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This past month, millions of people cast their vote in elections across the country to choose local leaders and decide on policies that will be consequential for their communities. Although some people considered these to be ‘off-year’ elections, organizers and nonprofit leaders who are committed to sustaining grassroots movements know that there’s really no such thing as an ‘off year.’

All elections shape the nature of the communities we live in, and there has been an immense amount of work that went into ensuring that the will of the people was heard. Yet after the votes are counted, there is still the need for organizers after every election to continue engaging their communities. This kind of sustained effort is key – to holding elected officials accountable, passing progressive legislation, and continuing to leverage people power in the struggle for collective liberation.

This year’s election wins a in Viginia and Ohio were years in the making but may become flashes in the pan if the current level of funder engagement is not reversed.

This is why we should all be concerned about the current state of funding for voter engagement which is detailed in Movement Voter Project’s Executive Director Billy Wimsatt’s must-read memo, Sending Up the Bat Signal: An Urgent Message for Progressive and Democratic Donors. Here, Wimsatt has noted that donations to progressive organizations in 2023 have decreased significantly compared to contributions made throughout the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 election cycles. This could be due to a misinformed belief that recent wins in the past two election cycles means that voter engagement groups no longer need resources to do their work. Or perhaps donors have turned their attention to other, seemingly less controversial strategies for impacting communities.

Whatever the reasons for this drop may be, Wimsatt is right to point out that there’s still time to correct course and set up progressive organizations to do the work that is required between now and November 2024, but donors need to act now because the stakes are too high to wait.

Change is not an overnight victory

Looking back to 2020, I still remember the general sense heading into the elections. It was during the racial uprisings amid a deadly pandemic, and there was a feeling everywhere that so much was on the line in terms of the future of our nation that we simply had to do everything in our power to ensure safe and fair elections. There was clear conviction that the harmful policies and rhetoric propelled by the Trump administration needed to be stopped, lest we suffer under the continued spread of violent authoritarianism.

So, we must ask ourselves, as we head into 2024, what has changed? Let’s review:

• Covid-19 continues to take the lives of many under our inequitable healthcare system

• We continue to see ongoing backlash to the previously mentioned protests including campaigns against efforts to teach the history of this country and the end of Affirmative Action in higher education

• Legislative officials across many states are moving forward with agendas to harm and disenfranchise marginalized communities

• Efforts of groups like Moms for Liberty and multi-million-dollar donations to conservative c4s and PACs show that there is still work to be done against an organized and well-resourced right-wing movement

Effective progressive donors understand that lasting, transformative change will happen only with continued investments as part of a long-term strategy. They remember without much prodding that the wins of 2020 also didn’t happen overnight. Organizations and funders collaborated to lay the groundwork for the necessary repudiation of the Trump administration as early as the day after Election Day 2016. Electoral wins should be viewed as a sign for donors to increase their giving – instead of scaling back. Yes, we must take time to evaluate what worked, but any pause is in the service of successfully building off the momentum in anticipation of predictable political backlash from those working to stand in the way of progress.

Many of the organizers who are helping to get out the vote in battleground states are the same ones who are there putting in the work around everything from affordable housing to police accountability. The work of sustaining progressive movements relies on donors understanding the needs of organizers and even supporting organizations to prepare for any possible scenario. People working at community organizations deserve to know that there are sustainable resources to support the work they lead.

Investing in communities, not just issues

Whether they are canvassers or strategy directors –these changemakers are providing important labor in the progressive organizing ecosystem. These are the people who funders need to consider as they determine if – and when – they will move much needed resources to grassroots groups. Despite that misstep, it touches millions of people and makes a difference on a national scale. This organizing is happening year-round, and that is part of why voters trust these groups when the time comes to head to the polls. As Wimsatt stated, organizers are the “essential workers” of democracy. Their work of bringing people together for political education, engaging voters, building relationships, and providing resources in their communities is often rendered invisible.

If progressive donors wait too late to provide necessary funding to community organizations doing this important work, they risk undermining the people and the movements that they want to support. It takes time to thoughtfully scale up a voter engagement campaign with consideration for factors such as reaching overlooked populations, organizer safety, and combatting misinformation. Early investments can help groups ensure that they have the right people in place who will be paid what they deserve for the important work they do.

