A new documentary, “Repairing the World: Stories from The Tree of Life,” details how a diverse community in Pittsburg mobilized to stop hate following the killing of 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, the deadliest … [Read more...] about In Response to Violent Extremism, Some Funders Seek to Defuse Hate
Libra Foundation
“Funded to Win.” These 11 Funders — and Counting — Are Stepping Up for Black Feminist Movements
Last week, 11 philanthropies stepped up in solidarity with Black feminists and their movements around the world. In an open letter to philanthropy, the funders urged their peers to join them in supporting the Black Feminist Fund, which they described … [Read more...] about “Funded to Win.” These 11 Funders — and Counting — Are Stepping Up for Black Feminist Movements
More Green Funders Than Ever Shared Diversity Data in 2022, but Most Still Avoiding the Sunlight
You can count 2022 as a step toward the sunlight for environmental philanthropy’s transparency on diversity, yet most of the field still prefers the shadows.A record number of green funders participated this year in the nation’s leading tracker of … [Read more...] about More Green Funders Than Ever Shared Diversity Data in 2022, but Most Still Avoiding the Sunlight
This Bay Area Billionaire’s Foundation Is Booming. Here’s What We Know About Crankstart
This article was originally published on September 21, 2022. For a lot of billionaires, especially those hailing from or invested in the tech industry, the pandemic brought with it a financial windfall. That surge has led to more than a few new … [Read more...] about This Bay Area Billionaire’s Foundation Is Booming. Here’s What We Know About Crankstart
Hey, Philanthropy: Division Isn’t Our Biggest Problem
This article was originally published on September 6, 2022. An incorrect diagnosis will lead to failed treatment. Even a great cure applied to the wrong problem stands a good chance of making matters worse. Democracy philanthropy is mired in a … [Read more...] about Hey, Philanthropy: Division Isn’t Our Biggest Problem
11 Major Foundation Racial Justice Pledges and Progress to Date
Following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 and the civil uprisings that followed, numerous philanthropic institutions made commitments to funding organizations working to advance racial justice and racial equity. Inside Philanthropy analyzed … [Read more...] about 11 Major Foundation Racial Justice Pledges and Progress to Date
Summer Reading for Climate Philanthropists (and Other Earth-Based Funders)
In case you haven’t heard, there’s nothing humans do — and therefore nothing philanthropy funds — that isn’t increasingly going to be affected by climate change in the years ahead. Focused on education? Classrooms are getting hotter. Health? … [Read more...] about Summer Reading for Climate Philanthropists (and Other Earth-Based Funders)
Mixed Results: Assessing Philanthropy’s Year Two Response to the Pandemic
Last March, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), in collaboration with Candid, released a report looking at philanthropy’s pandemic-related giving across 2020. It concluded that foundations, corporations and high-net-worth donors allocated … [Read more...] about Mixed Results: Assessing Philanthropy’s Year Two Response to the Pandemic
This Funding Initiative Has a Singular Goal: To Encourage Major Donors to Boost Their Giving
The mission of the Crisis Charitable Commitment is featured prominently on its website: to encourage major donors to give more. Its latest strategy to achieve that goal is called Big Bet Bundles, an initiative to raise $41.5 million for three pooled … [Read more...] about This Funding Initiative Has a Singular Goal: To Encourage Major Donors to Boost Their Giving
How Eight Grantmakers Fund Civic Engagement and Democracy on College Campuses
Back in April, I spoke with William Moses, the managing director of the Kresge Foundation’s education program, about a new round of grants to boost civic engagement among college students.While working on that piece, I came across at least a dozen … [Read more...] about How Eight Grantmakers Fund Civic Engagement and Democracy on College Campuses
“Healthcare, Not a Crime.” How Ipas Backs Abortion Care Abroad, and What U.S. Funders Can Learn
This week, the country learned, via a draft opinion leaked to Politico, that the U.S. Supreme Court may soon overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to abortion. Chief Justice John Roberts has condemned the leak and insisted … [Read more...] about “Healthcare, Not a Crime.” How Ipas Backs Abortion Care Abroad, and What U.S. Funders Can Learn
A Tale of Two Valleys: Five Ways Philanthropy Can Change to Make Silicon Valley More Equitable
Inequality is rampant in the U.S., but perhaps nowhere is the nation’s widening wealth gap more apparent than in Silicon Valley. The year’s Silicon Valley Index found that despite modest gains in median household income, income inequality in the … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Valleys: Five Ways Philanthropy Can Change to Make Silicon Valley More Equitable
MacKenzie Scott Gave Big to International Climate Justice Regrantors. Who Else Is Out There?
When MacKenzie Scott announced tens of millions in grants to international climate regrantors last month, it broke new ground both for her and the field. While the novelist and billionaire’s prior climate awards went to relatively traditional … [Read more...] about MacKenzie Scott Gave Big to International Climate Justice Regrantors. Who Else Is Out There?
