This page is presented with
support from our partner

Questions for Boards

Recommended Resources

All Resources

Why this is important.

Institutionally related foundations (IRFs) are vital to the future success of higher education. IRFs foster a culture of collaborative engagement with their host institutions by continually supporting institutional missions and strategic goals.

The role of IRFs is shifting. Historically, IRFs primarily financed the “margin of excellence” special initiatives that set each institution apart, but today IRFs act more as key philanthropic and entrepreneurial partners that actively support the institution’s basic business and operating model. They seize opportunities for growth by cultivating donor relationships and “providing flexibility in the investment, management, and expenditures of resources.” Through foundation alignment and innovative initiatives, IRFs ensure the viability of their host institutions in today’s uncertain higher education environment.

Sources: New Board Member Orientation, AGB
The New Realities for Public Higher Education Foundations edited by Richard D. Legon, AGB 2020

Questions for boards.

Click below to reveal key questions for your board to consider:

Alignment

Consequential Questions:

  1. What can our foundation do to strengthen the alignment of our board with the institution (or system) governing board?
  2. Are our foundation board members fully aware of the funding relationship and financial model of the foundation they serve? Are our board members fully oriented to the realities of the funding model, the revenue, and the cost model of the foundation?
  3. How can our foundation regularly evaluate our own programs in ways that influence institutional alignment?
  4. How does the institution and foundation build ongoing relationships with donors and keep them engaged with the college, university, or system?

Sources:

Strategy and Standards

Consequential Questions:

  1. Does the foundation board hold its members to the highest level of performance and ethical standards?
  2. Does our foundation’s structure—board member makeup, committees, governance documents, leadership, and collaboration with its host institution—enable a truly forward-looking agenda for the board in support of the institution?
  3. How does our foundation’s strategic plan inform board decision-making?
  4. Are agendas for meetings of the full board focused on strategic issues? Are adequate and appropriate materials distributed in advance of meetings to inform board discussions?

Sources:

We carefully curated these staff-picked resources for you:

The New Realities for Public Higher education foundations book cover thumbnail

The New Realities for Public Higher Education Foundations

2020
Edited by Richard D. Legon

IRF Cover

Institutionally Related Foundation Boards: An Introductory Guide for Board Members

2019
AGB

The Essential Partnership between Foundations and Institutions

Podcast
Hosted by George P. Watt Jr.

Institution-Foundation MOUs: Models to Support Collaboration and Strategic Alignment

Webinar On Demand
Presented by David Bass and Thomas Hyatt

Cultivating Connections in a Contentious World: How foundations sustain their work of relationship-building in a challenging environment

Trusteeship magazine, January/February 2024
By Naomi Dillon

Foundation CEO Toolkit

Toolkit
AGB

All resources.

Blog Post
What Do We Know about the Next Generation of Donors?
September 30, 2019 - Who are today’s and tomorrow’s donors and how are they different from previous generations of philanthropists? At least $41 trillion is projected to pass to the post-baby boom generations over the first half of the 21st century and this enormous …
Read Article
Podcast
Trusteeship Podcast Episode 7: Demystifying Endowments
Aired: June 23, 2019 Endowments allow colleges and universities, like other public and charitable organizations, to fund a portion of their work continuously, generation after generation. The ways in which these funds have been solicited from donors, applied to expenses, and …
Listen
Blog Post
Doubling Down on Institution-Foundation Relationships
November 30, 2018 - The work of public university foundations is being reimagined in exciting ways. At a time when state and federal subsidies to universities are waning and student price-sensitivity is rising, some promising, even inspirational foundations are expanding their realm beyond fund …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
Beyond Fundraising
The 2016 “AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Institution-Foundation Partnerships” makes a compelling case for the growing importance of foundations not only as philanthropic partners of their related colleges and universities, but also as entrepreneurial partners. At Arizona State University, …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
A Question For Jon DeVaan
A new administration in Washington and a Republican-controlled Congress may bring significant changes to the treatment of college and university endowments. Jon DeVaan, board chair of the Oregon State University Foundation, takes a look at what we can expect in …
Read Article
Blog Post
The Nature of the Foundation-Institution Partnership
October 04, 2016 - It would seem logical that an institutionally related foundation should develop a strategic plan to meet the needs of its affiliated institution.  Yet, there are many opportunities for missteps in the process which could easily create a divide between the …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
Partners in Advancement
For public institutions, the roles played by affiliated foundations and the ways institutions and foundations work together are evolving. In August, AGB’s Board of Directors endorsed a “Statement on Institution-Foundation Partnerships” describing some of the factors shaping these important relationships, …
Read Article
AGB Board Statements
AGB Board of Directors' Statement on Institution-Foundation Partnerships
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 The following text is excerpted from the introduction; download the full statement. For 125 years, affiliated foundations have supported public colleges and universities as fundraisers, stewards of private resources, and enterprise partners. The boards of affiliated foundations have …
Read Article
AGB Reports
Growing the Greater Campus: The Use of Institutionally Related Foundations in Real Estate Activities
Public colleges and universities have long turned to institutionally related foundations (“IRFs”) to raise private support and manage endowments and other financial assets. From the start, however, IRFs have also served as vehicles enabling public institutions to engage in real …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
Governing Boards and University-Affiliated Organizations
Does your institution have a medical center? Who appoints and supervises your foundation heads? How do you make sure that outside contractors—food service and so forth—provide the services you expect and charge fair and justified fees? How much does your …
Read Article

Also in Institutions

Icon of an unlocked padlock representing the benefits that are exclusively available to AGB members.

Member Benefits→

Icon of a person with a plus sign representing how to join AGB.

How to Join→

Current Members→
Learn more about Membership→