This is not the time to become relaxed about the future of this country, nor is it the time to hold back support for grassroots voter organizing. If progressive donors are committed to supporting a multiracial democracy and winning on issues that matter to impacted communities, then they must focus their attention and giving toward the tried-and-true approach of grassroots organizing to prepare for 2024 and beyond.

As Wimsatt reminds us, “Whether or not we identify as ‘political,’ we all have people, places, and communities we care about. The antidote to inaction is to realize that the 2024 elections are our best chance to protect what matters most to us.” Giving big, and giving early, is the best way to hold on to the momentum of this moment and create the future we know we deserve.

Trey Gibson is NCRP’s Field Manager. In this role, Gibson supports the organization’s relationships within philanthropy and brings extensive coalition-building experience to the role.

*Banner Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash 

For nearly five decades, NCRP’s mission has been to transform the philanthropic sector to one where funders build, share, and wield power in allyship with domestic social justice movements. Those social movements and the larger communities that we all serve are hurting.

Headshot of Aaron Dorfman, President & CEO of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
Aaron Dorfman


We have all been horrified by the escalating violence that has killed thousands of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, the vast majority of them women, children, and families. While Israelis mourn their dead and wait for the fate of the hostages taken by Hamas, in Gaza more than 2 million Palestinians are being subjected to a brutal retaliatory campaign of collective punishment by the Netanyahu government.
 
Here at home, the violence in the Middle East is fueling increased attacks against Arab, Jewish, and Muslim neighbors in U.S. cities and towns. The corresponding multiple-fold spike in domestic antisemitic and Islamophobic hate incidents, fueled by opportunistic white nationalist rhetoric and action, have placed these communities under attack and caused a tremendous amount of pain and fear. The conflict has also been triggering other communities who live or have come to live in this country fleeing abuse, militarism, authoritarianism and other forms of state-sponsored violence.
 
Some in philanthropy are even allowing the far right to use this conflict as a wedge between and among progressive movements and progressive funders. We are deeply disturbed at reports of threats to defund groups in the U.S. that have stood up for peace, called for a ceasefire, labeled the conflict genocide, or otherwise spoken out against the mass bombing that Israel’s ultra-right-wing government is carrying out in Gaza. Nonprofit and movement allies from organizers in migrant justice and abortion access to climate justice groups have told us that several funders are threatening current or future resources for real or perceived criticism of Israel’s and/or the United States’ role in the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While some movement groups have spoken out against such financial intimidation, not every non-profit has the autonomy or the financial resilience to do so.

Nor should they have to.

These threats reflect an abuse of funder power and are antithetical to a vision of partnership and mutual respect between donors and grantees. Weaponizing access to funding creates a chilling effect on nonprofits’ speech and agency and represents the worst impulses of funders to wield destructive power to control grantees as opposed to engaging with them as equals. It’s a major reason why the philanthropic sector as a whole struggles to consistently build trust with many impacted communities. We must all be aware of the long-term consequences of our actions; relationships that we sever now will not be easily rebuilt.

All of us in philanthropy need to engage in hard conversations as we commit to responding to events in ways that move us towards a just and peaceful world. Jewish and Palestinian safety and liberation are inextricably intertwined, not mutually exclusive, commitments. Rather than choosing inaction, censorship, or retaliation, funders should take this opportunity to deepen dialogue with grantees and with communities under threat.

In this spirit, NCRP calls on funders to:

1) Stop threats or actions to defund groups based on their public statements around Israel/Palestine and instead focus on resources and relationship-building to strengthen, not fracture, domestic social justice movements.  Now is the time to double down on supporting movements for equity and justice.

2) Provide rapid response funding to ensure Arab, Jewish, and Muslim communities in the US receive the resources needed right now for immediate safety.

3) Invest in the long-term work of confronting and defeating the agenda of domestic white nationalist hate groups. That could mean providing multi-year, unrestricted grants for leaders in impacted communities and those groups working directly on these issues.

4)  Support groups that are pushing back against interpersonal and state-sponsored violence that so many Americans are facing. There is a reason why violence abroad is touching so many at home. Let’s fund more work that unearths and disrupts the connection between easily denounceable movements like white nationalism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-trans/LGBT legislation with the more “socially acceptable” challenges to civil rights, immigration abortion, and bodily autonomy.

