This is a particularly challenging time for organizations working in our two areas of interest: the Environment and Mental Health. Change is happening at an unprecedented pace; resources are constrained; uncertainties abound. Yet with these challenges come opportunities and the Ittleson Foundation remains committed to supporting cutting-edge work in each of these sectors. The description of our current funding interests appears on the following pages.
We are a small national foundation with a reputation for punching above our weight. It is the pilot, model, and demonstration project with a commitment to sharing its innovation that commands our attention. We are a risk-taker willing to provide early funding for an unproven but compelling idea. We bet on the jockey, not the horse. It is the compelling leader, not the heft of the organization that motivates us. Never fully funding a project, we believe our early funding can help leverage the other resources needed for a project’s success. Where appropriate and requested, we supplement our funds with technical assistance, whether in the form of executive director coaching or advising on a wide range of nonprofit organizational issues.
In all of our funding areas, we remain committed to assisting underserved populations and are particularly interested in projects addressing the needs of children and adolescents. Projects that link formal professional competence with community-based efforts continue to interest us.
Our goal is to unite our resources with the creative energy expertise and focused passion of our grantees. Indeed, when these are combined, great things happen.