Our Values

Creating positive social change is hard work that requires focus, discipline, and collaboration. We believe explicit values can guide our decision-making, organize our priorities, and facilitate effective partnerships.

Our values serve as both a description of what we already share and an aspiration for what NFF will become. They remind us what really matters in our interactions with each other, our clients, and the communities we serve. And we measure our success by how well we live up to them.

Equity in Action

  • We believe that operating equitably and inclusively is crucial and fundamental to generating effective solutions.
  • We work by challenging structural inequities and imbalances of power as we honor all individuals’ contributions.
  • We succeed when we purposefully contribute to advancing equity in our communities.

NFF believes that the arc of the moral universe does indeed bend toward justice. We also know that it still needs a lot of help from all of us, working together. Our organizational commitment to Equity in Action includes proactive efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in our recruitment and contracting. Click here to read more about NFF’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Generosity of Spirit

  • We believe our work thrives in an atmosphere of trust and empathy.
  • We work by listening deeply so we can build understanding and promote fair practices among all people who give, invest, and use money to advance social good.
  • We succeed when we bring out the best in others and take responsibility for our words and actions.

Leading by Doing

  • We believe that on-the-ground work is the foundation for constructive action and insight.
  • We work by learning from our mistakes and successes and converting them into shareable knowledge and practices.
  • We succeed when we develop powerful ideas that are taken up by others.

Responsiveness

  • We believe productive collaboration is founded on timely, honest, and respectful communication.
  • We work by communicating proactively and by responding quickly and directly.
  • We succeed when we raise and respond to concerns and opportunities fully and attentively.

Rigor without Attitude

  • We believe our power comes from coupling thoughtful insight with accessible communication.
  • We work by humbly challenging the status quo, changing practices one colleague, one client, one conversation at a time.
  • We succeed when we make a positive difference not just by what we say but how we say it.