collaboratives; DAF sponsors; and corporate giving programs.
What the Benchmark can help you do:
- Assess and strengthen your grantmaking portfolio
- See how your practices support (or constrain) grantee resilience
- Learn from examples such as multiyear commitments, unrestricted support, flexible disbursements, and tools like endowments and PRIs
- Signal transparency, leadership, and accountability in equity-driven philanthropy
If you’re interested in understanding how your organization aligns with the field’s emerging standards—and where you can grow—the Benchmark offers a practical and constructive path forward.