The strategy of mining our differences to keep our communities divided is not a new one and has succeeded in the past. We know that if it happens again, there will be devastating consequences for the trust, collaboration, and solidarity required between funders and movements that is needed to restore our democracy and defeat white supremacy here at home.

Everyone deserves to live in a world where economic, social, and political security is a reality for all, not a select few. Philanthropy has a strong civic, economic, and moral obligation to help make that happen by resourcing a more inclusive and equitable future.

There is no doubt that philanthropy has power.  We call on grantmakers to use that power with wisdom and in solidarity. Let us not spread more fear and harm movements with the threat of scarcity. Instead, let’s act in the service of a shared vision of justice by doing the hard work of building relationships with grantees based on dialogue, trust, and respect.

Aaron Dorfman is the President & CEO of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

NCRP Honors the Black Immigrants Bail Fund
with its “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for
Rapid-Response Grantmaking

Funder is celebrated for modeling how to provide timely, flexible resources and a simplified application process to get urgent migrant funding needs met.

WASHINGTON, DC – At a time when frontline migrant justice organizations grapple with increasingly hostile environments and limited resources, the immediate help and collective advocacy organized by the Black Immigrants Bail Fund has been crucial in helping Black immigrants navigate the country’s increasingly harsh immigration detention system.

That is why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is honoring the foundation with its 2023 “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking. Their no-cost support and aid to Black immigrants fleeing hardships and seeking a better life is key in supporting local communities and ensuring that this country remains true to its democratic ideals and vision.

“The Committee chose the Black Immigrants Bail Fund for their extraordinary work providing free legal assistance and relief to Black immigrants who are wrongfully held in ICE detention,” said NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman. “Their intersectional work to eradicate the mass incarceration of Black immigrants and to level the playing field of equity in due process is not really being done by anyone else.

Despite the heightened awareness of the systemic racism and other obstacles present in both the immigration detention and criminal justice systems, traditional philanthropic support of Black migrant groups and the pro-immigrant and refugee movements remain unjustifiably low. Last year, NCRP researchers reported that of the $364 billion dollars of foundation giving through 2020, only $23 million went to Black migrant groups. That’s approximately 1.4% of the 1.7 billion foundation funding that benefited immigrants and refugees, .04% of funding granted for Black communities, and less than 0.01% of all foundation grants given in that time frame.

“The Black Immigrant Bail Fund is a critical undertaking that we have embarked upon to tackle the deep-seated issues of mass incarceration and systemic injustices,” said BIBF Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Dr. Seydi Sarr. “We seek to address the inequities in due process and discriminatory practices that disproportionately impact black migrants in a fair and just manner. We aim to promote equitable practices, create inclusive spaces, and cultivate community support.”

Quote from Dr. Seydi Sarr, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Black Immigrants Migrant Fund: ""The Black Immigrant Bail Fund is a critical undertaking that we have embarked upon to tackle the deep-seated issues of mass incarceration and systemic injustices. We seek to address the inequities in due process and discriminatory practices that disproportionately impact black migrants in a manner that is fair and just. Our aim is to promote equitable practices, create inclusive spaces, and cultivate community support.”

Established by the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and the African Bureau for Immigration & Social Affairs (ABISA), the BIBF offers support and aid to Black immigrants across the United States as they navigate the country’s immigration detention system. They provide bond payments directly for those in need and no-cost legal representation during bond arrangements. In recent years, they have increased their wrap-around services, even covering transportation after release and support services for sponsoring families of detainees nationwide.

“We wish our work didn’t have to be done, but the urgency of the moment demands that we immediately address the dual threat that the criminal justice and immigration system poses to Black immigrant families,” said BIBF Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director Guerline Jozef 

The Black Immigrants Bail Fund is one of five honorees that will be honored on October 18 in Los Angeles, CA, at the 2023 IMPACT Awards. The biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors will take place at the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit, a three-day conference that looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

Past winners of NCRP’s Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking include the California Wellness Project, Emergent Fund, and the Solutions Project.

