Examining the Mediating Influence of Interlocking Board Networks on Grant Making in Public Foundations

Abstract

Do interlocking boards provide advantage in the grants marketplace? Drawing upon board data from nine public grant-making organizations in two metropolitan areas and their grant recipients, we test the mediating and moderating relationships between interlocking boards, organizational size, and the size of the grants received. We find that organizational size is not a predictor of grant allocations independent of network characteristics. Larger organizations have larger and better-connected boards, which is associated with larger grants.