Foundations can gauge how they handle power imbalances between themselves and the communities they serve, and determine how much the notion of privilege plays a part in their grant making, with a free guide released today by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
“Power is one of those things funders will superficially acknowledge,” said Jen Bokoff, director of stakeholder engagement at the Foundation Center. “They’ll nod their head vigorously that they’re aware of their power, but few people in the field are willing to dig into what the consequences are.”
Bokoff was part of a 12-member advisory committee that helped design the guide, which is called “Power Moves: Your Essential Philanthropy Assessment Guide for Equity and Justice.” The panel included foundation officials, leadership consultants, and representatives from nonprofit groups that work to improve philanthropy.
Throughout the 77-page resource, foundation staff are invited to examine their own practices and ask questions designed to show how committed they are to social justice and systemic change.
For instance, the guide recommends that grant makers contemplate whether their staff is culturally competent and is held accountable, on the basis of internal assessment and evaluation, for reaching equity goals.
Other questions include:
- How effectively does the foundation partner with communities of color?
- Does the foundation seek anonymous feedback from the staff and board on equity and inclusion goals?
- To what extent does the foundation have a shared understanding with grantees about how to build power to advance equity?
Earning Trust
NCRP said in a statement it wants to help foundations serve as “legitimate, powerful, and relevant” voices for equity, achieve long-term progress rather than temporary fixes, and earn the trust of the communities they serve.
The guide provides advice for foundations that want to get feedback from grantees, and it includes a glossary of terms from the modern-day equity lexicon, such as “intersectionality,” “systems change,” and “targeted universalism.”
The tool kit is derived from NCRP’s “Philamplify” initiative, in which it assessed the social-justice components of grant makers’ work and provided unsolicited advice to a dozen foundations.
NCRP plans to offer a series of free webinars to help grant makers use the assessment. The first such session, planned for May 30, will feature Hanh Lee of the Weissberg Foundation, Marcelo Bonta of the Raben Group, and Gita Gulati-Partee of OpenSource Leadership Strategies.