Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Post

Women are critical to the fate and health of democracy globally. By lifting up women-led organizations, philanthropy can help them unleash their full potential to create authentic, transformative change. I learned years ago from Cdn Women’s Foundation that when you help a woman, there is a ripple effect. Women will then help their families and communities. https://lnkd.in/gKzfit76

Facing threats to racial equity work, the Borealis REACH Fund remains steadfast in its mission. Discover how this fund continues its consistent, steady approach to advancing racial equity in our latest article on Inside Philanthropy. Dawn Wolfe reports: Borealis REACH Fund’s strategies for sustaining racial equity efforts Key initiatives and their impact on communities Insights from fund leaders and beneficiaries Join the conversation! How can we support sustained efforts in racial equity? Tagging Borealis Philanthropy Ford Foundation The David and Lucile Packard Foundation NoVo Foundation #RacialEquity #SocialJustice #SteadyApproach #BorealisREACHFund #BorealisReachFund #SocialJustice #SystemicRacism #InclusivePolicies #MarginalizedCommunities #EquityWork #ConsistentApproach #Empowerment #LastingChange #Philanthropy

💪💜 Discover how to infuse feminism into your philanthropic efforts in our blog post! From challenging power dynamics to amplifying marginalized voices, learn actionable steps to create positive change. Read more: https://bit.ly/3sTeI0t

“Those who have been systematically excluded from philanthropy are pushing funders to rethink their approach to disrupting inequality. To help shift deeply rooted power dynamics, foundations must ensure that historically marginalized communities set the agenda. They also need to make clear to established groups that they share or cede power to more diverse voices, just as funders must diversify their own ranks. It is worth stating the obvious: this work demands that foundations move beyond the typical “add and stir” approach to women or people of color or rural or disabled or LGBTQ+ people, which imagines that simple (and often symbolic) inclusion is all it takes to solve a deep-seated problem. Being attentive to power can be complicated, but some parts are straightforward. Funders can think about how they structure convenings and be intentional about who is invited and who is speaking. Foundation staff can compare their grants: Who gets more money? Who gets less? Who gets none? And foundations can build these considerations into their strategic work. Finally, foundations must hire people with less elite backgrounds and more diverse experiences to become program officers.”

The whole space of trust based philanthropy is always evolving. I think a lot more funders are looking at the longevity of their funding and changing some of the metrics, applying deeper understanding that if you're tackling systems of injustice that have been developed and reinforced over hundreds of years, a three-year or five-year intervention will only make limited progress. To be able to change cultural, social, religious norms will take time and patience. Grassroots groups and movements need to be sustained over periods of time in order for that change to actually happen. https://lnkd.in/ghx39J5e

A central part of Outright International's theory of change is supporting the global, grassroots LGBTIQ movement. Mobilizing new funding to our partners is one critical aspect of this support, because 1) queer activism in the Global South and East is under attack and drastically underfunded, 2) there's a huge opportunity to radically accelerate social and legal change to improve the lives of LGBTIQ people, and 3) they've asked us! Here are some great insights from leaders of community and equity-focused philanthropic intermediary funds in the Stanford Social Innovation Review: “In the social justice movement space, community ‘intermediary funds’ help allocate funding to people-powered activism...We exist because movements have asked us to help move money more effectively...The work we fund is led by those disproportionately impacted by systemic oppression...and our leadership reflects the communities we serve and/or decades of experience doing values-aligned work. We know that resourcing movements means going above and beyond cutting a check. Our organizations are well positioned to provide this support because our north stars are the movements we were born from. Larger funders, which often do not have the infrastructure and relationships to reach grassroots organizations, can invest in intermediary funds to learn from and partner with local, regional, and global movements. We serve an important role in ensuring dollars move to the furthest reaches of our complex global movement ecosystem.”

