NEO Philanthropy’s Post

Philanthropy has a role to play in #BuildingTogether. Many Council members are stepping in to support local efforts and promote civil discourse to bridge cultural and ideological divides. Richard Harwood, president of The Harwood Institute believes the solution lies in finding common ground, "What we need is a civic path forward, where people come together in their local communities, figure out what they can agree on, and get working together." Read more in Inside Philanthropy https://bit.ly/3zwMtdU

Fascinating look at the complexity of trust-based philanthropy, the many facets of trust-based philanthropy, and the necessary shifts in staffing, expertise, supports, and perhaps most critically, mission, that are needed to achieve success.

Shifting power via foundation grants requires that those in the community gaining power have the requisite organizations, skills, and capacity to manage power to good effect. Lived experience is only part of it? And lettting go of power while shepherding the whole, also requires new skills, staying power, and accountability to…? Long highly abstract read, but worth interrogating. Wish it contained the unredacted voices of those in the health foundation and in the community who feel unfairly used, or who can state lessons learned in more visceral terms. Something about a foundation-stifled protest over a contaminated aquifer at an economically essential military base? Finding or centering the right voices to write up the “findings”…..

🚨 Read Today! Insights from “Responding to the Moment: Participatory Approaches in Philanthropy” 🚨 What if the people impacted by philanthropy had a real say in where the money goes? 🤔 In our June program, Responding to the Moment: Participatory Approaches in Philanthropy, we learned that participatory grantmaking is doing just that - shifting decision-making power from traditional power centers, like foundation boards and donors, to the people and communities directly affected by the funder’s work. In her recent Insights piece, Katy Love from Fund for Shared Insight shared key takeaways from the program, exploring how the Kolibri Foundation & Brooklyn Org are using this model to create more inclusive, effective, and community-driven grantmaking. 🙌 👀 Sneak peek of takeaways: 💡 Start with clear boundaries – decide which steps in the grantmaking process are suitable for community involvement 🌍 Diverse voices are key – community members bring perspectives funders miss 💵 Pay your participants – value their time and insights ⚖️ Prepare for challenges – balancing power isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it! Want the full story or are interested in watching the program recording? Click below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/enMsPgTR #PowerShift #Philanthropy #CommunityVoices #ParticipatoryGrantmaking #Funders

For over a year, it's been my joy and privilege to work with a fantastic team at the Council on Foundations to better understand how philanthropy is supporting work to connect and collaborate across difference in the US, both through what it funds and how it operates. I am thrilled that the first of three reports, co-sponsored by the New Pluralists and Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE), is out! This one focuses on WHAT work is being supported, qualitatively and quantitatively. Bottom line: 1) Despite increased polarization, most Americans support working with those holding different beliefs and believe philanthropy can help with this; and 2) Foundations are committing more and more of their resources to this work. For instance, in our sample (not representative, but a varied and significant n=133):  ✅ 85% of foundations have funded connecting across differences within the past 10 years.  ✅ Nearly a quarter allocated over half of their grantmaking budget to this work.   ✅ Over 90% of those funding this work increased or maintained their investments between 2021 and 2022. Other nuggets: 🔥 How this work is being carried out across the country... 🔥 Perspectives from a diverse array of philanthropic leaders regarding the need for and/or value of connecting across differences... 🔥 How different interpretations of concepts (e.g., bridging, pluralism, belonging, social cohesion) lead to different estimations about the efficacy of this work, and whether it can be symbiotic with equity/social justice efforts I encourage anyone interested in work to advance pluralism/belonging/bridging/democracy to download and read the full report, and please spread the word! https://lnkd.in/e34fZyWD

What happens when a foundation commits to spending down its assets in a way that democratizes decision-making? A philanthropy abolitionist reflects on the bold choices and lessons learned in our latest article on Inside Philanthropy. Discover how this approach has challenged traditional philanthropy and what it means for the future of giving. #MikeScutari reports: Insights into the process and impact of a democratized spend-down Reflections on how this approach challenges traditional philanthropic models The legacy and future implications for foundations considering similar paths Tagging Chorus Foundation Quark Highlander Research and Education Center #SpendDown #SocialImpact #DemocratizedGiving #FoundationLeadership #AbolitionistPhilanthropy #FutureOfGiving #DemocratizedGrantmaking #CommunityLedPhilanthropy #EquityInPhilanthropy #PowerShift #Grantmaking #CommunityEmpowerment #InsidePhilanthropy #Philanthropy

15 years ago, here in Richmond, a small group of women came together to create a community focused on philanthropy. Today, collective giving is a rapidly-growing movement nationwide. As this article notes, Between the lines: Members of the groups reported significant improvement to their physical, mental, and spiritual health as a result of joining. In an increasingly atomizing world, these groups create real community. Members also became more likely to become actively engaged in local civic institutions. "Collective giving is inherently a social, long-term, and community-based experience," write the authors. https://lnkd.in/eVtn5mWj

Last week, SVP Denver team members, Dave Koken and Dara Bellinson, MSW, attended the CircleUp meeting with Philanos, Philanthropy Together, and The Women's Foundation of Colorado, in collaboration with Community Investment Network and Grapevine to talk about giving circles in Colorado. Dave sat on a panel with Tobi Becerra, Ramonna Robinson, Shayla R. Richard, CSM, Christine M. Cannon, and Cynthia R. Gallegos to discuss areas for partnership between SVP Denver and local giving circles. We are looking forward to the opportunity to expose giving circles to organizations in our network and get some resources out into the community! Here are some interesting facts we learned from the recent report from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy : ⭕ Collective giving is democratizing and diversifying philanthropy. ⭕Collective giving greatly expands what gets funded. ⭕Collective giving pushes the bounds of how philanthropy is practiced. ⭕Collective giving deeply impacts members themselves. ⭕Collective giving is a catalyst for social cohesion and change. Read the report at collective.giving and find a giving circle to join near you!

#DAFs are democratizing giving, making them a perfect tool for advisors to use when helping clients merge their financial and #philanthropic endeavors. This extensive study shows the role of the #DAF in fostering community support and enhancing impact: https://bit.ly/3OKOBTY

Happy to help circulate this new practical guide!