Resources
Family foundation Coaching Cohort
holding space · asking questions · building community
Leading a family foundation can be isolating.
Few people understand the particular mix of family dynamics, board relationships, and grantmaking decisions you navigate, and even fewer are in the room with you when you make them. This cohort brings together a community of peers to work through those experiences together, paired with personalized 1-1 coaching that gives you space to reflect on your individual strengths, needs, and journey.
What am I committing to?
The cohort runs for four months, with 90-minute group coaching sessions loosely focused on specific topics critical in the family foundation space. Sessions are tentatively scheduled to begin in fall 2026 and may shift by mutual agreement among members:
- Introductions & Leadership Development: Friday, October 23, 10-11:30am ET
Meet your cohort, learn about coaching, and take stock of your own leadership: your strengths, your growth edges, and what you want to be different by the end of these four months.
- Governance & Family Dynamics: Friday, November 20, 10-11:30am ET
Focus on navigating the relationships that shape the work: board roles, power dynamics, and the family context that influences how the foundation operates.
- Grantmaking Strategy & Grantee Relationships: Friday, December 11, 10-11:30am ET
Explore how your grantmaking reflects your values, how to hold power thoughtfully in relationships with grantees, and how to make strategy decisions when there’s no obvious right answer.
- Annual Planning: Friday, January 15, 10-11:30am ET
Step back to plan for the year ahead: building on the previous year’s successes and anticipating the obstacles that may lie ahead.
Every participant also receives two hours of 1-1 coaching, scheduled at mutually convenient times.
Who is this for?
This cohort is designed for progressive Executive Directors and similar staff who report to a board of directors or family/donor, as well as staff leaders who report to an ED/CEO. We anticipate breaking into sub-groups based on role and interest. The experience may be especially valuable for those newer to their roles (three years of experience or fewer).
What is coaching?
Coaching helps you get unstuck, set clear goals, and design a path to achieve them. Frequently on this journey coaching can help clarify values and beliefs. By understanding our values and beliefs, we’re better able to make conscious choices that align with who we are and what we want for ourselves. Coaching is not technical advice, therapy, or training; it’s a path of supported reflection and planning.
What will we do in a group coaching session?
Sessions are loosely focused on the month’s theme and are personalized to the group’s members. Each one will include pre-reading to ground the group, small-group time for peer coaching on a challenge tied to that month’s topic, and commitments to actions to try between sessions.
What will we do in a 1-1 coaching session?
Every session is a bit different, but typically you’ll bring a challenge or a place where you’re feeling stuck in your role. We’ll explore the beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and goals around it, and the session usually ends with a few actions to try before we meet again.
Who is leading this cohort?
Alison Upton López is a Senior Director with Ktisis Capital, advising staff and boards on governance, strategy, and leadership. She was the founding Executive Director of the Julian Grace Foundation, a two-generation family foundation in Chicagoland, where she guided the Foundation through its start-up and growth from $1 million to $10 million in grantmaking, building a team of full-time staff along the way. An ICF-certified leadership coach, she is passionate about supporting leaders.
What is the cost?
The cost for participation is $2,500.
Next Steps?
Email auptonlopez@ktisiscapital.com with questions and to set up an introduction call to learn more.