Institute for Foundation Board Leaders and Chief Executives 2026

Strategic alignment between the foundation chief executive, the board chair or chair-elect, and the institution president is essential to the foundation’s ability to function as a high-impact strategic partner to its college or university. AGB’s Institute for Foundation Board Leaders and Chief Executives affords a unique opportunity for small teams of foundation leaders to spend time together learning from expert faculty and foundation peers about the governance practices that enable a foundation to go from good to great. The highly interactive retreat provides a review of fundamentals of foundation governance and leads participants through a process of assessment and visioning, culminating in the development of an action plan to strengthen the CEO-board chair partnership, elevate the work of the board, enhance institution-foundation alignment, and more effectively fulfill the foundation’s mission of support. While the Institute was originally designed for CEO-board chair teams, in recent years, many participants have elected to bring three- or four-person teams, including the foundation CEO, the foundation board chair, the vice chair, or the immediate past chair. While a close CEO-board chair partnership is essential for effective foundation governance, a closely aligned, collaborative, and trusting relationship between the CEO, the foundation board chair, and the institution president or chancellor is necessary to optimize the foundation-institution partnership. The inclusion of vice chairs or immediate past chairs helps to sustain strategic focus and continuity through board leadership transitions.