Episode 8 - Spend Out: Giving While Living

At the end of 2023, Diana Blank’s foundation, The Kendeda Fund, will complete a philanthropic journey spanning nearly thirty years and more than $1 billion of charitable giving. With its departure, Kendeda joins a small but growing list of foundations opting to sunset rather than continue in perpetuity. This episode pulls back the curtain to reveal why Kendeda chose to wind down its work, what it took to pull it off, and what that choice means in a world riven by complex, existential threats like climate change, gun violence, racial and economic inequality. 

• Stories from The Kendeda Fund is an audio storytelling project documenting the origins, impact and legacy of The Kendeda Fund. Each episode highlights an element of The Kendeda Fund’s philanthropic journey, revealing useful lessons for nonprofit veterans and emerging donors alike. Learn more at www.kendedafund.org. 
• “A Date Certain: Lessons Learned from Limited Life Foundations” (National Center for Family Philanthropy) https://www.ncfp.org/knowledge/a-date-certain-lessons-from-limited-life-foundations 
• This episode was produced by Wonder Media Network. Our Executive Producers are Dena Kimball and David Brotherton.