Pierce Family Foundation was lauded for its support of nonprofits’ technology needs in an editorial by Chantal Forster, Executive Director of Technology Association of Grantmakers, that appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on January 31, 2022.

In “Grantmakers Should Stop Resisting Nonprofits’ Pleas for Increased Technology Funding,” Foster argues that both better communication within and more collaboration among foundations are necessary to give nonprofits what they need. On the former, she says program officers don’t consultant with their own IT staff to stay abreast of what is needed in this area of infrastructure. But, she notes:

Changing this dynamic is certainly possible, as a handful of innovative philanthropic efforts demonstrate. The Pierce Family Foundation, for instance, has made technology investment for grantees a priority since its founding in 2007. The foundation’s chief technologist, David Krumlauf, works directly with grantees to understand their tech needs, often starting with interviews and an inventory of current technology before helping to develop a plan and budget for upgrading their digital systems. In addition to providing grantees funding for these projects, the foundation offers training on tech tool usage and cybersecurity.