In an admirable act of self-sacrifice, the Quixote Foundation (QuixoteFoundation.org), a charitable organization dedicated to environmental equity, U.S. reproductive rights, U.S. election integrity and U.S. media reform, has recently decided to spend its entire endowment. Earlier this month, the organization announced that it would be spending all of its money from now until 2017.

In order to have a maximum impact, the Quixote Foundation has chosen this opportune period of time to go all-out and give everything over a short period of time, as opposed to releasing small amounts to the organizations that rely upon it year after year. This is in line with founder Stuart Hanisch’s belief that a donor’s role only becomes relevant with the efforts of the people and organizations that deal with the issues from day to day.

According to representatives of the foundation, the next few years present unique chances for each of their advocacies to really gain momentum. The organization wants to make the most of them by financially supporting those areas quickly. Simultaneously, debates are being held, decisions are being made, technology is being purchased and investments are being made to ensure that this is the right decision.

“The point is to become the most effective change agent we can be, even if that means not being a foundation any more in the institutional sense,” says Lenore Hanisch, co-executive director of the Quixote Foundation.

In this economically difficult time for practically all charitable organizations, the Quixote Foundation has decided to spend more instead of less. It has not yet decided on the complete set of grants that it will spend on, but decisions and amounts will be decided as the months pass.

The Quixote Foundation is actually following a growing trend among some organizations that see the next few years as the best time to support change-making to the fullest of their capabilities.

Founded in 1997, the Organization will be 20 years old when it makes its biggest sacrifice.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Philanthropy.