PNY Core: Financial Series

 Informing the Context for Philanthropic Work

 The PNY Core: Financial Series is a set of perennial programs at Philanthropy New York that help funders understand how to assess organizational health through financial analysis. These interactive offerings help funders build their skills to analyze grantee financial documents. What’s more, they help funders consider the role of financial review in the grantmaking process, and how to make that most useful to their funding institutions, as well as to their grantees. 

Members can benefit from taking the entire set of six fundamental programs - particularly those seeking a primer/refresher first before diving deep into additional topics.

Other members may choose to just participate in the four-part mini-series on how to analyze and evaluate grantee IRS Form 990’s and financial statements (these must be taken together).

We also host a two-part Applied Financial Analysis for Program Officers series for grantmakers who are comfortable in nonprofit financials and ready to engage with peers about financial resilience and financial planning (these must be taken together). 

We hope you’ll join us for any and all of this series!

Who should attend?

Funders with less than two years of experience in the field – program-officers, CEOs, and other staff, as well as trustees. It is also recommended for experienced grantmakers seeking a refresher in the basic financial tools of grantmaking.

2024 Series

Fundamentals to Financials

March 7 – Intro to Financial Statements

In this primer to the Financial Series, participants will get a peek into how a grantee assembles the financial statements and the stories they tell.

March 13 – What to Look for in a Nonprofit’s Financial Statement

In this session, learn how to analyze and evaluate nonprofit financial statements and know what questions to raise for further analysis.

March 20 – Looking at the 990 

This session will focus on the IRS Form 990, which is used by funders as a tool to track and scrutinize the finances, governance, and accomplishments of grant applicants and recipients

March 27 – Using Financial Statements Together with IRS Form 990 to Understand Your Potential Grantees

This session will show how using the two financial documents together can yield so much more information than the financial status of the organization.

April 4 – Getting the Financial Information You Need Without Overburdening Grantees

In this interactive in-person wrap-up to the Financial Series, participants will step into the shoes of grantees, providing a new perspective on financial due diligence.

* Financial Series: Intro to Financial Statements is a prerequisite for those who are new to assessing finances. The four-part Interpreting Financial Statements curriculum requires a basic understanding of both documents. 

Applied Financial Analysis for Program Officers

April 11 and April 18-  Applied Financial Analysis for Program Officers: A Two-Part Series

In this series, explore what it takes for a nonprofit to thrive over the long term, how to use financial analysis as a tool to identify resilience (or lack thereof), and what grantmakers can do to support nonprofits in achieving financial strength.

For any questions, comments, and/or recommendations, please contact Carolyn Peters, Manager of Learning Services.

2023 Recordings