From Crises to Transformation: Is Philanthropy becoming more inclusive and equitable?

There are significant pressures on philanthropy, grant-makers in particular, to respond to rising demands for transparency, inclusion and equity. These are not new, but have been amplified due to the Covid-19 pandemic, heightened climate anxiety, and global calls for social justice.  Our working assumption is that many foundations see this moment not only as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to rethink and revise many of their core practices, norms and procedures.

It is a moment when many may be grappling with just how much the ‘old playbook’ is no longer fit for purpose, and yet new designs and practices may not be readily available, easy to implement, or suited to their organizational culture or the culture in which they are operating.  It is also a moment when many donors are testing new approaches and have insights and experiences to share, as well as more questions to be explored.

The program will focus on three key levers for change:

• Grant-making processes 
• People (staff, leadership, trustees) 
• Investments

Participants will discuss shared pressures and challenges, create space to network around new ideas and exploration, and consider ways to (further) move those levers for change that could assist donors seeking to implement changes to make their work more inclusive and equitable.

We will also consider the value of creating a comprehensive initiative to facilitate further networking, deepen collaboration and peer-to-peer support, and to enhance exchange, exploration, and ideation to support donors that want to better understand and address key challenges and opportunities to increase inclusivity and equity.
 

Processes 
There are a myriad of ways that foundations have been altering their grant-making processes to be less cumbersome and more accessible, especially in response to the covid pandemic. What practice changes have been most impactful? How are foundations evaluating the impact of changes they have instituted? Will they be retained? Are grant-makers encouraged to go deeper and make their processes more inclusive? How many are adopting or exploring participatory grant-making? What other changes are on the horizon?

People
Many foundations have been reviewing staff and Board representation as they consider the importance of who leads, and how best to include the voices, perspectives, and lived experience of the people and communities they seek to serve. What challenges are institutions facing in attracting and retaining new and more diverse talent? What skills and experiences are being sought and developed? How important is it for leadership (Board, executive) to better reflect the communities that donors serve? What lessons are being learned in and through the current crises that will inform future recruitment and retention strategies?

Investments 
Endowed foundations have the vast majority of their financial capital invested and draw on only a small percentage for grants.  Although mission-related and program-related investments are becoming more common, the majority of foundations invest their endowments using primarily a standard ROI calculus. To what degree has the call for more transparency, equality and accountability in the sector touched investment decisions? How can foundations, that wish to do so, move closer to an “all capital” approach, using their investments to further their missions, or at a minimum to not exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities? What tools and practices can be shared and adapted more broadly? 
 

• Advance recent progress on mechanisms that help make philanthropy more inclusive and equitable; 
• Facilitate open and frank dialogue and collaboration between donors and experts in different regions that are exploring or implementing new strategies; 
• Explore the context in which changes in the sector are taking place, examining assumptions, understanding the benefits and possible drawbacks of changes that endeavor to make the sector more inclusive and equitable; 
• Inform, provoke, and inspire new thinking that can lead to the testing and adoption of new strategies and approaches within foundations.
   

The program will include two 90-minute moderated sessions on two consecutive days. It will be highly interactive with participants actively sharing their own experiences and working together in breakout groups.

To accommodate diverse time zones, the program will be offered twice.

To help ensure open and frank discussion, the program will be held under Chatham House rule and recordings of the program will not be shared; although the information and ideas shared will be summarized for distribution (without attribution). 
 

The program will convene foundation representatives and philanthropy experts that are committed to, or are actively exploring, strategies to make their institutions and the field more inclusive and equitable. This will include senior representatives of grant-making foundations, philanthropic support organizations, experts involved in researching and supporting DE&I practices in philanthropy.

The program is by invitation only.