DOI
10.9707/1944-5660.1749
Key Points
This article draws on a developmental evaluation of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation’s Well-Being Grants, which awarded over 100 small, flexible grants to support nonprofit staff and organizational well-being. Using surveys, interviews, focus groups, and document review, authors examined how organizations defined well-being, how they used the funds, and what factors shaped their choices.
Findings show that, while grantees valued flexibility, many relied on familiar approaches such as retreats, stipends, and team building. Long-standing compliance norms engendered caution about experimentation, even when funders encouraged it.
The authors argue that funders must pair flexible dollars with visible trust signals, light structure, and a relational approach to make flexibility safe and usable. Doing so can help nonprofits expand organizational imagination and advance cultures of well-being.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Reed, M., Marsack, J., Hurt, C., Hairston, G., Mendez, K., Vemuganti, T., Stewart, V., & Alvarado, C. (2026). Beyond the Check: Lessons in Trust, Support, and Structure for Flexible Well-Being Grants. The Foundation Review, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1749
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