Quote from Dr. Guerline Jozef, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Black Immigrants Migrant Fund: “The urgency of the moment demands that we immediately address the dual threat that the criminal justice and immigration system poses to Black immigrant families. We stand with our colleagues across a number of trusted movement organizations who know that the more of us who are quickly resourced to lend a hand, the greater the chance that we can bring about a system that gives communities an equal opportunity at the better life we all deserve.”

Urgently Meeting the Needs of Black Migrants

NCRP’s “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking goes to a funder that provides timely, flexible resources and adjusted processes to respond quickly to urgent movement needs, especially those of smaller grassroots frontline groups.

In serving the immediate needs of Black migrants in nationwide detention centers, BIBF immediately prioritizes the urgent needs of families seeking financial and legal help to get loved ones out of detention. Working with individual donors, ex-detainees, mutual-aid groups, religious denominations, and several foundations, they quickly get the money out the door to those who need it.

Between 2020 and 2022, the BIBF paid nearly $1.01 million in bonds, secured $1.02 million in bond payments from its partner, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and helped liberate over 232 individuals from detention.

The results are staggering for an organization of its capacity. However, more must be done for the organization to meet the additional needs of over five million pending bond requests.

A 2022 Freedom for Immigrants report from several groups (including NCRP member organization Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)) finds that while Black immigrants represent 6% of the population of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they made up 28% of the accounts of abuse in ICE detention.

“Every funder who cares about racial equity and justice should be supporting frontline, immigrant- and refugee-led movement groups,” said NCRP Field Director Ben Barge. “There’s a direct line between migrant justice and the progress we want to see in our democracy, health and education equity, broken criminal justice systems, and so much more. It’s past time for the dollars to match that reality.”

“We stand with our colleagues across a number of trusted movement organizations who know that the more of us who are quickly resourced to lend a hand, the greater the chance that we can bring about a system that gives communities an equal opportunity at the better life we all deserve,” adds Jozef. “Anpil men, chay pa lou! (Many hands make light work!)”

Click here to read more about the work of the Black Immigrants Bail Fund and why they were chosen to be NCRP’s 2023 “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power.

For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/

###

CONTACT(S): Russel Roybal, rroybal[at]ncrp.org
Elbert Garcia, egarcia[at]ncrp.org

NCRP Honors Vu Le with its Inaugural
“Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize’ for Philanthropy Criticism

Yes, strategic posting of cute baby animals is genius marketing. But it’s Vu Le’s ability to hold
philanthropy accountable with humor, insight and love that makes him a weekly treasure.

WASHINGTON, DC – For all it’s potential and good intentions, the wealth that powers many parts of philanthropy can also be quite sensitive to feedback, especially when it comes to those who have not traditionally sat at the decision-making table. In fact, it’s the dependency on that wealth and the fear of even the perception of offending donors that can leave many leaders on the border of silence and frustration.

That is why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is honoring NonProfit AF’s Vu Le with its inaugural “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism. The accomplished writer, speaker and changemaker does a masterful job on a weekly basis of balancing the practical perspectives, irreverent humor and thought-provoking analysis in addressing systemic inequalities and debilitating narratives that impact the equitable distribution of resources to nonprofits and communities.

He also will be the first non-foundation individual to be honored in the 10 year history of NCRP’s Impact Awards.

“I can’t think of a more fitting writer in our sector today to give out our first Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize,” said NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman. “We established the Award to spotlight the kind of bold truth telling that Pablo modeled all throughout his public career. Vu certainly fits the bill, as his engaging, insightful and often humorous work gives us all the right words and stories to call funders in and hold philanthropy accountable.”

Eisenberg, along with Thomas R. Asher and Jim Abernathy, helped create NCRP in 1976 as an outgrowth of the Donee Group, which looked to represent the interests of grantees and small funders before the Congress’ 1973 Flier Commission on Private and Public Needs. The organization’s founding chair, he served continuously on the board of directors for 37 years and served as Executive Director of the Center for Community Change for 23 years. A prolific writer well past his 80s, he was a senior fellow at Georgetown Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the time of his death.

“I feel deeply honored to be receiving this award. I had the pleasure of talking with Professor Eisenberg once, and his passion and clarity were inspiring and fueled my work. To get this recognition named after him means a lot to me,” said Vu Le.

