Giving

Be The Change: Give Your Way

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Donate by Mail

Make your tax-deductible donation via check and as soon as we receive it, with our thanks, we'll send you all the information you need for tax purposes. Send it to:

THE PENNYWISE FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 1112 Richmond, VT 05477

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Why Give Through Pennywise?

At Pennywise, we don’t limit our focus to certain causes or parts of the world. Instead, our priorities are to identify and support specific approaches to nonprofit service delivery that are proven to generate more effective, efficient and enduring solutions to persistent problems.

We want our donors to become part of these strategies and to see the tangible, positive change that results from them. We view our role as providing the comprehensive information donors need to make the best decisions about their giving. These are choices that we think should be based not only on what an organization is doing but also how they are getting it done and why their methodology is likely to be successful over time. In this way, Pennywise is able to match creative giving with creative problem solving. We can apply our assessment criteria to any issue or region of the world and find uniquely effective organizations that are making change happen.

We also employ an array of other tools that help us decide which organizations to support and recommend. Here are some of the most important of them:

  • Knowledge & expertise

    The Pennywise Staff has decades of experience in nonprofit services, management and community development. We have formally assessed our grant decision making and impact methodologies. We only support organizations that are making demonstrable differences and that exceed standards in non-profit management. such as dedicating upwards of 80% of their budgets to direct aid.

  • Comprehensive Review

    Pennywise understands that our donors want us to do the legwork they don’t have time to do themselves. We extensively analyze public information about potential grantees including financial documentation, charitable status, media commentary and ratings by charity monitoring organizations. We also assess each new potential partner through our formal assessment criteria. We conduct pre-grant interviews with key staff and make funding decisions based both on the qualitative review of the organization and how well aligned they are with Pennywise priorities.

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    Accountability

    Pennywise enters into a formal contract with each of its grantees. The contract proscribes the uses of Pennywise funds; requires periodic status reports, a final report and detailed accounting of how grant funds were used; and acknowledges that Pennywise has the authority to withhold or recover grants that are, or appear to be, misused. Throughout the process, Pennywise works with grantees to maintain focus on how tangible impact will be demonstrated and documented and how the organization or project is, or will become, self-sustaining. We seek to create long-lasting relationships with all of our grantees and welcome opportunities to work with them on follow-up and future planning.