Weekly Reads
“[According to a new study of 300 funders] Fifty-five percent of foundations say their grant making changed somewhat in 2020 in response to the pandemic, and 42% reported their practices were “very different.” However, only 21% of foundations said they had sustained all of those changes in 2021. Forty-one percent said they had sustained most changes, and 35% just some changes. … [PEAK Grantmaking President and CEO Satonya Fair] noted that sufficient trust in nonprofits is still lacking at many foundations. “It’s tenuous at best as to what philanthropy will do from here,” Fair said. She said nonprofits are in the process of proving they are worthy of more trust, and she believes that they’ll succeed, but it will take time for some grant makers to feel comfortable permanently loosening grantee requirements.” [more]
Dan Parks, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, for the Associated Press
“We [at the Libra Foundation] started by thinking about how our activities—how everything that we did—should focus on building relationships rooted in trust. That focus impacted our team composition: as we recruited new staff members, we were on the lookout for philanthropy skeptics like ourselves. … Our focus on centering relationships also impacts the way we do our grantmaking. In addition to offering multi-year unrestricted funding, we’ve streamlined our processes by not requiring applications or reports. To better understand their work, we have conversations with grantees, try to show up at places (like convenings) where they are already doing their work, and utilize materials they have already prepared—like existing reports or newsletters.” [more]
Ashley Clark, Libra Foundation
“The philanthropy sector has waved the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ for years, and yet ableism continues to affect staffing and talent development, knowledge generation and sharing, and governance and funding. … Funders must elevate and expand their practice so that they’re not only combating ableism but also being actively anti-ableist in their efforts to achieve a just society.” [more]
Sandy Ho, The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and Jen Bokoff, Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, for Stanford Social Innovation Review
“Voice. Vision. Value. is proud to release Centering Ourselves, the first in a series of reports about the leadership impact of Black women in philanthropy. Centering Ourselves takes the perspectives of women leaders of all backgrounds and tenures to address practical tactics to support and sustain the leadership of Black women in the future. … The various discussions [with 37 Black women leaders] led to some pivotal and important questions on how Black women are leaning in during this very exceptional time in our lives, along with how they are looking to be more impactful in the future.” Click here to download a copy of the report.
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