Headshot of NonProfit AF's Vu_Le, winner of the NCRP's inaugural “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism
NonProfit AF’s Vu Le, winner of the NCRP’s inaugural “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism.

Vu Le is one of five awardees that will be honored October 18 in Los Angeles, CA at the 2023 IMPACT Awards. The biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors will take place at the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit, a three-day conference that looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

Click here to see unicorns and read more about how Vu Le’s work supporting the perspectives of grassroots leaders and challenging a philanthropic status quo that is still learning to be transparent and accountable to the communities that we all serve.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power.

For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/

###

CONTACT(S): Russel Roybal, rroybal[at]ncrp.org
Elbert Garcia, egarcia[at]ncrp.org

Funder celebrated for modeling how to shift strategies and operations in response to feedback
from stakeholders, particularly those most affected by inequity and injustice

WASHINGTON, DC – For many Americans young and old, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020 opened their eyes wide to the ways white supremacy permeates mainstream society and traditional institutional structures. Rather than shy away from the uncomfortable conversations that have emerged since then, the Raikes Foundation has sought to unlearn the philanthropy of yesterday and aggressively champion grantmaking that centers racial equity and justice.

That is why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is honoring the foundation with its 2023 “Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback. Their model of humility and curiosity, especially on racial issues, invites funders into a practice of reckoning with their own uplifting of the status quo and taking a chance on shifting course, even when it is uncomfortable.

“The Committee chose the Raikes Foundation for the extraordinary work that they have done in going beyond just deeply learning about the harms of systemic racism,” said NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman. “Building on years of good intentions, they encouraged others to join their journey of action, ultimately utilizing their grantmaking to support the work of racial equity and justice, centering it in their work, and advocating that their peers do the same.”

Picture of Raikes staff talking with partners. credit: Raikes Foundation
Raikes staff talking with partners. credit: Raikes Foundation

Since its creation in 2002, the Raikes Foundation has been committed to the belief that investing in the well-being of young people is the best investment that society can make in our collective future. Those investments include funding mechanisms that catalyze change, transform inequitable systems, and build capacity for all communities to have an equal voice in our democratic life and institutions.

“Our foundation embarked on a journey to reimagine and redesign our organization to center racial equity because we recognized it not only as a moral imperative, but also a social and economic one,” said Raikes Executive Director Dennis Quirin. “When we invest in equity, we invest in a stronger, more prosperous future for all.”

Co-Founder Tricia Raikes agreed.

“Our 20-year journey is a testament to the power of collaboration and the unyielding commitment of our partners and staff who have propelled us forward on this transformative path,” said Raikes. “We are honored to work alongside them and honored to receive this recognition.”

The Raikes’s Foundation is one of five honorees that will be honored October 18 in Los Angeles, CA at the 2023 IMPACT Awards. The biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors will take place at the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit, a three-day conference that looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

Past winners of NCRP’s “Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback include The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, The Libra Foundation, and the Meyer Memorial Trust.

Resourcing Change — & Changemakers

NCRP’s “Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback is given every two years to the funder that has shifted their strategies and operations in response to feedback from their stakeholders, particularly those most affected by inequity and injustice.

For Raikes Foundation leadership, responding to the events of the summer of 2020 built on the kind of learning that had transformed the grantmaker’s initial curiosity around youth and housing issues to focusing on transforming systems to dismantle the root causes of the inequity. As staff have learned, catalyzing change requires not only money, but the willingness to trust local leadership, no matter the age of the expert.

Picture of Raikes staff talking with partners. credit: Raikes Foundation
Raikes staff talking with partners. credit: Raikes Foundation

The ultimate goal of programs like the Impact-Driven Philanthropy Initiative (IDPI) is to move more dollars to systems change work, including work led by BIPoC leaders and movements, supporting those who face structural barriers to exercise their power.

As IDPI Director Stephanie Fuerstner Gillis notes, “Wealth has been accumulating at the top and we hope to get more of those dollars reinvested in the people and organizations that are best positioned to shift the systems.”

Click here to read more about the Raikes Foundation’s work and why they were chosen to be NCRP’s 2023 “Changing Course” Award winner for Incorporating Feedback.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power.

