Values and Necessary Conditions
The Working Group believes that philanthropy devoid of a social justice and peace lens will not address structural issues. For that reason, the group supports practice that advances racial, economic and gender justice and ends other forms of discrimination and social exclusion.

The Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace takes an unapologetically normative approach to the question, “What is good philanthropy for social justice and peace?” For the Working Group, there are a series of “elements” or “necessary conditions” that are imperative for good social justice and peace grantmaking. Our aim is not to cut off debate but to encourage it, to create a space in which our differences can be aired and we can all find ways to improve our work. The most difficult and most important practice may be to examine one’s assumptions and ask, “Even if I do all of these things, what is the change I must see in order to know I am engaged in social justice philanthropy?”

Effective philanthropy for social justice and peace aims to end the injustices suffered by one group at the hands of another. These injustices often result in social, economic and/or political inequalities. But rather than focus on the effects of unjust treatment, good social justice grantmaking attempts to undo the mechanisms that force injustice on the group. Often these mechanism are well hidden and difficult to identify. This can best be accomplished if the grantmakers’ work includes the three following elements and necessary conditions:

1. Sound analysis
(a) Of the forces that contribute to injustice. Effective social justice and peace grantmakers base their work on a sound analysis of the historical forces that contributed to shaping the current reality they wish to change, the forces that help maintain the status quo, and the likely future evolution of these forces.

(b) Of the effects of membership in oppressed classes of people. Social justice and peace grantmakers examine the current context and their own work through the lenses of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, religious affiliation, country of origin, and membership in other social categories that experience unjust treatment.

(c) Of large structural arrangements. Some of the most powerful drivers of injustice are also the most difficult to name. These are typically portrayed as” the rules” and are assumed to be neutral regarding injustice. However, whether at the global (e.g., WTO and other trade agreements, multilateral banks, arms sales, etc.), national (taxation and credit systems, fair enforcement of laws) or local levels (land tenure, voting rights, the design of post conflict agreements, etc. ), these arrangements are part of the analysis of social justice and peace grantmakers. These rules are rarely fair and hide the injustice or violence that are the direct outcomes of this structured unfairness.

(d) Of institutional structures. Because the mechanism of injustice sometimes appears faceless, social justice and peace grantmakers analyze the myriad ways in which institutional structures—the policies that govern institutions, their practices, their cultures, their relationships with one another and with the communities they are meant to serve—contribute to injustice. The category of “institutions” studied is broad and might include, for example, the local school system, the church, the military, local and national governments, NGOs, the business sector or individual businesses, etc.

(e) Of the distribution of power. One of the goals of effective social justice and peace grantmakers is to shift power from those who perpetrate injustice and violence to those who suffer it. To this end grantmakers examine how power in its various forms (wealth, political influence, etc.) is acquired, held, brokered and exercised, to make visible power imbalances to end injustice.

2. Effective formulation of goals and objectives and choice of strategies and tactics
Good social justice and peace grantmakers are able to translate a sound analysis into (a) an effective formulation of goals and objectives, and (b) a smart choice of strategies and tactics. Because people’s lives often hang in the balance, good intentions are not good enough. The grantmaker’s work should have a significant chance of succeeding. Social justice and peace outcomes are not easily won, nor do they come quickly. It will thus be important for grantmakers to attend carefully to such matters as the scale of their intervention and its time horizon; to understand that in most contexts social justice and peace outcomes cannot be achieved by working in isolation from others. Their work is strengthened when grantmakers understand how it supports and is supported by other work for social justice and peace. One of the lessons from the history of social movements is that significant social change can be won only if a critical mass of activity is achieved along several dimensions at once: in the number and intensity of demands for justice and peace, in the number of systems that feel a pressure for change, in our attentiveness to shoring up gains, etc.

Social justice and peace grantmakers will be most effective when they recognize and use all the tools and privileges at their disposal as grantmakers: their power to grant support, their power to convene, their ability to speak with the voice of their institutions, their access to decision-makers, their ability to marshal and mobilize significant resources, etc.

3. Critical assessment of the effectiveness and success of the work funded
Social Impact Analysis. The analysis of injustice might have been correct and the strategies that were funded seemed appropriate, but social justice and peace funders ask—Did it work? If not why? What must be done? Most foundations employ evaluation to determine whether funds were used properly or to identity outputs. While proper use of funding is important, the key assessment here is the degree to which the actions funded were successful in changing the conditions of injustice or violence. Such an assessment requires very different metrics. It must examine, for example, if the strategies to support the building of a coalition were sufficiently mature and robust or were they too simplistic? If the funding supported a strategy of litigation, was it successful in the courts? Was success in the courts sufficient or is more work needed? Was there a peace agreement that left certain groups at a disadvantage? This sort of work requires a different kind of evaluation .

The general qualities of good grantmakers
In addition to these three key elements of social justice and peace funding—structural analysis, appropriate strategy and assessment of social impact—there are other important considerations for good grantmaking. While important, they do not substitute for the three fundamentals above. These additional attributes include:
Solidarity. Effective social justice and peace grantmakers work in meaningful partnership with the communities they aim to serve. They recognize that they are ultimately accountable to these communities. In practice this means that they will learn from them and, whenever possible, take direction from them. By working in solidarity with affected communities, the grantmaker gains a deeper understanding of the issues involved. By looking to these communities for leadership, grantmakers increase the communities’ ownership of the work. Both of these lead to better outcomes.

Social justice and peace grantmakers must also be willing to take the medicines they prescribe. We undermine our social justice and peace efforts by exempting ourselves from the rules we would apply to others.

Respect. Effective social justice and peace grantmakers respect the dignity of the communities they serve. They do not cast them as complete victims, unable to change their basic condition without the philanthropic assistance. Nor do they romanticize the communities they serve. Because all people possess free will, grantmakers must acknowledge that such communities have the ability to participate in their own oppression or liberation. Respect drives out both under-valuation and unrealistic expectations. It motivates social justice and peace grantmakers to seek wisdom and strength from the communities they serve.

Effective grantmakers take calculated risks; they are often creative in the use of the limited resources available to them; they partner well with others sectorally and intersectorally, they are patient because they understand that meaningful social change takes time; and they learn from failure— their own and that of others.