California is many things: It’s the most populous state in the nation, it has the fifth-largest economy in the world, and it’s also a habitual target of conservative attacks — despite the fact that it’s home to more Trump voters than the vast majority of the states Trump won this year. At the same time, California is also uniquely qualified to resist Trump’s agenda, which promises to be hostile toward immigrants, LBGTQ communities, reproductive rights, public education, and yes — to California itself.
We’ve already seen state officials begin to shore up its defenses in anticipation. Gov. Gavin Newsom, for example, has asked state legislatures for $25 million to create a litigation fund to defend the state from federal government overreach and to safeguard disaster relief funding, healthcare and other critical services.
But where does philanthropy stand? One of the most consistent messages from California funders is a continued commitment to values of equity, opportunity and justice. In fact, on the morning of November 5, before the election had been called, a coalition of some of California’s leading philanthropic institutions issued a joint statement in which they underscored their dedication to the communities they serve, regardless of who ultimately won the election.
“We stand in solidarity with our front-line partners and pledge to invest boldly to drive racial justice, advance prosperity and sustain California as a global force… the Golden State has weathered dark storms of division before, as has our nation, but we have always come back stronger, persistent in our pursuit of progress. Together, we will not only safeguard the California Dream, the American Dream — we will redefine it so that it lives up to its promise and potential, for all of us,” the coalition wrote in its statement.
The signatories were a cadre of Golden State funders that have, time and again, helped lead the way among philanthropy’s progressive wing — including the California Black Freedom Fund, California Community Foundation, The California Endowment, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the James Irvine Foundation, Latino Community Foundation, Liberty Hill Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation.
In an interview, Miguel A. Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation and one of the architects behind the coalition’s statement, said, “Philanthropy is united in its commitment to ensure that we have a more equitable community, and regardless of what’s happening in the federal government level, at the state level, that commitment continues and is as steadfast as ever.”
Santana’s words presage a difficult road ahead for these staunch social justice grantmakers. But they also point to a reality that’s become ever more clear since Trump’s first win eight years ago: In philanthropy as elsewhere, California is playing a leading role in the push to resist far-right policy and ideology.
Staying the course
The funders’ joint statement on Election Day came about during a meeting of the California Executive Roundtable. Founded in 2017, the roundtable consists of 16 foundation leaders who meet to share best practices and take collective action to advance equity.
During one of these meetings, Weingart Foundation President and CEO Joanna S. Jackson suggested they issue a collective statement to express their commitment to their shared values.
“There’s so much more power, heft, weight and influence from a shared voice… The reason why we wanted to make a statement is we need to be using every tool we have to advance our mission,” Jackson said. “If we have shared beliefs [and] if we have shared values, then we have to put them out there, especially at a time when you feel and you hear there was a dominant narrative — a very loud, dominant narrative — right now in this country that is sowing things that are against those values, that is sowing divisiveness and hate and fear.”
Jackson stressed that the work doesn’t change with Trump’s presidency — or with any presidency. The pushback against Californian and American values of equity, inclusion, freedom and justice, she said, are about more than one administration. It’s why the statement was published before the outcome of the election was known.
“We didn’t want this to be seen as a partisan statement but rather a statement of a commitment that we have to defend and advance these values, regardless of who wins the election,” Santana said.
Jackson noted the need to continue to fund movement-building and power-building work, as well as to push an advocacy agenda. She added that working to ensure that the U.S. is a country of belonging, opportunity, liberty and freedom for everyone is one that philanthropy needs to be in for the long haul.
“I think clearly we need to continue to be in that work again… and not dial back, to not be fearful of what might come, but to actually stand firmly in what we believe in and continue to hold forward that affirmative vision,” Jackson said. “We actually have to be able to do all of it — to not recoil and to absolutely stand with and… protect our partners.”
A number of other funders issued similar statements, pledging their commitment to continue their work in California. For example, a group of healthcare funders, including the Alliance Healthcare Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, The California Endowment, California Wellness Foundation, Metta Fund and the Sierra Health Foundation, pledged to continue to “stand united for the state’s future,” and to advance “health and racial justice for all Californians by investing in the safety, dignity and power of marginalized communities.”
