Mary Anthony — Rejuvenating a Field by Backing Creative New Approaches

Small foundations have the agility and openness to make bets on new ideas and mavericks, and help revitalize entire fields -- while unleashing creativity and sparking new collaborations. Meet a funder who became so knowledgeable about their field, that they could see the potential of a completely new way to do the work. Mary talks about the power of this "Insider/Outsider" role, and how her foundation nurtured and spread the new idea.

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Bio: Mary has served as the director of the 1772 Foundation since 2003. The foundation is committed to farmland conservation and historic preservation and is particularly interested in historic properties redevelopment programs or “revolving funds” to which it funds approximately $1 million each year through training, recapitalization, convenings, and program related investments.

Mary's blogs:

• By Going on the Road Together, Our Foundation Board and Staff Travel Far
• After 400 Requests for Funding, We Refined Our Grantmaking Goals in These 4 Steps