PRIVATE FOUNDATION ACCOUNTING & GRANTS ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT
Built for the work behind the mission
Ally Foundation Services provides experienced accounting and administrative support for private foundations. Our work draws on a deep understanding of financial reporting, investment accounting, and grantmaking administration, and how these responsibilities intersect.
Private foundations often manage significant financial and grantmaking responsibilities with limited internal resources. We work alongside foundation staff and professional advisors, providing support where it is needed while maintaining the coordination, continuity, and attention to detail that help keep their operations running smoothly.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ALLY
A working relationship shaped around your foundation
The longer we work with a foundation, the more we understand the history behind its financial decisions, the systems supporting its operations, and the people who contribute to its work.
That familiarity helps us recognize changes, anticipate questions, and provide context that might otherwise be lost between reporting periods or transitions.
Experience that stays with you
Direct involvement from a senior private foundation accounting specialist who develops a lasting understanding of your foundation.
Systems shaped around your needs
Accounting and administrative processes that work with your existing arrangements, with changes recommended where they add value.
Collaboration across your advisory team
Clear communication and coordination with foundation leadership, staff, CPAs, attorneys, investment advisors, and auditors.
Knowledge that carries forward
Familiarity with your foundation's history and decisions, so important context doesn't have to be reconstructed each year.
OUR SERVICES
How we support your work
Accounting and administrative services for private foundations, with additional investment accounting support for nonprofit endowments.
Private Foundation Accounting
Dedicated accounting support for private foundations that need accurate records, reliable reporting, and work performed with audit readiness and compliance in mind. This work may include ongoing accounting support, board-ready financial reporting, investment accounting, and coordination around audit and year-end needs.
Grants Administration Support
Administrative and compliance support for grantmaking programs, with careful attention to documentation, process, and IRS-sensitive requirements. We help foundations maintain continuity across grant activity, internal records, and advisor coordination so leadership and advisors can stay informed and organized.
Endowment Investment Accounting
Supplemental endowment investment accounting services for nonprofit organizations and other long-term investment portfolios, provided in coordination with the organization’s existing accountant or finance team. This offering is designed for situations where added depth in investment accounting is needed, not as a replacement for broader nonprofit accounting functions.
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
Grounded in experience
Carl Farish / Principal
Carl has more than twelve years of experience in private foundation accounting, including work with more than sixty foundations, among them organizations with complex investment activity, lean internal teams, and sophisticated reporting needs.
Through long-standing collaboration with boards, advisors, auditors, tax preparers, investment professionals, and grants managers, he has developed a practical understanding of the coordination, documentation, and follow-through required to support strong financial operations and effective grantmaking administration.
As Principal of Ally Foundation Services, Carl remains directly involved in client work, bringing the continuity, responsiveness, and foundation-specific knowledge that help make complex responsibilities easier to manage.
Carl also serves as Treasurer on the board of ReFund, a nonprofit developing a recoverable grant model to help nonprofit organizations access reimbursement-based government funding.
CLIENT & PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Confidence behind the work
Reflections from the foundations and professionals we work alongside.
“Working with Carl transformed the way our foundation manages and understands its investments. He guided us through the development of a comprehensive investment accounting framework, helping us create investment rollforwards, reconciliation processes, journal entry procedures, and supporting documentation that strengthened both our financial reporting and audit readiness. Just as importantly, Carl took the time to train our team, giving us the knowledge and confidence to manage complex investment accounting matters internally. The result is a stronger, more sustainable financial operation and a deeper understanding of our investment portfolio.”
“Carl came highly recommended, and those recommendations did not disappoint! He has been an invaluable addition to our lean team as we navigate complex voluntary audits. He is deeply knowledgeable in the private foundation space, and provides us with insight and structure. Carl works efficiently with our external auditors and has allowed us to get unstuck in previously tricky areas. I enthusiastically recommend Carl and Ally Foundation Services for audit preparation and administration of private foundations.”
“I’ve worked with Carl on mutual private foundation clients for over a decade. His expertise in foundation accounting, particularly around complex investments, is exceptional. He brings not only technical skill, but also genuine care for the needs of foundation staff and board members.”
“Working with Carl in preparation for audit was a most productive and stress-free experience. He is professional, friendly, highly competent, and most of all, he always kept us informed at every stage. He responds quickly to any queries to allay any concerns. Ally Foundation Services was recommended by another professional service provider we work with, and he not only met but exceeded all my expectations.”
“Grants managers need to work seamlessly with accounting colleagues in order for a foundation to run smoothly and with integrity, and I was always happy to be on a team with Carl because of his high standards and ability to explain complex situations to everyone (including non-accountants!).”
“I have worked with Carl for many years. He brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience with private foundations, working seamlessly with external auditors and tax teams to provide for an efficient close without surprises or drama. I highly recommend Carl and Ally Foundation Services for administration of your private foundation.”
Let’s talk about your foundation.
Every foundation has its own priorities, challenges, and ways of working. We'd welcome the opportunity to learn more about yours and explore how Ally can support the work behind your mission.
We are not a CPA firm. We partner closely with your CPA and advisory teams to provide comprehensive accounting support.