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MERIDIANPHILANTHROPIC
Process

How an Engagement Runs

Institutions trust processes, not promises. This is Meridian's — from first inquiry to the standing cadence your board will come to rely on.

01

Private inquiry

Tell us about your foundation or giving program. Every inquiry is read by the principal and treated as confidential.

02

Consultation & fit

A conversation about where you are and what you need. No obligation — and if Meridian is not the right fit, we will say so and point you to who is.

03

Proposal & written terms

A plain-English proposal with defined scope, cadence, and fees — plus written disclosure of any referral relationships, so the terms are never ambiguous.

04

Thirty-day onboarding

Your portal goes live, the compliance calendar is built, the governance kit is assembled, and your grant files are brought current.

05

The operating cadence

Board cycles prepared, grants administered, filings tracked, and reporting delivered — quarter after quarter.

The Operating Cadence

Quarterly

Board cycle prepared and staffed: docket assembled, materials delivered five business days ahead, minutes and resolutions finalized within five business days after.

Monthly

Grants administered through the portal — intake, diligence coordination, payments, acknowledgments — and the compliance calendar reviewed.

Annually

Filing data room delivered to your CPA, policy suite reviewed, distribution requirement reconciled, and the year's giving reported.

Always

Same-week response to every question, and a portal that shows you the true state of your foundation at any hour.

Professional Standards

Insured, Documented, Separable

Meridian maintains professional liability and cyber insurance appropriate to fiduciary-adjacent work. Every engagement is governed by a written services agreement, and every referral relationship — including to affiliated counsel — is disclosed in writing before you sign anything.

And because your records were always yours: if an engagement ends, you receive a complete, organized export of your vault, grant files, and minutes. The measure of an administrator is how gracefully it can be left.

The process begins with a conversation