Reports & Studies
Program Directors and staff members at the Murdock Trust are respected authorities in their fields and are often asked to write articles or contribute to scholarly publications. They also publish their own research studies and reports to share what they have learned in their work with the Trust.
Great Grant Writing
By The Murdock Trust
Since its founding in 1975, the leadership of the Trust has sought to promote “Best Practices” in Grantseeking and Grantmaking. This piece is a synopsis of some of the counsel and advice that has been compiled and passed on to the nonprofit leaders and foundation peers throughout this time.
The Generosity of America
By Adam Meyerson — President, The Philanthropy Roundtable
Article is adapted from a speech delivered in Washington, D.C., on January 8, 2010, in the “First Principles on First Fridays” lecture series sponsored by Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship.
American Philanthropic Diversity: What It Means, Why It Matters
By Naomi Schaefer Riley
Americans are free to give to the charities they care about most. The result has been an awe-inspiring display of human ingenuity. The breadth, depth, and variety of American charity has no historical precedent or contemporary parallel.
The Social and Economic Value of Private and Community Foundations
By Robert J. Shapiro, Ph.D. and Aparna Mathur, Ph.D.
On December 3, 2008, the Philanthropic Collaborative released a ground-breaking study by Dr. Robert Shapiro measuring the direct and indirect benefits foundation giving has on the America economy.
The nonprofit sector’s new report card
Governance and the revised IRS Form 990: New roles for trustees
By Tom Hyatt
“The quest for good governance in the nonprofit sector has received more thoughtful attention in the last five years than ever before. Charity governance standards organizations, watchdog groups, states’ attorneys general and Congress all have had their say. Now, the quest has been joined by an unlikely ally that may prove to be the most influential of them all: the Internal Revenue Service.”
The Nonprofit Support Organization Initiative Executive Summary -- March 2009
By Christopher (Kit) Gillem, Program Director
“The Murdock Charitable Trust (Trust) has a long history of supporting the non-profit community's capacity-building activities and funding non-profit organizations that provide capacity-building support to the non-profit community. During spring and summer 2007, Program Director Christopher (Kit) Gillem, while participating in an extended study leave, was able to meet with several non-profit support organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.”
K-12 Christian Schools Capacity Building Initiative
Throughout its history the Murdock Charitable Trust has sought to strengthen and support the work of K-12 private and Christian schools, a vital subsector of the region's dynamic and complex system of education. After a 2007 study was conducted to determine how the Trust might have a greater impact on these schools, a number of conversations and roundtables were held to identify priorities of need in this area of the education sector.
From the study and input, three critical areas of need emerged that currently confront many K-12 Christian schools...
