The proper way for non-profits to do this is to start an endowment fund, which provides consistent residual income that can help fund operations. Usually by identifying specific large donors who would wish to be named in the fund.
Endowments and foundations are different things with different objectives. Many foundations may have endowments of their own, and may use them to issue grants to non-profits. From a legal and financial perspective though, there's a difference between a non-profit having an endowment itself which provides restricted funds for specific operational activities vs how foundations typically create and structure endowments for external giving.
Both concepts have been around for decades, so I don't think either is particularly disruptive.
