Long-Haul Grantmaking: How Many-Year Grants Can Transform Nonprofit Jobs and Amplify Impact

In this independent report by Fund the People, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s Endeavor Fund serves as a mid-stream case study for what many-year—not just multi-year—grant commitments can accomplish. The Endeavor Fund’s many-year grants span seven years with $500,000 per year in unrestricted support, with a focus on creating good nonprofit jobs that support staff wellbeing.

Two years into the seven-year grants, grantees report that the guaranteed funding has led to:

• Stronger internal systems

• More liveable pay and benefits, leading to better staff retention

• Better work-life balance

• A lighter fundraising burden

• More collaboration and learning

• Greater program impact for the communities they serve.

This report surfaces ongoing lessons learned for extending many-year grants and offers recommendations for funders who are looking to make long-term funding commitments the norm.