Family Foundations effects during a pandemic: 10 year follow-up

As the COVID-19 pandemic has been highly stressful for parents and children, it is clear that strategies that promote long-term family resilience are needed to protect families in future crises. One such strategy, the Family Foundations program, is focused on promoting supportive coparenting at the transition to parenthood. In a randomized trial, we tested the long-term intervention effects of Family Foundations on parent, child, and family wellbeing one to two months after the imposition of a national shelter-in-place public health intervention in 2020. We used regression models to test intervention impact on outcomes reported on by parents in a standard questionnaire format and a series of 8 days of daily reports. We also tested moderation of intervention impact by parent depression and coparenting relationship quality. Relative to control families, intervention families demonstrated significantly lower levels of individual and family problems (general parent hostility, harsh and aggressive parenting, coparenting conflict, sibling relationship conflict, and children’s negative mood and behavior problems), and higher levels of positive family relationship quality (positive parenting, couple relationship quality, sibling relations, and family cohesion). For some outcomes, including coparenting conflict, harsh parenting, and child behavior problems, intervention effects were larger for more vulnerable families—that is, families with higher pre-pandemic levels of parent depression or lower levels of coparenting relationship quality. We conclude that targeted family prevention programming is able to promote healthy parent and child functioning during unforeseen future periods of acute stress. The long-term benefits of a universal approach to family support at the transition to parenthood indicate the need for greater investment in the dissemination of effective approaches.

Madam C. J. Walker and African American Philanthropy in the Twenty-First Century

The epilogue examines the presence of Walker’s style of giving among African American donors of the twenty-first century, from Oprah Winfrey to the millions of black churchwomen, clubwomen, and giving circle members today. It presents Winfrey as an exemplar of Madam Walker’s gospel of giving by exploring the evolution of her philanthropy across her career. It reviews the fundraising campaign of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, which reflected Walker’s gospel of giving by creating multiple points of entry for donors of various abilities to give. A broad base of donors of all races, but especially African Americans, responded to the campaign by donating money, artifacts, and volunteer time at extraordinary rates. The chapter presents a brief overview of the current landscape of African American philanthropy as a reflection of Walker’s gospel of giving that includes the black church, communal forms of giving, giving circles, family foundations, black-led organizations and social movements, and professional affinity networks in philanthropy.

Family Foundations in Switzerland

At a governmental level, the introduction of a Swiss law on trusts is currently being reviewed. One of the arguments is that Switzerland does not provide for a suitable instrument to be used for estate planning or asset protection purposes. Many scholars and practitioners take the view, though, that a common law trust is not a suitable instrument and that therefore it would be more advisable to review the existing instruments, such as the Swiss family foundation or the fiducie (Treuhand), and to amend them accordingly. This article shall shed some light on the Swiss family foundation, on its use and limits and how it could be used de lege ferenda in the future if its legal limits were finally to be released.

The German family foundation: concept, legal framework, and taxation

Most German foundations serve the common good. Nevertheless, setting up a private foundation in Germany has proven to be a valuable instrument in private wealth management and estate planning. About 5% of all German foundations are the so-called family foundations with the purpose of serving the interests of one or more families. There are numerous possible areas of application, such as business succession, asset protection, estate planning, and/or use of tax advantages. This article is intended to describe the concept of the German family foundation, its establishment, constitution, and termination, as well as its taxation, in order to provide an overview of its advantages, disadvantages, and possible applications. The German non-profit foundation shall not be discussed.

Russian Family Foundations: benefits and pitfalls for international clients with Russian connections

Since 2018, Russian law has provided for the concept of a “Hereditary Foundation”, a private foundation which can be established after the demise of the testator and which can act in a way similar to a common-law trust. It is an option for complex estate planning under Russian law. It has attracted both interest and controversy, with many concerned that the gray area, lacunae, and inconsistencies in the legislation may prevent its effective implementation. The authors analyze the practical challenges in this area and consider whether and how this vehicle fares in competition with the non-Russian structures traditionally used by Russian private clients for estate and succession planning.