Robert J. (Bob) Reid, PhD

Courage is the defining quality of people with mental and behavioral health challenges, who brave daunting internal and external challenges to seek help. Courage is also the key ingredient in the philanthropic work America needs to overcome the mental health crisis now besetting the nation.

Grantmaking in the field of mental health has proven to be especially challenging for philanthropic organizations. This research-based, peer-reviewed publication reports on the experiences and insights of highly experienced mental health grantmaking professionals in 17 U.S. foundations.

This video summarizes key takeaways from our recent research publication on place-based philanthropy.

Research based article focusing on complexities underlying place-based grantmaking. Analyzes differences in approach between local and non-local foundations. Provides several recommendations for improving effectiveness of place-based grantmaking.

Exploration of antecedents and consequences of perceived accomplishment and power on organizational citizenship behavior.

Video session on the Edge Philanthropy model for development of family foundations.

A video session on dynamics of family foundations.

Recorded presentation on leadership for college students in Bolivia.

This presentation is based upon 2019 research on 54 U.S. foundations engaged in rural development.

Over the past year, the pandemic caused havoc globally touching the lives of most people. This included emerging challenges for nonprofits on the front lines of escalating need while at the same time limiting fundraising. Scaling up to meet needs in an extreme resource constrained environment pushed many nonprofits to the brink of insolvency. Many foundations have responded effectively to this circumstance by increasing grant making, reducing red tape, and extending greater flexibility for… Show more

Over the past year, the pandemic caused havoc globally touching the lives of most people. This included emerging challenges for nonprofits on the front lines of escalating need while at the same time limiting fundraising. Scaling up to meet needs in an extreme resource constrained environment pushed many nonprofits to the brink of insolvency. Many foundations have responded effectively to this circumstance by increasing grant making, reducing red tape, and extending greater flexibility for nonprofits. In doing so, foundations have exercised unusual humility in how they positioned themselves relative to nonprofits in protecting capacity to serve intended beneficiaries. This op-ed explores the relaxing of traditional tensions between foundations and grant seekers in ways that enabled more adequate and timely responses to pressing human needs in the face of the pandemic. Show less

Rural communities throughout the United States are alarmingly challenged by deteriorating landscapes, ravished economies, declining populations, and gentrifying populations in the face of unfair and disproportionately lower support from government and philanthropy compared to urban areas. Rural communities have many big city problems but small-town resources for addressing them. Institutional philanthropy may represent a significant new option for meaningfully addressing rural challenges… Show more

Rural communities throughout the United States are alarmingly challenged by deteriorating landscapes, ravished economies, declining populations, and gentrifying populations in the face of unfair and disproportionately lower support from government and philanthropy compared to urban areas. Rural communities have many big city problems but small-town resources for addressing them. Institutional philanthropy may represent a significant new option for meaningfully addressing rural challenges. Though it appears foundations are largely absent from rural America and, when present, often struggle in developing strategies appropriate for rural contexts. Further, rural needs often require resources of multiple foundations, but many foundations are ineffective in collaborating with other funders. This study of rural practices involving grant making and collaboration between funders examined experiences and approaches employed by representatives of 54 foundations (national, regional, and local place-based). Participants from 31 states and the District of Columbia contributed valuable insights. Findings from this research offer important insights that, if properly addressed, could significantly improve efforts at rural philanthropy. Show less

An unlikely partnership between a private, place-based foundation and the University of New Mexico’s Office for Community Health resulted in an innovative approach for addressing a critical shortage of health professionals in an isolated, rural setting in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. Many place-based private foundations are focused locally and are naturally disinclined to engage distally located public universities for local projects. Large public universities do not often focus… Show more

An unlikely partnership between a private, place-based foundation and the University of New Mexico’s Office for Community Health resulted in an innovative approach for addressing a critical shortage of health professionals in an isolated, rural setting in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. Many place-based private foundations are focused locally and are naturally disinclined to engage distally located public universities for local projects. Large public universities do not often focus resources on small communities located far from their campuses. However, this unusual partnership resulted in a compelling vision of how atypical partners can collaborate in a way that is uniquely beneficial for a rural setting. Combining the entrepreneurial nature, flexible discretionary grant-making and local convening capabilities of a private foundation with the comprehensive set of resources of a public university allowed for a genuinely community-based approach in overcoming longstanding and systemically acute shortages in the local health care delivery workforce. Multi-party agreements were developed involving the JF Maddox Foundation, a local community college, local community hospitals and the University (the state’s only academic health center, based in Albuquerque), to engage both the University and local partners in ways that allowed for an entirely new approach to more effectively recruit, support, and retain local health care professionals. Results included significant increases in recruitment of key health care professionals, a more cohesive medical community, a school-based clinic and support for other community challenges, including prevention of teen pregnancy. The University has since exported this model to other rural communities in the state.​
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Foundation-grantee relations represents an essential platform on which philanthropy is practiced, because non-operating foundations are dependent upon nonprofit partners to carryout their charitable objectives. Power sharing and opaque practice can impede effective collaboration. This article reports a number of important factors in foundation-grantee relations.

