van Beuren Charitable Foundation Transitions to New Strategic Framework
The van Beuren Charitable Foundation recently completed a new strategic plan and has begun implementing a new strategic framework to align the van Beuren family’s philanthropic goals with community aspirations.
The Foundation’s mission continues to be to “invest in the quality of place and quality of life on Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities” but the focus has shifted from activities to outcomes in the areas of Healthy Lifestyles, Strong Starts, Community Prosperity and Excellence in the Commons.
“We hope that our new strategic framework will encourage the increased connectivity that is developing in the community, and acknowledges that community vitality is augmented by the beneficial interplay between health, education, the economy, and built and natural environments,” say Archbold D. van Beuren, Foundation Chair, and Elizabeth Lynn, Foundation Executive Director in the Foundation’s newly released annual report.
The report presents feedback from three clusters of grantees working on shared community goals, the community benefit they
strive to deliver, and the lessons learned that inform future work.
“The $5.5 million of grant funds we invested locally in 2016 inspired our planning process and reaffirmed the importance of being a community partner. Our community is hard at work taking on the challenges that will lead to children having a strong start in life, residents experiencing health throughout their lives, economic opportunity for residents and enterprises, and inspirational institutions and landscapes,” say van Beuren and Lynn.