Soon after the presidential election in 2016, grant makers poured dollars for change into the American South — especially to accelerate work ensuring that people of color, women, and others who are often marginalized have influence and power in shaping policy. They contributed their dollars to an existing philanthropic ecosystem that had deep roots in fighting for a just and sustainable region. At no other time could the fruits of that collective effort have been more obvious than in last week’s midterm voting.
It’s hard to imagine that the grant makers who invested in this work expected to see so much progress — that in just a few years, a black woman was a top contender in a too-close-to call race to be governor of the State of Georgia or that a black man was in serious contention to become governor of Florida in a race so close that a recount is underway.
Nor did it probably seem likely that the elections would bring about significant policy gains for marginalized and working people. Ballot measures seeking to curb gerrymandering, overhaul the criminal-justice system, raise the minimum wage, expand Medicaid, and allow more people to vote all passed with broad support.
Regardless of the electoral outcomes, to see so many women, women of color, and nonwhite male candidates coming from the American South — coupled with increased voter turnout — is a testament to the new political structures and clout that grant makers helped build. As foundations stop and analyze their next steps after the election, this is the opportunity to invest more in the South to build on the momentum and progress made to push meaningful social change forward. It would be a big mistake to see last week’s victories as a sign that enough has been done and it’s time to move dollars to other regions.
Power for Those Left Out
This call for investment is not a request to help advance one political party or a single candidate. This is a reflection on power — political, economic, and cultural. The work grant makers are supporting fundamentally moves power centers away from the status quo — even from elected officials — to voters. As we saw in this election, voters in the South represent a wide variety of life experiences. From urban communities to the Black Belt to rural white communities, the South is a big place that certainly doesn’t represent a monolith. What Southerners do share is a history of deep racial divides and an economic structure that benefits the wealthy. But Southerners also share a vision of a brighter future if more people are given more opportunities.
The recent political and philanthropic focus on the South is deeply rooted in a long legacy of organizing and power building, particularly in neighborhoods and regions dominated by people of color. Starting with the abolitionist movement and extending through Jim Crow to the civil-rights era, the South has been a focal point for strong resistance and brilliant social-change work. Even though the activism has been strong, grant makers have long waffled in supporting these efforts.
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy published a report in 2014 about the history of philanthropic giving during the civil-rights movement, which amounted to a few key family foundations coming forward. National philanthropy from coastal areas didn’t show up for the progress of the 1960s. As the Neighborhood Funders group noted in its report “As the South Goes,” the American South faced 50 years of funding disparities and neglect by national progressive donors and institutions. In the meantime, status quo interests became further entrenched, and the scaffolding and support to allow progressive groups to grow was severely weakened.
Since the late 2000s, when a few key election cycles reminded philanthropy of the political cost of neglecting the South, the region has seen an increase in attention — although not necessarily resources that matched.
Longtime progressive grant makers such as the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation and the Southern Partners Fund have been moving money to efforts that build power in marginalized communities. Grantmakers for Southern Progress, founded in 2009, has worked to organize national and regional resources to support power building and voter-education efforts, including the “As the South Grows” report series in partnership with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
After the Elections
After the 2016 election, large national philanthropic groups made concerted efforts to support work in the South on a broad array of issues. For example, the NoVo Foundation expanded support for women and girls of color. Longtime national donors to the South such as the W.K. Kellogg, Ford, Annie E. Casey, and Surdna foundations deepened their interest in the region. That momentum and investment led to investment levels just ahead of the midterm elections that far exceeded those of the past.
Key to the momentum that has been built is a smarter integration of philanthropic and political capital. As foundations gave to charitable causes, political donors also channeled more money to voter activation. As some donors continue to give to political parties or candidates directly, efforts like Black Voters Matter and Way to Win invested in community-based groups to activate their members. This means that the organizations that represent community interests are building power to help elect candidates and hold them accountable should they win. Communities are choosing candidates and ensuring their needs are heard.
In reflecting on the election and the approaches grant makers tested in the South, it is clear this is not a time to back down. Although some candidates of color and women didn’t win their races, the 2018 election cycle demonstrated significant progress in propelling forward a younger and more diverse bench of candidates and an even more diverse set of voters. By adding voters to the rolls and activating them on Election Day, activists demonstrated it is possible to change the status quo. But it also reminded us that this work takes “the long arc of change,” as Martin Luther King Jr. said. Progress came from investing in organizing and power building, weaving different types of political and philanthropic resources together, and supporting efforts to stop voter suppression. Let’s not let the political winds sway philanthropy. Let’s follow the long arc of change that is already underway.
Tyler Nickerson is a Southerner raised in Nashville, a regular contributor to the Chronicle, and first vice president at Amalgamated Bank. Previously he served as the founding director of investments and state strategy at the Solutions Project and as program manager at the Dyer-Ives Foundation. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Amalgamated Bank.
