Organizational Learning
When Shift Happens: Navigating Toward a Framework for Responsible Philanthropic Exits
This report was originally published in December 2025 by The Foundation Review, a publication of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy. It is authored by Laila Bell, The Skillman Foundation; Stephanie Teleki, The California Health Care Foundation; and Jaime Vazquez, The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Philanthropy can be a powerful force for social change, with influence extending far beyond the funding period. When foundations decide to cease funding in a specific area, how they exit can significantly impact the field they are leaving in both the short- and long-term. A poorly executed exit risks blindsiding grant partners and communities, damaging key relationships, undermining progress, and potentially leaving the field worse off than it was found. In contrast, a responsible exit can help the work continue long after the foundation ceases its funding.
What defines a responsible exit? In this article, learning leaders at three different philanthropies attempt to answer this question by drawing on literature, focus groups, interviews with foundation staff and nonprofit leaders, and their own experiences in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.
The resulting framework outlines seven core elements of a responsible exit to ensure that the ecosystem is as resilient and well-equipped as possible to continue the work when funders step away. This framework is shared with humility and the hope that others will improve upon it as the philanthropic sector advances its practice with a commitment to both equity and the perspectives of grant partners.
