The Franklin family’s foundation was meant to bring the family together. Instead, over time, it became one more place where personal priorities, generational differences, and informal decisions could pull them apart.
This is the second installment in our “Case Notes for Advisors” series: short, real-world examples to help financial, legal, and trustee advisors recognize philanthropic questions that often sit just outside the estate plan, tax strategy, or investment conversation. Read/Download the one-page case study at the end.
Hold this thought: Family philanthropy can have generous people, good intentions, and meaningful resources, yet still need structure before it feels complete.
When the Franklin Family Foundation engaged Strategic Philanthropy, their giving was personal but loosely organized. Grant decisions felt informal. Priorities varied across generations. And what had once felt meaningful was becoming harder to enjoy.
How does a family turn individual commitments into a shared purpose everyone can trust?
For advisors, this is the moment to notice. A family may describe the issue as needing help with grants, meetings, next generation engagement, or “getting organized.” But often, the deeper need is alignment: a clearer sense of purpose, decision-making, roles, and succession.
The family was not lacking generosity.
They were lacking a shared framework for how to turn that generosity into a foundation everyone could understand, trust, and help carry forward.
In Franklin’s case, the work began with facilitated retreats and guided conversations. Each family member needed space to name what mattered to them, while the family needed a way to translate those individual commitments into a shared mission, values, and strategic focus.
From there, Strategic Philanthropy helped create governance systems, board roles, and succession plans that made decision-making more transparent and trusted.
Over time, the foundation became more focused, adaptive, and effective. Though modest in size, it expanded its influence through convenings, fund/friendraisers, and other strategies that helped it punch above its weight.
Read/Download the complete, one-page case study: “Franklin’s Foundation”
Client names have been altered for confidentiality.