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“We Are California”
One way funders are continuing their support is through a new collaborative. Shortly after Trump’s victory last month, hundreds of California organizations and communities came together to launch an effort to “stand up for California values of inclusion and community” and to defend democracy. We Are California is an effort to unite communities and movements from across California to build on past victories, defend communities and organize together.
“Like many of you, we are struggling with the harsh reality of what a second, more vindictive and emboldened Trump administration will mean for our communities… This is not the outcome we hoped for, but it is one that our movements are prepared for,” We Are California wrote in an open letter.
The letter notes that organizers and communities have fought for decades to make California more inclusive and equitable, and that the signatories expect Trump and his allies will seek to punish the state and strip away the hard-fought freedoms it has acquired.
We Are California’s agenda centers around building a California where everyone belongs, where everyone is safe, where everyone can afford to live, where everyone thrives, and where everyone — including corporations and wealthy Californians — contribute their fair share. This includes things like advancing policies of inclusion and justice for immigrant communities and communities of color; protecting gender justice; pursuing care-based approaches to poverty, homelessness, migration and substance abuse; investing in clean air, clean water and climate resiliency; and expanding social safety nets, among others.
“This election was never about Trump. Or Harris. This moment is about us,” We Are California notes. “We have a choice. We can retreat into our silos or turn toward one another. We can be paralyzed or we can move into action.”
We Are California’s partner organizations include the California Budget and Policy Center, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Catalyst California, AAPIs for Civic Empowerment, California Calls, California Immigrant Policy Center, Million Voters Power, Power California, PICO California, San Francisco Rising, Oakland Rising, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Inner City Struggle, OC Action, Alliance San Diego and I.E. United, among others.
We Are California is fiscally sponsored by the California Community Foundation and has received initial funding from The California Endowment, San Francisco Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, James Irvine Foundation, and the California Community Foundation, as well as contributions from partner organizations. It has raised at least $1.3 million so far.
Going on the offensive
Funders have also noted the importance of going beyond just staying the course. During a recent virtual event on the need for post-election power-building in California, a group of foundation leaders discussed the urgency of the moment and what we can expect to see from philanthropy.
“We also want to be in a posture where we can be responsive and nimble to what we are seeing to provide additional support,” said San Francisco Foundation CEO Fred Blackwell. To be responsive, he added, funders have to be in close proximity to communities and to have their ears to the ground. “This is not the time for us to retreat into our ivory towers… We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with folks who are on the ground.”
While it’s true that California, and the U.S. as a whole, has endured difficult moments before — Trump’s first term and California funders’ “resistance” support being a prime example — there’s no guarantee that things will be the same this time around, and funders must be prepared. Trump has already promised to be even tougher on immigration, and the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill which would allow Trump’s Treasury Department to strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt statuses — which might well put a huge damper on overtly progressive funding should it become law.
Blackwell added that funders must not only be responsive, they must go on offense. “We know the issues that we’re going to be under attack with. We should not have to wait to see when that comes. We need to make sure that we’re fortifying ourselves with good thinking, strategic thinking, legal minds, legal practices that will allow us to be part of the resistance, as well,” Blackwell said.
Given the pressure nonprofits and funders are likely to face, the next four years will also prove to be a test for how committed funders truly are. Blackwell brought up a critical question: whether the funders who have been supporting progressive causes, including immigrant rights and justice, environmental justice, workers rights, DEI, and health equity, were doing so because it was in vogue — in 2020 and its aftermath especially — or if they were doing it because they truly believed in them. That remains to be seen.
Another important aspect to consider is that California funders often serve as a model for progressive funders and efforts in other states. For example, last year saw a group of California funders come together to launch the Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense (LEAD) for Racial Justice Initiative to provide nonprofit organizations and foundations with education, resources and tools to navigate the legal landscape following the Supreme Court’s anti-affirmative action ruling. In Minnesota, the Black Collective Foundation MN recently announced the launch of MN LEAD, an initiative to provide organizations in Minnesota with support to navigate legal challenges to their racially conscious work. MN LEAD is the first expansion of California’s LEAD for Racial Justice Initiative.
“I draw my optimism from understanding that people are fundamentally still hopeful, and there’s so many people out there that are doing tremendous work to change things for the better,” said Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation and host of the recent virtual event on post-election power-building. “We have to find ways to raise our voice and push back and reject this dark vision of the future that is upon us. We’ve done it before, and we need to do it again.”
