Weekly Reads
“On the one side, philanthropy is increasingly calling for transparency, more progressive people of color in leadership, and accountability for the ways our dollars can distort and destroy. On the other side, we value presence over power. We are unwilling to engage in the debates of our time beyond websites and newsletters. And we are often motivated by a belief that our institutions are more precious than the people we purport to serve. This is not true.” [more]
—Dr. Carmen Rojas, incoming President and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation
“This report addresses questions often asked by caring people who shepherd resources that could be channeled to advance rural people and places — foundation leaders, individual investors and government officials. ‘We’d like to do more for rural America,’ they offer. ‘But who can we work with? And besides that, what works?’” [more]
—The Aspen Institute
"While most self-identified liberal philanthropists reject trickle-down economics, they buy into 'trickle-down social change' [...] This is the false belief that the way to achieve the greatest impact is to invest in large, prominent, national nonprofits that promise to deliver 'at scale' despite having little organizing heft at the local level." [more]
—Vanessa Daniels, Groundswell, in New York Times
“[W]hen a hurricane or tornado hits, you want to help now, for that disaster. [...] But think about how much impact gifts toward preparedness or long-term recovery could have.” [more]
—Suzanne Coffman, on Candid blog
"Residents were fatigued by constantly having to reframe their ideas for strengthening their neighborhoods according to what they thought funders wanted to hear." [more]
––Pamela Lewis, New Economy Initiative, on Johnson Center blog
“[Preliminary data from a Building Movement Project study] points to divides between the way white leaders and leaders of color view diversity efforts. [...] White-led groups see diversity, equity, and inclusion as primarily about increasing diversity, perhaps because their groups may lack diverse leadership. Those with leaders of color may already have some diversity in their leadership so they may be more focused on how it increases the connection to the community and mission.” [more]
—The Chronicle of Philanthropy
|
|