OVERVIEW: The Proteus Fund is an influential progressive intermediary organization that makes grants in the areas of civic engagement and democracy, LGBTQ causes, social and reproductive justice, racial equity, civil liberties, human rights and … [Read more...] about Proteus Fund
Proteus Fund
Four Funders Supporting the Right to Protest
Three Ways Funders Can Step Up to Protect Democracy and Dissent
Preparing for the Next Administration: Five Steps Funders Can Take Now
“Not Standard Corporate Philanthropy.” Progressive Values Drive the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
Amalgamated Bank has been around for a century. Meanwhile, the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, which only got off the ground in 2018, seemed like a natural philanthropic progression for the venerable bank, known for its roots in union … [Read more...] about “Not Standard Corporate Philanthropy.” Progressive Values Drive the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
Report Finds Scant Funding for Disability Rights and Social Justice — and Points the Way Forward
One in four Americans and an estimated 1 billion people globally experience some form of disability, but foundation funding for disability causes receives only about 2% of philanthropic funding. That’s the starting point for a rigorous new study … [Read more...] about Report Finds Scant Funding for Disability Rights and Social Justice — and Points the Way Forward
Big Builds: A Look Inside Arabella Advisors
Beyond the day-to-day ebb and flow of charitable giving, several macro-trends are hard to dispute. First, widening wealth inequality has set the stage for an ongoing gusher of new giving during the coming decades. And second, philanthropy itself is … [Read more...] about Big Builds: A Look Inside Arabella Advisors
This Funder Forum Wants to Help Philanthropy Include and Center Disabled People
It’s been over 30 years since the watershed Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, but people with disabilities still face enormous barriers and inequities in the physical, social and economic spheres. More than 1 in 4 people with … [Read more...] about This Funder Forum Wants to Help Philanthropy Include and Center Disabled People
How a Couple Became Major Climate Donors with a Game-Changing Gift to Cut Industrial Emissions
At first, Jill Kearney thought she had misheard.Rebecca Dell, head of ClimateWorks Foundation’s industry program, had just explained that the $20 million donation from Kearney and her husband, Stephen McDonnell, made them the largest single … [Read more...] about How a Couple Became Major Climate Donors with a Game-Changing Gift to Cut Industrial Emissions
IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for U.S. Democracy
In Inside Philanthropy’s weekly briefings, we provide an overview of what’s happening in a particular area of philanthropy, loaded with links to our past coverage and State of American Philanthropy research. This week: U.S. democracy.In a … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for U.S. Democracy
To Protect Democracy, Funders Must Look to the States
Democracy is in peril at the state level. Legislators across the country are considering a wholesale assault on democratic norms and institutions. While the extensive state efforts to roll back voting rights have rightly garnered national attention, … [Read more...] about To Protect Democracy, Funders Must Look to the States
Gara LaMarche on Wealthy Donors, Philanthropy and Progressive Politics
Over the past quarter-century, Gara LaMarche has had a super-interesting career in philanthropy and progressive politics. For nearly a decade, starting in the mid-1990s, he worked for George Soros, helping Soros figure out how to give away hundreds … [Read more...] about Gara LaMarche on Wealthy Donors, Philanthropy and Progressive Politics
At Their Doorstep: What the Attack on the Capitol Might Mean for Philanthropy
As the nation continues to process the events that occurred in Washington, D.C., on January 6, one thing is clear: The violence at the U.S. Capitol building constituted a failure of civil society. That’s true in the broadest sense, in that a sizable … [Read more...] about At Their Doorstep: What the Attack on the Capitol Might Mean for Philanthropy
Election 2020: Democracy Funders React to a Historic Contest
In her victory speech as vice president-elect of the United States, Kamala Harris invoked some of the last words of late civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis. “‘Democracy is not a state. It is an act.’ And what he meant was that America’s … [Read more...] about Election 2020: Democracy Funders React to a Historic Contest
Six Roles Philanthropy Has Played in an Election Like No Other
No matter how it plays out—and it is still playing out—the 2020 election has been unlike any other in American history.Taking place against the backdrop of the greatest public health crisis of our time, it’s been one for the record books. Total … [Read more...] about Six Roles Philanthropy Has Played in an Election Like No Other
Why Ford’s Big New Racial Justice Commitment Is So Significant
The Ford Foundation went public with plans to sell a historic $1 billion in social bonds in early June, just as millions of Americans took to the streets calling for racial justice. Ford’s move was enthusiastically received as a means to turbocharge … [Read more...] about Why Ford’s Big New Racial Justice Commitment Is So Significant
Crunch Time: Democracy Funders Confront a Perilous Election—and Its Aftermath
This article was originally published on October 15, 2020.With only weeks until Election Day, the window is closing for philanthropy to drive voter engagement and safeguard this election cycle. The situation on the ground is looking as chaotic as … [Read more...] about Crunch Time: Democracy Funders Confront a Perilous Election—and Its Aftermath
Matchmaker: Inside a Quest to Make Social Justice Funding Easier
Say you’re the executive director of a BIPOC-led nonprofit with a lean team and a tight budget, working on the ground to organize underrepresented people of color. You hear about the Emergent Fund, and it seems like a good fit. You decide to apply … [Read more...] about Matchmaker: Inside a Quest to Make Social Justice Funding Easier
MacKenzie Scott’s Big Giving Is Just Getting Started. What Should She Fund Next?
