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We Work With Foundations, Too.
Strategic consulting for small and family foundations that want to give well — not just generously.
Most consulting firms work exclusively with nonprofits seeking grants. RDB Consulting works on both sides of the table.
For four decades, Randall Dexter Baker has advised foundations on their grantmaking — helping them identify strong nonprofit partners, design responsive grant programs, and ensure their philanthropic investments generate the community impact they intend. If you lead a small or family foundation, this experience is directly available to you.
Is This You?
RDB Consulting’s foundation services are designed for:
Family Foundations
Newly established or growing family foundations seeking structure, focus, and a trusted advisor to help steward their philanthropic legacy.
Small Private Foundations
Foundations with limited staff capacity that need experienced outside support to evaluate grants, manage relationships, and stay mission-focused.
Community-Focused Foundations
Foundations committed to underserved urban communities in Chicago and Detroit who want a partner with deep on-the-ground knowledge of the local nonprofit landscape.
Foundations in Transition
Foundations rethinking their grantmaking strategy, expanding their focus areas, or adapting to new leadership and direction.
How We Support Foundations
Grantmaking Strategy
Help defining and refining your foundation's focus areas, funding priorities, and theory of change — so every grant dollar works harder.
Nonprofit Vetting & Due Diligence
Rigorous assessment of nonprofit applicants — organizational health, leadership capacity, financial stability, and program effectiveness.
Grant Program Design
Development of grant cycles, application processes, review criteria, and award structures that are clear, equitable, and mission-aligned.
Nonprofit Partner Identification
We tap our four-decade network to connect your foundation with the right nonprofit organizations — ones doing effective, accountable work in your focus areas.
Impact Assessment
Frameworks and processes for measuring whether your grants are achieving the outcomes you care about — and adjusting course when they aren't.
Capacity Building Grants
Guidance on designing and awarding capacity building grants — one of the highest-impact funding strategies available to small foundations.
The Advantage of Both Sides
Most consultants have worked either inside foundations or inside nonprofits. Randall has worked inside both — as a full-time executive at nonprofit organizations and as a strategic advisor to foundations making grants. That dual perspective means he understands what strong grant applications actually look like, what red flags to watch for in nonprofit partners, and what grantmaking strategies produce lasting community change.
Randall’s foundation work extends well beyond consulting engagements. As a consultant to the Pierce Family Charitable Foundation, he co-founded the Peer Skill Share project — an initiative designed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support directly to the foundation’s nonprofit grantees.
What most foundations see
Polished proposals from nonprofits they don't know well — with limited ability to assess organizational strength behind the ask.
What RDB helps you see
The full picture — leadership capacity, financial health, program track record, and community credibility — before you commit a single dollar.
4
Decades advising foundations & nonprofits
3+
Foundations supported with strategic grantmaking
$44.5M+
Raised across grants & individual giving
Let's Talk About Your Foundation's Goals
Whether you’re refining your grantmaking strategy or just getting started, a free consultation is the best first step. Randall will listen first — and bring four decades of perspective to the conversation.