Donors Forum is a community of grantmakers dedicated to effective, responsible, and creative philanthropy.
Grantmaker Membership is open to organizations or individuals whose primary activity is the making of grants for charitable purposes, including:
- Private foundations
- Community foundations
- Operating foundations
- Public foundations
- Corporate foundations and corporate giving programs
- Banks or trust companies that administer charitable funds, trust, or foundations that make charitable grants
- Donor-advised funds and supporting organizations with multiple beneficiaries
- Federated funds with grantmaking programs
- Individual donors with multiple charitable-beneficiary organizations
Benefits of Grantmaker Membership
Whether you are a new grantmaker seeking information on how to set up a foundation, a program officer in search of professional development and leadership opportunities, a family foundation trustee who wants to plug into a network of peers, or a seasoned grantmaker needing resources on trends and issues, Donors Forum can help. Grantmaker Membership benefits include:
- Skill-building workshops on the practice of grantmaking
- Grantmaker Member-only events featuring national and local experts
- Issues groups focused on specific areas
- Member Networks to serve unique needs
- Unlimited research and reference help from our Library, via phone and email
- A subscription to our monthly e-newsletter
- A free set of Donors Forum publications
- Advocacy and education on key issues with national and local elected officials
- Access to the Common Grant Application and Report Form
- Savings on conference calling
- Opportunities to network with peers and take a leadership role in the philanthropic sector
Join Us!
Download an application here, or contact Robin Berkson, Senior Vice President, Member Services, at rberkson@donorsforum.org or 312-578-0090. Annual dues vary; there is special Grantmaker Member pricing for those new to Donors Forum, for grantmakers outside the Metro-Chicago area of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will counties, and for individual grantmakers.