Philanthropy’s diversity challenge ‘Nothing about us without us’ was a slogan coined by disability rights activists to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected. Many working in philanthropy would be sympathetic to this principle. Being in touch with the people you aim to serve is not just a sound moral imperative but also likely to make an effective philanthropic strategy. A lack of diversity on boards and at staff level ‘probably limits their intelligence about what is happening on the ground’ notes European Foundation Centre Chief Executive, Gerry Salole, who suggests that foundations would be well advised to Read more

Putting the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Racial and Ethnic Equity and Inclusion Framework Into Action. Operationalizing Equity looks at the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s decades-long journey to promote race equity and inclusion. The challenges and breakthroughs that the Casey Foundation has experienced can help other funders and grantmaking organizations as they seek to embed the values of equity into their programming and operations.

Over the past few years, equity has emerged as a key issue in American society, described as the “defining issue of our time” by authors and speakers in various fields. In the first half of 2016, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked Putnam Consulting Group to conduct a field scan to learn how other foundations are working to incorporate equity — both in their internal operations and in their grantmaking. We conducted 30 conversations with staff leaders at 15 foundations considered by their peers to be on the forefront in embracing equity.

To help foundation leaders and their boards begin essential conversations about marginalized populations and determine the extent to which their organization’s culture and grantmaking practices are aligned with a commitment to expanding opportunity in the communities they serve, CMF developed this discussion guide and self-assessment.

This self-assessment is a tool for identifying areas of work that your foundation is already engaged in and opportunities for growth. We invite you to complete the assessment to: Capture your foundation’s current situation Spark conversations about DEI and what is possible Identify tangible action steps that will improve your foundation’s effectiveness and strengthen its relevance in our increasingly diverse society

This Call to Action encourages foundation Trustees to increase the representation of Black leadership among foundations’ staff, vendors, consultants and grantees. It emerges from the Association of Black Foundation’s (ABFE) initiative, “Leverage the Trust”, which promotes the role of Black Trustees in making philanthropy more responsive to Black communities.

Leverage the Trust is an effort to identify and engage Black foundation trustees in ABFE’s mission through peer networking and learning opportunities. The work of Leverage the Trust is led by a committee of dedicated trustees of philanthropic institutions that are representative of the diversity of geography, type, and size of grantmaking entities in the sector.

This video series features leaders sharing insights about their organizational journey to become more diverse and inclusive and lessons learned along the way.

This white paper outlines best practices with proven results that foundations can use to find and create a diverse and inclusive staff and investment advisory team. Readers will learn about ABFE’s Investment Manager Diversity Pledge that foundations and endowments can undertake to ensure that their organizations adopt inclusive practices encouraging managers of diverse ethnicity and gender to compete for positions in endowment management.  

The seven steps in this guide provide a clear framework for advancing race equity and inclusion. This tool adds to the resources already created by partners who have been working in the field.

Based on extensive research and experience emerging from its Transforming Michigan Philanthropy initiative, the Council of Michigan Foundations has developed this discussion guide and assessment tool to help foundation leaders begin essential conversations about the power of differences and determine the level of their organization’s readiness for growth.

The Denver Foundation launched what is now known as the Inclusiveness Project in 2002 to help nonprofits, including funders, become more inclusive of people of color. The project operates on three levels: individual, organizational and sector. An extensive evaluation has shown that there are impacts at all levels, including increasing the number of people of color interested in careers in nonprofits, organizations incorporating inclusiveness in policies and practices, and greater awareness and attention to disparities on the part of the funding community.

The Action Kit, designed around the Diversity Framework, is intended to help you identify what steps you and your organization can take to advance diversity and inclusion.

The creation of effective diverse and inclusive organizations requires leaders to embrace the role of change agent. This is a complex journey that involves leaders experimenting, learning and creating a new way to organize. This article examines the Council of Michigan Foundations’ (CMF) six-year initiative, Transforming Michigan Philanthropy through Diversity and Inclusion (TMP).

The Diversity in Philanthropy Project (DPP) was a three-year voluntary effort of leading foundation trustees, senior staff, and philanthropy support organization executives committed to increasing diversity and inclusive practice across organized philanthropy’s boards, staff, grantmaking, contracting, and investing. DPP had significant achievements, but also faced its share of challenges.