Organisation type: 
Domestic Philanthropy

Develop multiyear funder-nonprofit partnerships

• MHI considers multiyear partnerships essential for delivering impact in the field. Partnerships typically last for three to eight years, and MHI exits after it has introduced its nonprofit partners to new funders who can match an amount equivalent to MHI’s funding.
• With the grassroots organisations it supports, MHI often begins by providing a short-term grant, based on the readiness of the partner nonprofit. It then works with the organisation to build a longer-term relationship.

Pay a fair share of core costs

• MHI supports the overall costs of a programme or project and does not differentiate between programme and core costs. This flexible approach stems from its belief that ensuring core-cost coverage will help nonprofits deliver greater impact in the long run.
• For nonprofits where MHI is one of several funders, it tries to provide funding for specific core costs that may not be supported by other funders. It also encourages nonprofits to leverage MHI’s support to seek proportionate core-cost coverage from the other funders.

Invest in organisational development

• MHI aims to understand its nonprofit partners’ OD needs, with a focus on investments required to support plans for growth. It also encourages nonprofit leaders to begin engaging in conversations about their OD needs during the initial grant stage.
• MHI provides both financial and nonfinancial OD support, including:
  • It makes dedicated OD grants and funds intermediaries to help nonprofits develop and implement OD plans.
  • It provides nonprofits with access to MHI staff and external experts. MHI employees have provided nonprofits with advice on communications, programme design, human resource policies, and technology.

Build financial resilience

• MHI generally does not provide grants for corpus building.
• When planning to exit a nonprofit partnership, it identifies and makes connections to mission-aligned funders.
• MHI also provides nonprofit partners with opportunities to present their work in various funders’ forums.

Embed diversity, equity, and inclusion in grantmaking

• MHI focuses its grantmaking on the interconnected nature of gender, sexuality, caste, religion, geographical location, and occupation. To identify often-overlooked nonprofits, MHI seeks advice from other funders and references from partner nonprofits. It has also taken measures to make its online grant-application process more inclusive by incorporating design elements that make it accessible to people with disabilities.
• MHI ensures that its team and advisory board have representation from the communities it serves. It has instituted processes (e.g. internship programmes for people from historically marginalised groups, a buddy programme for new team members, and orientation sessions for the team) to achieve this goal.