Grant makers and other donors must continue to invest in community groups that help young undocumented immigrants work and study in the United States, while also supporting advocates seeking long-term solutions to the dangerous obstacles facing immigrants today.
By Shannon Gleeson and Els de Graauw
For Philanthropy to Achieve Its Goals, Democracy Must Work
Grant makers give less than 2 percent of their dollars annually to strengthening civic participation and government. Let’s turn that around and reinvent our democracy to serve everyone.
By STEPHEN HEINTZ
Contributor
How to Avoid Excuses That Prevent Grant Makers From Aiding Black-Led Organizations
The notion persists that investing in grassroots organizations headed by people of color is inherently risky. Here are five ways to challenge that thinking from two experts on nonprofit finance.
By Antony Bugg-Levine
Contributor
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Launches Program on Racial Justice, Boosts Grants by $48 Million
The total includes $10 million for a new program focusing on racial justice, $18 million for the foundation’s democratic practice program, and $10 million for its climate change mitigation efforts, plus a $10 million “insurance policy” against possible dips in the fund’s endowment that could put future grants at risk.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Foundations Establish $5 Million Covid-19 Response Fund to Focus on the Global Economy
The Ford, Open Society, and other foundations have pooled $5 million in a fund that seeks to quickly help people harmed by the coronavirus pandemic and work toward long-term changes to a global economic system they view as broken.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Momentum Fund Seeks to Help Nonprofits Overwhelmed by Relief Contributions
Nearly 700 groups have applied for an $8.5 million pool of grant money to help administer coronavirus rapid-response funds equitably.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Growing Network Helps Nonprofits With Partnerships and Mergers
At a time when many charities are struggling to survive, the Sustained Collaboration Network provides money and support to help nonprofits pool resources and expand their outreach.
By dan.parks
Contributor
KaJ Labs Commits $50 Million for Racial Justice and Equity (Grants Roundup)
Other grants to support Black nonprofits include $25 million from Eli Lilly and Company and its foundation and $11 million from the Clara Lionel Foundation, which was started by the singer Rihanna.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Don’t Ask How Am I Doing, Ask What Am I Doing. What Are We All Doing?
My arrest at a protest following George Floyd’s murder was inconvenient and uncomfortable, but those of us in philanthropy can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. We need to use our voices to fight for social justice in all settings, says one foundation leader.
By Shawn Escoffery
Contributor
In Twin Crises, Philanthropy’s Test Is All About Power
As foundations figure out how to respond to the pandemic and racial inequality, they will be graded not just by how much they give but also how much they give up their resources and decision-making authority.
By BENJAMIN SOSKIS
Contributor
Ford’s $1 Billion Bond Offers Lessons for Others Looking to Use Debt to Increase Grants
The Ford Foundation’s $1 billion bond offering to finance additional grants over the next two years is a transaction most grant makers wouldn’t be able to make, but smaller philanthropies can still learn from the legacy foundation’s use of debt, according to a new report.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
The Coronavirus Has Revealed the True Nature of Hunger in America
The philanthropic patchwork that feeds millions of families is now stretched to its limits and our “world class” market-based food system is imploding. We need immediate and bold action to reverse this food-security death spiral, says the former head of Oxfam America.
By Raymond C. Offenheiser
Contributor
From AIDS to Covid-19: What Grant Makers Can Learn From Our Last Pandemic
The government response to AIDS was slow and insufficient, much like its response to the coronavirus today. Donors need to step up now as they did during the AIDS crisis, says the founding leader of Funders Concerns About AIDS.
By MICHAEL SELTZER
Contributor
Should Foundations Give Now or Later? There Is No Right Answer
When the Ford Foundation and four other philanthropies joined forces last week to pledge to distribute more to nonprofits hurt by the Covid recession, they sent a message to other grant makers. But different missions require different approaches.
By Joseph Bankman and Daniel Hemel
Grant Making for Racial Justice Surges With Major Pledges From Walmart, YouTube, and More
Also, the Shubert Foundation has made $32 million in unrestricted grants to arts groups, and the Smithsonian Institution has received $25 million for a new program on race across several of its museums.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
How Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy (Podcast)
Rob Reich, who leads the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, says the power big philanthropists wield should be scrutinized in order to decide if it supports democracy or not.