For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/

###

CONTACT(S): Russel Roybal, rroybal[at]ncrp.org
Elbert Garcia, egarcia[at]ncrp.org

Funder celebrated for modeling how to leverage multi-year, multi-use, and cross-identity efforts through radical generosity and radical collaboration.

WASHINGTON, DC – With connected issues and needs urgently impacting today’s women, gender-expansive people, and families, the New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) is resisting philanthropy’s trend of limiting its grantmaking to one focus area. The Foundation has modeled how to build relationships with under-represented and vulnerable communities impacted by systemic causes of social, economic, or environmental changes.

That is why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is honoring the group with its 2023 “Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking. Their model of radical generosity and radical collaboration invites other funders into a practice of addressing the systemic causes of social, economic or environmental challenges.

NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman said that the Selection Committee found the foundation’s strong participatory grantmaking response in the areas of reproductive and environmental justice particularly noteworthy.

“Our Selection Committee chose the New York Women’s Foundation for their extraordinary work advancing justice for women and families in New York – work that is rooted in gender, racial, and economic justice, that uses trust-based philanthropy, and engages community in identifying and developing solutions,” said Dorfman.

The last several years have seen a steady and intense erosion of people’s decision-making power over their bodies. Reproductive, sexual, gender-affirming and caregiving protections, resources and rights have been under attack at the city and state level, even in places like New York. NYWF leaders have stepped up to the moment, responding aggressively to the dire need. The Foundation’s open grantmaking cycle prioritized reproductive justice, leveraged its participatory grantmaking model and brought community members to the center of their decision-making and final recommendations.

NYWF works with various reproductive justice partners and grantees, like the NY Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF).

NYWF works with various reproductive justice partners and grantees, like the NY Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF).

NYWF’s grantmaking committee specifically committed five years of general operating funding to the work and evolution of the organizational structure of the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF), becoming one of their first foundational investors. The Foundation has since doubled their 2022 investments and plans to reach $1M in 2023 for this strategy.

“We take pride rooting our work in the interconnected needs of women and gender expansive people in New York City and beyond,” said NYWF President and CEO Ana Oliveira. “ At a time of unprecedented attacks on our bodily autonomy and national abortion rights, it more important than ever for funders to address the immediate health and reproductive needs of communities and invest in pathways for long-term solutions.”

The NYWF is one of five honorees that will be honored October 18 in Los Angeles, CA at the 2023 IMPACT Awards. The biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors will take place at the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit, a three-day conference that looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

Past winners of NCRP’s “Smashing Silos Award” includes the Third Wave Fund, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and the Groundswell Fund.

Leveraging Resources & Trust to Build Community-centered Power
NCRP’s 2023 “Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking is given every two years to a funder that worked in deep partnership with under-represented and vulnerable communities and supported multi-issue and cross-identity efforts to address systemic causes of social, economic or environmental challenges.

That is just the kind of work happening at the New York Women’s Foundation. Since 1987, the NYWF has advanced a dynamic philanthropic strategy that is rooted in the belief that people living the issues know the answers and that when women and gender-expansive people thrive, their families and communities also thrive. The Foundation has used the blueprint of radical generosity and radical collaboration to drive the future we collectively desire, locally and globally.

The Foundation, among the largest women-led grantmaking organizations in the world, has used a trust-based philanthropic model to support multi-issue and cross-identity efforts affecting women and families. The Foundation’s grant-making is driven by a Grant Advisory Committee that has donors, grantee partners, and community members collectively making the investment decisions. The grants themselves are multi-year and general operating support.

Click here to read more about the New York Women’s Foundations work and why they were chosen to be NCRP’s 2023 “Smashing Silos” Impact Award for Intersectional Grantmaking.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power.

For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/

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CONTACT(S): Russel Roybal, rroybal[at]ncrp.org
Elbert Garcia, egarcia[at]ncrp.org

In the challenging landscapes of Texas and Florida, where immigration policies directly impact migrant communities, frontline migrant justice organizations grapple with increasingly hostile environments and limited resources.  

