The Dutch $1 billion philanthropist Van Leer Group Foundation focuses on helping young children. It has blazed a trail by spending 95% of its grant money outside its home country.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bavarian machinery company his grandfather set up in 1901, Richard Scheubeck and the firm’s other family owners decided to create a charitable foundation. They put in $1.1 million, and Scheubeck encouraged the company’s suppliers and business partners to make donations. With more than…