The killing of George Floyd catalyzed a national reckoning on racial injustice — and the soul searching extends to nonprofits and foundations.
Here are some articles from our archive about organizations’ efforts to be more equitable and to help advance equity in the larger society.
‘Fund Us Like You Want Us to Win’
Richly endowed private foundations have pledged to donate more than $5 billion to organizations to oppose racism. But critics, mostly on the left, say that America’s big foundations, taken together, have not done nearly enough to fund social movements that generate the political pressure needed to drive deep and lasting social change.
Community organizers are the ground troops in the fight for racial justice, yet they are often overlooked by institutional philanthropy, these critics say.
“Foundations know the NAACP,” says Nat Chioke Williams, executive director of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, which focuses on community organizing. “They know the ACLU. They know [the Equal Justice Initiative]. All of those are great groups. They should be supported. But the community groups doing hard work on the ground are often not seen.”
Equity in the Workplace
The nonprofit world has talked about diversity and equity for decades. But for all the earnestness and consciousness raising and sensitivity workshops, most organizations have made little progress hiring and keeping employees of color — especially in the management ranks. Now those modest gains are at risk.
Some nonprofits say the health and economic disparities laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic and the spotlight on racism and police brutality have reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering diversity and inclusion at their organizations. For other charities, the crises have been a wake-up call. They realize for the first time that they need to take a hard look at how they operate, recruit and retain employees, and treat the people they serve.
‘Trauma, Promise, and Possibility’
The protests over police violence and systemic racism that have erupted around the world have done more than shine a spotlight on race in America. They have created a moment of opportunity, says Jawanza Malone, executive director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, which works on housing, education, and other issues for residents in those Chicago neighborhoods.
Radical change may be more possible today than at any other time in recent history, he says. But Malone is unsure groups with Black leaders, such as his, will have the resources they need to take full advantage of this pivotal moment.
Wealthy Donors Make Big Racial-Justice Gifts
The mass protests against racial injustice that have shaken the country have galvanized wealthy donors to increase their public giving to racial-justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. From May to October 2020, rich donors gave at least $208.3 million to such efforts, according to a Chronicle tally of public gifts from individuals.
That sum is a marked increase from 2019, when affluent philanthropists gave $26.2 million publicly toward such efforts. It does not include the many millions big donors have given to top historically Black colleges and universities, which have also seen a significant rise in donations this year.
Chief Equity Officers at Foundations
A growing number of grant makers have created upper-management positions to navigate matters of equity.
Chief equity officers face considerable obstacles. They must pry old habits from a foundation’s grasp and challenge cultural norms that may drive the way a grant maker chooses the people it hires and how it spends its money, says Jeanné Lewis, vice president and chief engagement officer at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
That can mean helping people who are not in the majority feel comfortable talking about how they are treated because of their race, sexual orientation, or disability. Or it might mean helping employees point out ways the foundation’s grant making unconsciously favors white-led nonprofits. A chief equity officer introduces these topics to the entire staff and board, even if doing so poses a challenge for some staff members who would rather ignore the problem.
“The work is inevitably uncomfortable,” Lewis says. “A senior-level executive needs to be at the helm driving it so the rest of the staff understands that it’s important.”
A Newly Hot Approach on Loans Seeks to Close the Racial Wealth Gap
Corporate foundations, Silicon Valley tech companies, banks, retailers, and private foundations are pumping money and fresh ideas into community-development financial institutions, most of which are nonprofits, to make loans at affordable rates to help poor people build wealth.
These mission-driven lenders are not new or anti-establishment — they have been funded, in part, by the U.S. Treasury since the mid-1990s — but they have shown that they can provide a financial lifeline to Black, Hispanic, and female business owners who have been neglected by mainstream banks.