Recent developments have exacerbated these challenges. In Texas, a federal judge’s ruling declared the DACA program unlawful, adding uncertainty over the lives of approximately 580,000 immigrant “Dreamers” who are currently enrolled in the program. This ruling not only affects the legal status and security of these individuals but also places additional pressure on frontline organizations to provide support and guidance to those impacted.  

In Florida, the implementation of one of the strictest immigration laws in the nation has brought about significant changes in the daily lives of immigrants in the state. This law criminalizes the transportation of immigrants lacking permanent legal status into the state, leading to concerns of mandatory detention and arrests for individuals who may unknowingly be at risk. Frontline organizations in Florida are faced with the challenging task of assisting immigrants in navigating these new regulations while contending with limited resources.  

As organizers, service providers, mutual aid funds and other community-based groups continue to navigate these heightened challenges, grantmakers have a unique responsibility to support their essential efforts. The first step in philanthropy’s necessary urgent response is acknowledging just how little money groups are currently receiving to handle the current political and humanitarian crisis.  

Texas 

In the state of Texas, federal legislation and sympathy alone are insufficient to support immigrant and refugee communities. Harsh measures like the creation of the ‘Border Protection Unit’ and the deployment of razor-covered buoys in the Rio Grande pose serious threats to lives in a state where 1 in 5 residents is an immigrant1. 

Organizations such as La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) and the Texas Civil Rights Project have emerged as frontline defenders of democracy, fighting tirelessly against these oppressive policies. However, a pressing issue persists – Texas migrant justice groups receive only half of the national funding levels they require to sustain their crucial work. 

Note: The cost of a Whataburger Whatameal varies by location and region. As of June 2023.

NCRP’s analysis of available 2017-2020 Candid data found that frontline migrants justice organizations face an increasingly hostile environment in Texas with limited philanthropic resources. While the national average is $7 dollars per immigrant annually2, the amount is $3.50 in the state of Texas alone, which is less than the cost of a Whataburger Whatameal. Nearly 1 in 5 people in Texas are immigrants3 and less than ¼ of funding for movement organizations in Texas come from Texas based organizations4.  

Florida

Florida, too, is at a critical point. Despite 1 in 5 Floridians identifies as immigrants5, the recent passage of SB1718 has introduced measures against those who originally come from other countries. This legislation makes life more difficult for all residents, but especially for those with connections to immigrant communities by mandating that hospitals report patients’ immigration statuses, and imposing penalties on those who employ or transport undocumented individuals. It also invalidates the use of IDs from their own country and even other states. 

NCRP’s analysis of available 2017-2020 Candid data found that frontline migrants justice organizations face an increasingly hostile environment in Florida with limited philanthropic resources. While the national average is $7 dollars per immigrant annually6, the amount is $1.50 in the state of Florida alone, which is less than the cost of a Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich. Nearly 1 in 5 people in Florida are immigrants7 and less than ¼ of funding for movement organizations in Florida come from Florida based organizations8.

Note: The cost of a Chicken Sandwich meal varies by location and region. As of June 2023.

Around the Nation 

While worse than some other states, funding levels in Florida and Texas mirror the numbers found at the national level.  

NCRP’s analysis of available 2017-2020 Candid data found that frontline migrants justice organizations nationwide, 8 Ivy League colleges receive over 4xx more foundation funding per year than the entire pro-Immigration and pro-refugee movement9. In Texas and Florida, where migrants’ communities face increasingly xenophobic and harmful policies, the movement is even more underfunded with Ivy League colleges collection.  

Shockingly, the amount that groups receive on the national level is less than one-fourth of the funding that goes to the eight Ivy League colleges10. 

These numbers follow the general trends that NCRP and other researchers have found with philanthropic support of the pro-immigrant, pro-refugee movement. As NCRP’s Stephanie Peng and Spencer Ozer have detailed, while there were some promising shifts in the funding landscape with higher philanthropic participation, the overall trend over the last ten years has seen local and national giving for immigrant and refugee justice fail to keep pace with overall grantmaking growth in the philanthropic sector.

In fact, the proportional share of pro-immigrant and pro-refugee philanthropic funding dropped by 11% in the last decade, despite a four-fold sector growth in overall giving.   

Funders also give significantly less support to immigrants and refugees with vulnerable intersecting identities, with groups focused on Black, LGBTQ, Indigenous and AAPI migrants receiving fractions of pennies for each dollar philanthropy spent in migrant justice. 

