Strategic Evolution: Integrating Equity into Long-Term Grantmaking

Supporting a family foundation through strategic planning and equity integration to create long-term funding solutions

Client
Merck Family Fund
organization type
Family Fund
Project Timeline
project type
Discovery & Strategy

Project Overview

About Merck Family Fund
The Merck Family Fund (MFF) is a Boston-based philanthropic foundation committed to protecting the natural environment and fostering healthy communities. MFF aims to ensure a healthy planet for future generations while strengthening urban communities' social fabric and physical landscape.

Project Approach

How We Helped Them
We-Collab and KDN Consulting partnered to facilitate a thorough strategic planning process for MFF. Our approach involved engaging the family, Board, and grantee partners to ensure a collective vision for the future. Key elements of our process included:

  • Strategic Visioning: We guided Merck Family Fund's Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) through creating a 10-year plan, which focused on governance, geographic focus, and grantmaking practices.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: We engaged multiple generations of the Merck family through interviews, brainstorming sessions, and attending the family annual retreat to integrate various perspectives into the process, especially from younger family members. This also allowed younger family members to present case studies on issues they were passionate about, helping shape discretionary funding decisions.
  • Grantee Feedback: We interviewed grantees, who provided valuable insights that were incorporated into the strategic plan. This ensured that the funding strategy aligned with the needs of its community partners.

Governance Reassessment: We helped MFF clarify its governance roles and shift toward a more progressive, community-driven approach.

Project Results

The Impact
By guiding the Merck Family Fund through a comprehensive strategic planning process, we helped MFF develop a 10-year vision of governance, family engagement, and impact investing. We-Collab’s engagement with MFF resulted in significant progress:

  • Multi-Year Funding: The foundation transitioned to multi-year funding cycles, providing grantees with long-term support.
  • Equity Integration: Equity strategies were integrated across MFF’s governance, grantmaking, and operations, deepening their commitment to addressing systemic inequities.
  • Geographic Focus & Clarity: The strategic plan redefined MFF’s geographic focus, ensuring that its efforts targeted areas with the greatest need and providing clarity in funding categories to align with its goals.
  • Strengthened Community & Systems Approach: Through the process, MFF sharpened its strategy to focus on community-centered practices. The foundation embraced a systems approach to funding, allowing them to better address long-term community needs and impact.
  • Inclusion of Younger Voices: Younger family members' involvement introduced fresh perspectives, helping the fund explore new initiatives and more provocative approaches to community-impact. Their contributions were instrumental in shaping new priorities while maintaining the foundation’s core principles.

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Let's shift the narrative.

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