Close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you have a nearly limitless amount of money—a fortune so big that it’s five times larger than the endowment of the Ford Foundation, which for decades reigned as the biggest grantmaker in the world. And … [Read more...] about MacKenzie Scott’s Big Giving Is Just Getting Started. What Should She Fund Next?
How Donor and Organizer Leah Hunt-Hendrix Uses Generational Wealth to Back Social Movements
When Leah Hunt-Hendrix first showed up at Occupy Wall Street, few of her fellow protesters knew about her background. Then in her late 20s, Hunt-Hendrix was a daughter of the far upper crust, born into the privilege of a clan whose combined wealth … [Read more...] about How Donor and Organizer Leah Hunt-Hendrix Uses Generational Wealth to Back Social Movements
The Movement for Black Lives Is on the Rise—and Funders Are Paying Attention
As protests and demands for racial justice reach a groundswell that many are comparing to the civil rights movement, it’s a pivotal time for the country—and for the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a nonprofit collective of racial justice … [Read more...] about The Movement for Black Lives Is on the Rise—and Funders Are Paying Attention
Work in Progress: How One Consulting Firm Is Helping Funders Adapt in an Evolving Sector
These days, it’s easy to get into the habit of thinking that philanthropy is rapidly coalescing around the need for diverse perspectives, more bottom-up thinking and greater equity in governance and grantmaking. But even as a mounting sense of crisis … [Read more...] about Work in Progress: How One Consulting Firm Is Helping Funders Adapt in an Evolving Sector
Playing Matchmaker, a New Platform Looks to Connect Jewish Donors and Nonprofits
Two trends that IP has been reporting on lately are the reliance of donors on more sophisticated due diligence to guide their giving, and the robust state of Jewish philanthropy, with donors and funding organizations in this space engaged in record … [Read more...] about Playing Matchmaker, a New Platform Looks to Connect Jewish Donors and Nonprofits
The Fight of a Lifetime: 30 Key Players in Progressive Philanthropy
Philanthropy is famous (or notorious) for avoiding the appearance of political involvement, even when there are plenty of fully legal means for 501(c)(3) funders to take a side. But in this era of stark polarization, more funders and … [Read more...] about The Fight of a Lifetime: 30 Key Players in Progressive Philanthropy
Bridgespan Has Been Pushing Hard to Get Donors to Give Bigger and Bolder. How’s That Going?
In 2015, the Bridgespan Group made waves with its research on “Big Bets,” which found that between 2000 to 2012, only 20 percent of gifts of $10 million or more funded issues related to social change. It wasn’t so much the numbers that were striking, … [Read more...] about Bridgespan Has Been Pushing Hard to Get Donors to Give Bigger and Bolder. How’s That Going?
High-Touch: How a Progressive Intermediary is Evolving With the Times
When the Proteus Fund came into being in 1994, the world of funding intermediaries was far less crowded than it is today. Sure, donors have collaborated through community foundations, giving circles and the like for decades. But with founding … [Read more...] about High-Touch: How a Progressive Intermediary is Evolving With the Times
From Talk to Action: Behind a Call for Funders to Back Social Movements
A decade ago, when the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) published a report called “Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best,” not everyone was thrilled. In a recent op-ed, NCRP president Aaron Dorfman recounts that the paper “had … [Read more...] about From Talk to Action: Behind a Call for Funders to Back Social Movements
“A Different America.” A Movement Funder Tries to Change Who’s Invited to the Table
In the years following the 2008 crash, few people in the liberal philanthropy world were talking about social movement building. And belt tightening by the handful of funders that did operate in this space exacted a heavy toll on activist … [Read more...] about “A Different America.” A Movement Funder Tries to Change Who’s Invited to the Table
Looking to Grow: New Avenues Emerge for Muslim American Philanthropy
Peak giving in America tends to coincide with the end-of-year holiday season. But for a group of about 3.3 million Americans, peak giving season is happening right now. While observant Muslims can give zakat to charity year round, many do so during … [Read more...] about Looking to Grow: New Avenues Emerge for Muslim American Philanthropy
Shared Power: How One Rapid Response Fund Defies Philanthropy’s Hierarchical Streak
When it became clear that Donald Trump would be president of the United States, left-leaning funders braced for a tough road ahead. Throughout 2017, many defied the traditionally plodding nature of grantmaking by offering rapid response grants to … [Read more...] about Shared Power: How One Rapid Response Fund Defies Philanthropy’s Hierarchical Streak
