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Philosophy · August 2026 · 6 min read

Patience as Strategy

Why the most effective philanthropic decisions are rarely the fastest ones — and what we lose when we optimize for urgency.

There is a quiet temptation in philanthropy to move quickly — to announce, to deploy, to be seen responding. But the problems the Foundation seeks to address were not built in a season, and they will not be solved in one.

Patience is not passivity. It is the discipline to wait for the right partner, the right moment, and the right measure of commitment. It is the willingness to fund a fifth year when the fourth was difficult, and to withhold when enthusiasm outpaces evidence.

We have found, again and again, that the grants we waited to make returned more than the ones we rushed. Patience, properly held, is itself a strategy.

— Michael Gowl, Founder

Michael Gowl

Written By

Michael Gowl

Founder & President, LF Foundation

Michael Gowl is the Founder and President of the LF Foundation. He established the Foundation as an extension of a long-held belief that capital carries both opportunity and responsibility, bringing more than two decades of experience as an entrepreneur, business leader, and investor to philanthropy.

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