A message from the president & CEO
Dear Readers,
Is philanthropy finally getting serious about racial equity and racial justice? I don’t know. But I’m pleased with some of the sustained conversation that has been happening, and we are delighted to keep fanning the flames with this issue of Responsive Philanthropy.
In “Tackling racial justice: Why, how and so what?”, Tamara Copeland, president and CEO of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, writes about association’s journey in confronting the issue of race and racial justice among its members. Others in the sector who want to address structural racism in their own institutions can learn much from WRAG’s “Putting Racism on the Table.”
Next, check out “For Surdna Foundation, communities define their futures,” by William Cordery, a program officer for Surdna’s Strong Local Economies program. He shares how the foundation is supporting efforts to grow locally owned businesses, create quality jobs and improve jobs held by low-wage workers to boost economic opportunities for low-income communities, people of color, women and immigrants.
Most foundations want to know the impact of their grantmaking on causes and communities they care about. In “Building a community-centered evaluation program,” Robert Sturm and Lee Francis IV of Indigenous Methods takes us through the development of an evaluation framework for Notah Begay III Foundation’s initiative to reduce obesity and Type 2 diabetes among Native American children. They highlight why it’s important that evaluation frameworks and processes are informed by the context and culture of communities where the work is taking place.
Finally, our Member Spotlight features Public Welfare Foundation, a D.C.-based national grantmaker that seeks to advance justice and opportunity for people in need through programs on criminal justice, juvenile justice, workers’ rights and civil legal aid.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about these and articles from previous editions of Responsive Philanthropy. Send your comments to community@ncrp.org or connect with us on Twitter (@ncrp) and Facebook (/NCRPCommunity).
Sincerely,
Aaron Dorfman
President & CEO