Overview
MacArthur Advisory Services (MAS) provide expertise from Staff on a range of philanthropic issues for foundations and other donors, including identifying organizations aligned with a donor’s mission and advising on operations.
Program Staff, experienced in making grants in the United States and around the world, can help donors understand substantive areas of our work and identify effective organizations for the donors to accomplish their mission. Other Staff can provide general guidance on operational matters such as legal, financial, communications, and human resources. This initiative is in furtherance of the long tradition of MacArthur Staff who have informally provided assistance to other donors on a variety of matters. MAS reflects the Foundation’s belief that, by making these resources available in a more focused manner, philanthropic resources can be more effectively leveraged.
MAS falls under the leadership of Joshua Mintz, Vice President and General Counsel of the MacArthur Foundation, who coordinates with other members of the MacArthur Staff to provide an appropriate response to inquiries and link to other resources. MAS is able to draw upon the MacArthur Staff’s collective knowledge and experience in working in Chicago, across the U.S., and around the world, and the networks and extensive contacts that can augment and complement our internal resources.
For further information regarding how MacArthur Advisory Services might be of assistance please contact Joshua Mintz or call (312) 920-6250.
Please understand that this resource is not intended to be a venue to secure grants from the MacArthur Foundation. Entities or persons interested in obtaining funding should review information on applying for grants, read applicable Foundation grantmaking guidelines, and submit a proposal in accordance with the instructions provided.
Resources on Governance and Legal Issues for Private Foundations
As noted above, the MacArthur Advisory Services (“MAS”) initiative provides donors general advice without charge on a range of issues that may be relevant to their funding and support. Over the years, this has included general programmatic, evaluation, finance, impact investments, structuring ideas, and legal issues provided by a wide range of MacArthur Staff. MAS is coordinated by Joshua Mintz, who reports regularly to MacArthur’s Board on the range of activities provided by Foundation Staff.
As part of the ongoing efforts to provide resources to the field, we provide access to articles written or co-written by Mintz related to governance and legal issues. Mintz’s perspective reflected in the articles is gleaned from his decades of service as MacArthur’s General Counsel and his service on the boards of a range of nonprofit organizations. The views expressed in the articles, however, are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the MacArthur Foundation. We will add to these articles with additional articles by Mintz and other Legal Staff.
- The Implication of the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard for Private Foundations and Philanthropy and Considerations for Funders to Continue Their Missions (2023)
- Race Related FAQs
- The Board’s Role in Adopting and Overseeing an Organization’s Approach to Race-Conscious and Race-Exclusive Activities and How Counsel Can Help (2023)
- Expectations for the Conduct of the Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations (2023)
- Key Issues for an Incoming Board Chair of a Private Foundation (2022)
- Suggested Steps for an Effective Search for a New Foundation President (2022)
- Legal and Tax Considerations in the Offering of Bonds by a Private Foundation (2021)
- Fiduciary Duties in Investment Matters (updated 2023)
- Introduction to the Rules of Foundations for New Directors (2014)
- Mission-Related Investing: Legal and Policy Issues to Consider Before Investing (2014)
- The Roles and Responsibilities of Investment Committees of Not-For-Profit Organizations (2009)
- Emerging Forms of Philanthropy: Transforming the Field or Old Wine in New Bottles (2017)
Read additional articles on Mintz's staff profile page.
Additional Resources
As part of our effort to assist our grantees, MacArthur collaborated with the Ford Foundation to commission a webinar by the law firm of Morgan Lewis and Bockius on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The diversity, equity, and inclusion webinar is available for free to all grantees and can be accessed using the password: FordMacArthurDEI.