A close-up of a burning match stick
Playing with (Catcha)fire


Author: Megan MacDavey

I am reminded daily by the amazing grant partners I get to work with that there is huge demand by nonprofits to build their capacity to be stronger, more sustainable organizations, but that there are not enough resources to do so.  Ninety-five percent of the organizations that responded to a Tower Foundation survey in 2016 … Continued

Real Talk


Author: Megan MacDavey

  What applicants thought about applying to the Tower Foundation in 2018 I can’t say it enough: we love feedback. Don’t get me wrong – some of it is not easy to hear. But we truly appreciate feedback from applicants and grant partners in all its challenging, validating, and sometimes surprising forms. It helps us … Continued

Meet our New Grant Partners


Author: Megan MacDavey

The Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation is pleased to announce that it recently awarded nearly $1.4 million in grants to 14 organizations in Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York, as well as Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Essex County in Eastern Massachusetts. “We are delighted to support this recent group of grant partners. This … Continued

Virtual Office Hours


Author: Megan MacDavey

We love getting to know the communities we work in, learning about the organizations located there, and talking to the people who see what’s happening there every day. Holding office hours at local coffee shops in your neighborhood is one of our favorite ways of connecting. Unfortunately, it’s not always feasible to carve out that … Continued

Announcing New Strengthening Partner Capacity Guidelines


Author: Megan MacDavey

Our newly-launched “Strengthening Partner Capacity” grant guidelines for 2019 mark the beginning of a more streamlined approach to capacity building funding at the Tower Foundation. The Foundation’s Trustees and staff are committed to supporting the organizations, and their leaders, responsible for advancing our goals across the four fields we fund (intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental … Continued

System Redesign Part III: A View From the Balcony


Author: Megan MacDavey

This is the third in a multi-part blog series. Catch up with Part I here and Part II here. In the adaptive leadership framework, “getting on the balcony” is the idea that, when met with complex challenges, you leave your world on-the-ground – your deadlines, to-do list, and distractions –and look at the big picture … Continued

System Redesign Part II: Understanding Value-Based Reimbursement


Author: Megan MacDavey

This is the second in a multi-part blog series. Check out the last one here. The organizations we fund are essential to our work, and because of this, we are paying attention to the shift to Value Based Reimbursement (VBR) which we think will have a huge impact on many of our grantees. As a … Continued

System Redesign Part I: Why It Matters


Author: Megan MacDavey

System Redesign and Why It Matters We here at The Tower Foundation have been paying attention over the last couple of years to the big changes happening in the health care delivery system. Why? Well, a few reasons. First, changes to the health care system mean big changes to not only the health care providers … Continued

The Tower Inquisition


Author: Megan MacDavey

A screening call? A clarification call? Which is it? WHAT is it? I just toiled over a preliminary application for you — what more could you possibly need from me??? What is this, torture?  Hey there. Yes, you with your head on your desk. This is not a trap! We like screening calls a lot (which we have … Continued

Chaos


Author: Megan MacDavey

My morning started in all its usual familiarity and chaos. (Peeling myself away from my kids in the morning is something I have not yet mastered since welcoming our second kiddo into our family this past summer.) My husband and I ran around, frantically executing the diaper-clean-clothe-feed-the-kids routine, managing to make ourselves look quasi-presentable, and … Continued