Kindora Blog

Insights on fundraising, grant strategy, and the philanthropy landscape

Bold serif text on a black background reading “Moral authority doesn’t come with a diploma.”
Philanthropy Trends

I Have Two Harvard Degrees. They're the Wrong Qualification for What's Coming.

Billions are flowing into AI philanthropy, and the sector's deciding who's smart enough to spend it. Why that's the wrong question—and the case for proximity.

Justin Steele·
A single empty wooden chair beside a table in a warm, sunlit room.
Philanthropy Trends

It's Not Whether You Use AI. It's Who You Back to Build It.

The sector keeps asking whether to use AI. That makes us consumers. The real question is who we back to build the tools our work needs—plus three concrete moves.

Justin Steele·
A dim home-office desk at night, captioned “I gave away $700 million. Then I tried to raise $350,000.”
Philanthropy TrendsFundraising Strategy

I Gave Away $700 Million. Then I Tried to Raise $350,000.

I gave away $700M at Google.org, then drained my retirement to raise $350K. Why the social sector's capital stack fails its own founders—and how to fix it.

Justin Steele·
Foundation Research

What a 990 Filing Actually Tells You About a Funder (And What Most Nonprofits Miss)

Every private foundation in America files a public tax return. Here’s how to read IRS Form 990-PF like a fundraiser — and what most nonprofits miss hiding in the data.

Justin Steele·
Sunlight bursting through a crack splitting a thick concrete wall.
Philanthropy TrendsNonprofit Leadership

Something Bigger Is Happening

The wall between the people who understand problems and the people who can build solutions just fell. Why domain experts—not engineers—are the builders we need.

Justin Steele·
A panel discussion at a Latino/Hispanic community center, with a speaker at the podium.
Nonprofit Leadership

The Nightclub and the Library: Why the Social Sector Can't Afford to Sit Out AI

The social sector is hesitating on AI while the private sector races ahead. A practical risk ladder for nonprofits: what's safe to try now, what needs guardrails.

Justin Steele·
A split image: a collage of community photos and children’s art on the left, a glowing blue data-center corridor on the right.
Philanthropy Trends

OpenAI Just Became America's Biggest Foundation. Now What?

OpenAI just built one of America's largest philanthropic fortunes overnight. Five questions that reveal whether the giving is real—or just the terms of extraction.

Justin Steele·
Order tickets clipped along a kitchen rail, each demanding something different—“CEO wants safe PR win,” “Board demands ROI metrics now,” “Justice not charity.”
Nonprofit LeadershipPhilanthropy Trends

So You Think Philanthropy Is Easy?

Everyone thinks philanthropy is easy. It's cooking impossible meals while every table orders a different dish—a decade of lessons from inside the kitchen.

Justin Steele·
A speaker presenting at a microphone during a talk on justice and philanthropy.
Nonprofit LeadershipPhilanthropy Trends

What I Wish I'd Known: 5 Hidden Tensions in Corporate Philanthropy

Five hard-won tensions every corporate-philanthropy practitioner hits—win-win vs. justice, generosity vs. change, measurement vs. impact—and how to navigate them.

Justin Steele·