We all know that the relationship between foundations and nonprofits is most often a highly unequal one. But not all foundation-nonprofit relationships are the same. A study of 33 private foundations revealed many cases in which foundations engage in highly intimate partnerships with select grantees. These partnerships blur the usual boundaries between foundation and nonprofit and are characterized by heightened expectations regarding transparency, willingness to take risks, commitment to… Show more

We all know that the relationship between foundations and nonprofits is most often a highly unequal one. But not all foundation-nonprofit relationships are the same. A study of 33 private foundations revealed many cases in which foundations engage in highly intimate partnerships with select grantees. These partnerships blur the usual boundaries between foundation and nonprofit and are characterized by heightened expectations regarding transparency, willingness to take risks, commitment to elevated impact, and meaningful value creation. Show less

Private philanthropy has been referred to as one of the least transparent and accountable social institutions in the United States. Accordingly, private foundations are being challenged to become increasingly more transparent. Like other charitable institutions, private foundations already disclose significant details about their organizations and activities in federal tax returns, which are easily available to the public. Yet, a widely held presumption is that private foundations remain… Show more

Private philanthropy has been referred to as one of the least transparent and accountable social institutions in the United States. Accordingly, private foundations are being challenged to become increasingly more transparent. Like other charitable institutions, private foundations already disclose significant details about their organizations and activities in federal tax returns, which are easily available to the public. Yet, a widely held presumption is that private foundations remain intensely opaque. Research findings confirmed that private foundations are generally opaque, but also found that they are situationally transparent. This article makes two contributions. First, it explores specific indicators of opaque foundation practices and provides insights about the context in which they occur. Second, it reports findings that, under certain conditions, private foundations are willing to relax their opaque nature in favor of greater transparency with strategic grantees in furtherance of their philanthropic objectives. This duality of opaque and transparent practice in private philanthropy suggests this is a nuanced and complicated matter. Show less

Private foundations should exercise care in shaping their transparency practices beyond statutory requirements to avoid potential risks to their grant making capabilities.

Calls for greater transparency among corporations and social institutions continue to grow in the literature. Many contend that greater transparency is needed to reduce potential for wrong doing and enhance the capacity of interested outsiders to protect the public’s interests. Yet, transparency is not a cost free objective, there are consequences to imposed transparency. This research contributes to the opacity and transparency literature by probing for a deeper understanding of organizational… Show more

Calls for greater transparency among corporations and social institutions continue to grow in the literature. Many contend that greater transparency is needed to reduce potential for wrong doing and enhance the capacity of interested outsiders to protect the public’s interests. Yet, transparency is not a cost free objective, there are consequences to imposed transparency. This research contributes to the opacity and transparency literature by probing for a deeper understanding of organizational and environmental factors that lead to opaque practices, exploring both negative and positive outcomes of opacity and investigating practices that can help reduce adverse effects of opacity between collaborating entities. Private philanthropy presented an interesting sector for studying opacity and its potential consequences, including potential for public benefits. Researchers have expressed concerns about private philanthropy’s systematic lack of transparency and external accountability, which is further exacerbated by effects of disparate power. The private foundation literature is critical of private philanthropy conducting its affairs as an unchecked, but powerful secret society. Concerns expressed about a lack of transparency and disparate power among private foundations seem understandable given that they have private control over large sums of tax-advantaged funds. However, researchers have neither explored nor defined the nature of opaqueness in private philanthropy. The privacy and transparency literature suggests that transparency can impose additional costs, impede productivity and stymie innovation. This research resulted in a deeper understanding of the nature of opaque foundation practices, discovered that opacity can result in beneficial outcomes and identified strategies foundations and grantees successfully use in overcoming challenges related to opacity and coexisting disparate power. Show less