In the first 15th anniversary issue of The Foundation Review, (re)discover one of the most read articles entitled, Raising the Bar — Integrating Cultural Competence and Equity: Equitable Evaluation (2014) by Jara Dean-Coffey (she/her/hers), Jill Casey, and Leon D. Caldwell, Ph.D. This article was first published in 2014 — a time when equity was not as frequently evoked as it is now, most notably by the Equitable Evaluation Initiative. (https://lnkd.in/gvu_D4vA) Social justice and human rights are part of the mission of many philanthropies. Evaluation produced, sponsored, or consumed by these philanthropies that does not consider the imperatives of cultural competency may be inconsistent with their missions. The American Evaluation Association’s Statement on Cultural Competence provides those who produce, sponsor, and use evaluation an opportunity to examine and align their practices and policies within a context of racial and cultural equity and inclusion. This article seeks to open a discussion of how philanthropy can use an equitable-evaluation approach to apply the principles of the AEA statement, present the concept of equitable evaluation alongside an approach for building equitable-evaluation capacity, and apply equitable-evaluation capacity building to philanthropy. Read this and the other most widely read articles in the journal's history, made possible by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy: https://lnkd.in/gnuJJTSz #equitableevaluation #learning #equity #philanthropy

https://lnkd.in/eXpEEuUy Ep1: Uprising of Women in Philanthropy Show — Meet 3 authors of this international social justice playbook, an urgent call for women’s collective leadership to guide humanity through the gravest of challenges Hello and welcome to the first episode of a new podcast and video show The Uprising of Women in Philanthropy, which is based on the 2024 book that is certain to be a bestseller. Indeed, the tome, written by 10 powerful activists, tells the inspiring, never-before-told story of the Global Women’s Funding Movement. It is considered the movement’s greatest secret and teaches us how it enabled women from all walks of life to harness the power of money to free themselves from oppression. The authors include: Ndana Bofu-Tawamba, Ruby Bright, Stephanie Clohesy, Musimbi Kanyoro, Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ana Oliveira, Laura Risimini, Jane Sloane, and Jessica Tomlin Learn more about it on the book website: https://lnkd.in/ea5xfCAM On today’s podcast you’ll meet: Dr. Chris Grumm, author and consultant (pictured right) Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, author and Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Fund for Women Dr. Jane Sloane, author and Senior Director at the Asia Foundation Chris Grumm leads today’s episode and ask the authors:  1. Why did you agree to participate in the writing of this book about the global women’s funding movement? 2. What are two key concepts in the book that you believe are critical to the creation and building of the women’s funding movement? 3. What stories in the book are key to better understanding the Global Women’s Funding Movement? Stay tuned for Episode 2 of the show!

There have been a lot of articles and conversations debating the merits of Trust-Based Philanthropy recently, mostly requiring proponents of a trust-based approach to funding to repeatedly remind it's detractors of what trust-based philanthropy really is (Yes, there is still accountability! Yes, there is still a focus on evidence!). It's refreshing to read this article focusing on how we can go beyond trust-based philanthropy! Trust-based philanthropy is a great start, but how can we do even better? ''The Ms. Foundation report argues that while implementing trust-based philanthropic practices is “an excellent starting point” to reshape the unequal power dynamics between funders and nonprofits, it is simply not enough. That's where care-based philanthropy comes into play. “Care requires us to consider the unique needs and experiences of historically excluded communities, particularly women and nonbinary people of color, who bear the brunt of systemic racial and gendered oppression. It means investing in their healing, wellbeing, safety and survival,” the report states. [...] The report adds that through care, funders can “forge a more just and equitable future, where philanthropy's resources are channeled more effectively to support and sustain the communities that need it most” by continuing to embrace trust-based practices while “embarking on a radical transformation rooted in care.”'' #trustbasedphilanthropy #funding #philanthropy #care #carebasedphilanthropy #genderequality #womenandgirls #womensleadership #LGBTQIAleadership #BIPOCleadership #nonbinaryleadership

Fabulous article from brilliant organizers in the field! Mandatory reading for anybody who works at a philanthropic intermediary or who has ever been asked whether intermediaries are just “gatekeepers.” Having worked at various intermediaries, what it really comes down to is: what are the conditions of possibility for transformation and what are we, as philanthropic laborers and people of conscious, willing to do it to make it happen.