Can philanthropy help create greater racial equity and social justice?

Good question. And, what would be some benchmarks of progress? These are the two questions we pursued, with support from the Ford Foundation.

We knew there were no easy criteria of success, no simple measures of equity or justice. And, we learned, it’s hard to have a good conversation about this without touching some sensitive nerves.

From Foundation News and Commentary

There are many paths to social change. Here's how funders dedicated to that concept go about supporting it.

You’re one of those foundation folks who still resonates with Eugene Debs’s famous words: “While there is a lower class I am in it; while there is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” You haven’t lost touch with your youthful idealism. Perhaps you’re trying hard to teach your children the proper values.

But how about professionally? Are you a social justice funder? ...

Here's a gem from the vaults of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. I especially appreciate the section titled, "Contradictions in Social Justice Philanthropy" (yes, there's only one such section), and the attempt at a theoretical framework.

The first in a series of articles on social justice philanthropy was published in Alliance Online in December 2005. In this first article, Colin Greer and Barry Knight attempted to answer some basic questions about what social justice philanthropy is and why it matters. In their next article, in March 2006, they traced the history of philanthropy in the US and Europe since the end of the nineteenth century. Now they take up the discussion to try to tease out exactly what the role of social justice philanthropy is and who its targets are.

Social change philanthropy focuses on the root causes of social, economic and environmental injustices. It strives to include the people who are impacted by those injustices as decision-makers. It also aims to make the field of philanthropy more accessible and diverse. In social change philanthropy, foundations are accountable, transparent and responsive in their grantmaking. Donors and foundations act as allies to social justice movements by contributing not only monetary resources but their time, knowledge, skills and access. Social change philanthropy is also sometimes called social justice philanthropy, social movement philanthropy, and community-based philanthropy.

Dr. Albert Ruesga, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation speaks at a Hudson Institute Conference in February 2012 about the meaning of social justice philanthropy and the philosophical traditions on which social justice philanthropy approaches are based.

News, opinion and commentary from inside the third sector