Tuesday, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) launched Philamplify, a new project aimed at bursting philanthropy's "isolation bubble" by delivering honest feedback to grantmakers. Philamplify pairs comprehensive assessments of prominent foundations with an interactive website that gathers user-generated commentary on foundation practices. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Atlanta's largest foundation with nearly $3 billion in assets, is one of the first three grantmakers examined for the initiative's launch.

Written by philanthropic sector veteran Elizabeth Myrick, "Robert W. Woodruff Foundation: Will Atlanta's Quiet Changemaker Adapt to 21st Century Opportunities?" highlights the organization's strengths in fostering health, social service, educational and arts institutions in Atlanta. It also identifies ways it can improve its impact, by being more transparent about its goals and strategies, diversifying and expanding its board and staff, and by seeking new community partners in communities of color and other underserved communities. The report was also critical of the foundation's high concentration of assets in stock of the Coca-Cola company, noting that such an approach is not common among foundations and carries significant risk.

"There is no doubt that the Woodruff Foundation is a cornerstone in Atlanta," said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of NCRP. "We believe that our recommendations will allow it to achieve an even deeper impact, to promote equity and strengthen the city's social fabric for generations to come."

In a letter responding to the assessment, Woodruff Foundation President P. Russell Hardin said,

"The Woodruff Foundation appreciates the NCRP's dedication to furthering the positive impact of philanthropy by promoting openness and the public good. All of us in the field of philanthropy benefit from thoughtful analysis of divergent strategies and styles and an effort to measure results."