“Make Their Voices Heard.” Behind a Funder’s Efforts to Boost College Student Civic Engagement
After years of covering higher ed philanthropy and funders’ efforts to address financial barriers to entry, I consider myself fortunate to have attended a four-year university at a reasonable cost. I suspect many readers over the age of 40 feel the … [Read more...] about “Make Their Voices Heard.” Behind a Funder’s Efforts to Boost College Student Civic Engagement
Risk Capital in Action: A Deep Dive into Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s Giving
Note: This article was originally published on March 31, 2022. In our recent research paper on the state of tech giving, we looked at a subset of givers who apply a venture capitalist mindset when confronting the world’s most pressing problems. … [Read more...] about Risk Capital in Action: A Deep Dive into Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s Giving
How This Sex Worker-Led Giving Circle Grew, Letting the Movement Lead the Way
Back in 2018, Third Wave Fund announced the first round of grantees for its Sex Worker Giving Circle (SWGC), a “cross-class, multi-racial, intergenerational giving circle made up of fellows with current or past experience with sex work or the sex … [Read more...] about How This Sex Worker-Led Giving Circle Grew, Letting the Movement Lead the Way
The Most Powerful Heirs in Philanthropy
Note: This article was originally published on January 19, 2022. As the rich get richer and wealth consolidates in the form of an entire class of billionaires, the children of the uber-wealthy are becoming more than just passing tabloid curiosities. … [Read more...] about The Most Powerful Heirs in Philanthropy
Philanthropy Awards, 2021
If last year was notable for its particularly nightmarish stew of disruption and loss, it seems as if 2021 will go down in history as a year that was… kind of the same but maybe a little better? As Dave Barry pointed out in his 2021 Year in Review … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Awards, 2021
Eight Questions for Danielle Deane-Ryan, Director of Equitable Climate Solutions at Bezos Earth Fund
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2021. —Danielle Deane-Ryan was named the Bezos Earth Fund’s director of equitable climate solutions in November, becoming the fourth-most senior hire to date by the $10 billion … [Read more...] about Eight Questions for Danielle Deane-Ryan, Director of Equitable Climate Solutions at Bezos Earth Fund
Report: Green Funders Still Won’t Share Diversity Data, Even Anonymously
Foundations can be infamous for all that they ask of grantees: giant proposals for puny grants, quarterly or even weekly reports, mountains of metrics—the list goes on.But one environmental nonprofit’s campaign to get green funders to share data on … [Read more...] about Report: Green Funders Still Won’t Share Diversity Data, Even Anonymously
A Year Ago, 12 Funders Committed to Support Racial Justice. Here’s What We’re Learning
There’s a lot of talk about change in philanthropy—especially when the topic is racial justice—but what does that change actually look like in practice? To be engaged in this work in a real way, we have to see and believe the many painful truths of … [Read more...] about A Year Ago, 12 Funders Committed to Support Racial Justice. Here’s What We’re Learning
Kendeda Doubles Down on Employee Ownership, an Underused Part of the Equity Toolbox
The impacts of COVID-19 on the labor market and the economy at large seem to be shifting constantly, often in unexpected ways. In recent months, labor shortages and worker strikes have come into focus as employers and workers grapple with evolving … [Read more...] about Kendeda Doubles Down on Employee Ownership, an Underused Part of the Equity Toolbox
The IP Power List: Meet the 100 Most Powerful Players in Philanthropy
A key operating principle at Inside Philanthropy is the idea that charitable giving is a form of power. Sure, it may also be a form of altruism, generosity and sometimes even penance. But at its core, philanthropy is a way for people to transform … [Read more...] about The IP Power List: Meet the 100 Most Powerful Players in Philanthropy
As More Social Change Funders Embrace General Support, How Are They Assessing Impact?
Fifteen years ago, longtime progressive nonprofit leader Gary Bass was trying to convince a room full of foundation leaders to make a big change. Bass and other grantees in the room felt they would be better served by more flexible, general support … [Read more...] about As More Social Change Funders Embrace General Support, How Are They Assessing Impact?
Even With All Eyes on Racial Justice, Few Green Funders Are Sharing Their Data
Over the past eight months, Ashindi Maxton and Danielle Deane-Ryan have spoken to 36 of the nation’s 40 largest climate funders. The pair, who are executive director and senior advisor of the Donors of Color Network, respectively, asked them all the … [Read more...] about Even With All Eyes on Racial Justice, Few Green Funders Are Sharing Their Data
How Green Philanthropy Has Changed—And How It Hasn’t—in Response to Calls for Racial Justice
What impact have the events of the past 12 months—George Floyd’s murder, a summer of uprisings, the inequities of the pandemic and more—had on how environmental and climate philanthropy addresses racial justice and equity?Over the past month, I asked … [Read more...] about How Green Philanthropy Has Changed—And How It Hasn’t—in Response to Calls for Racial Justice
After a Year Like No Other, Three Foundation Leaders Talk About What Changed and What Comes Next
How well philanthropy responded to the events of the past 14 months—a period of so much trauma and suffering—is a topic sure to be debated for many years to come. And, of course, there will never be a single clear answer. Some foundations and top … [Read more...] about After a Year Like No Other, Three Foundation Leaders Talk About What Changed and What Comes Next
How Arts Philanthropy Has Responded to Calls for Racial Justice—And What Comes Next
Throughout the past year, the philanthropic sector—along with the rest of the nation—has been grappling with what it must do to fight systemic racism, and what it’s been doing to perpetuate it. Arts funders are no exception.Last July, I spoke with an … [Read more...] about How Arts Philanthropy Has Responded to Calls for Racial Justice—And What Comes Next
From Talk to Action? Assessing Philanthropy’s Racial Justice Response
Michael Kavate, Liz Longley, Connie Matthiessen, Mike Scutari and Dawn Wolfe contributed to this report.What’s the best way to talk about how philanthropy has evolved—or not—on racial justice over the past year? For some, this time of reckoning has … [Read more...] about From Talk to Action? Assessing Philanthropy’s Racial Justice Response
A Small Step Toward Accountability, and Big Questions for Philanthropy
What happens now that the man who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for over nine horrifying minutes, killing him, has been convicted of murder? Since the verdict was announced, the prevalent mood has been one of guarded celebration and relief, with an … [Read more...] about A Small Step Toward Accountability, and Big Questions for Philanthropy
