Discretionary Awards are by invitation only.
The Kenneth Rainin Foundation provides a limited number of Discretionary Awards each year for its staff and Board members to direct to a nonprofit organization of their choice. These grants may fall outside of our core giving areas and approaches.
Both the Board and staff make discretionary grants each year. We wanted to ensure that everyone in the organization experiences the joys and the challenges of making a grant.
Jen Rainin, CEO and Board member
Discretionary Awards diversify our grantmaking and enhance our responsiveness to community needs. Grants cannot be made for a prohibited purpose, to a non-charity, or for the financial benefit of a disqualified person. They are subject to full board approval by consent or ratification.
In our Board profile series, our Board of Directors shared how they approach making Discretionary Awards and its importance to them. “By empowering us to participate in the grantmaking process, we see the impact first-hand of the investments we are making,” said William Rogers, Rainin Foundation Board member. “It helps us be more empathetic and effective stewards of the Foundation’s resources.”
Explore Discretionary Award recipients.