The Road Ahead 

Frontline organizations in both Texas and Florida face tremendous funding challenges as they tirelessly battle against conservative politics.  In this pivotal moment, it is crucial that grantmakers stand in solidarity with them.  

Across the nation, local organizations that are dedicated to supporting immigrants, migrants, and refugees play an indispensable role in providing essential services and combating oppressive policies. The time has come for philanthropy to do more to support these vital institutions, ensuring they have the resources they need to defend their communities, essential services, and uphold their mission. By investing in immigrant justice, we invest in a stronger, more equitable future for all communities. 

The social, political and financial burden of responding to the moment cannot fall soley on these local organizations. If you are funding local communities, it is time to ask yourself: What steps am I taking to Invest in Immigrant and refugee communities? 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jessie is NCRP’s Digital Engagement Manager at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Digital organizer by design, community organizer by blood, sweat, and dedication. She believes in the power of digital engagement to drive lasting change, because the revolution will be televised on someone’s live feed.

Research for the attached infographics were compiled by NCRP’s Movement Research Manager Stephanie Peng and NCRP’s Research Associate Spencer Ozer from an analysis of 2017-2020 Candid data.  

Nationwide donor community celebrated for modeling how to quickly resource social justice
movement groups and build grassroots power rooted in humility and solidarity.

WASHINGTON, DC – At a time when hostile political environments, rising costs and professional burnout are challenging many nonprofit’s ability to survive, the resource mobilizers at the Solidaire Network stand out as a model for urgently and ethically providing critical resources to community-led social justice groups.

That is why the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is honoring the group with its 2023 “Mover and Shaker” Impact Award for Bold Peer Organizing.  Their collective vision of radical giving invites other donors into a practice of transforming their own relationships to power and wealth.

“Solidaire’s donor engagement and activism through education influences not just foundations and institutional donors, but also individual high net worth donors who are increasingly having a greater say in how groups are funded,” said NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman.

Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth, a Solidaire Network movement partner. Credit: Brooke Anderson Photography

Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth, a Solidaire Network movement partner. Credit: Brooke Anderson Photography

Over the last five years, the network has moved over $36 million to grassroots organizations, prioritizing long-term partnerships with frontline movements engaged in intersectional, diverse and innovative work to build power and create new systems rooted in solidarity and collective action. It deeply believes and invests in the power of those with a legacy of resistance, especially Black and Indigenous leadership. Last year, 61% of its overall grantmaking went towards Black-led organizations and a quarter of the Movement Infrastructure funding went towards Indigenous-led organizations.

“We model our solidarity with movements by moving money quickly and boldly, and meeting our partners in their various forms of development and growth,” said former NCRP Board Member and current Solidaire Executive Director Rajasvini Bhansali. “We are honored to follow the trusted guidance of movement leadership and movement elders as we work together to transform society so that every community has the resources to flourish.”

Solidaire is one of five honorees that will be honored on October 18 in Los Angeles, CA at the 2023 IMPACT Awards. The biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors will take place at the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit, a three-day conference that looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

Past winners of NCRP’s “Mover and Shaker Award” include the the Four Freedoms Fund, Unbound Philanthropy, and the Foundation for Louisiana.

“Urgently Resourcing Movements & Actively Organizing Donors”
NCRP’s 2023 Mover and Shaker Award for Bold Peer Organizing Award is given every two years to a funder that centers their work on the needs of excluded and impacted communities, leveraging their expertise and convening power to move additional resources to support advocacy, organizing, and civic engagement.

Solidaire certainly fits that description. Founded in 2013, the community of donor organizers actively mobilize quickly to get critical resources to the frontlines of social justice movements. Members look to make an impact with work rooted in a firm belief that the most innovative solutions are borne from those with a legacy of resistance.

Solidaire Network invests in under-resourced communities and geographies and uses an ecosystem funding approach, since robust movements require a variety of formations and tactics. They aim to foster a culture of collaboration over competition by bringing funding to clusters of organizations, LLCs and collectives. They listen to movement partners and ask who else in the area should be funded.

NCRP’s VP and Chief External Affairs Officer Russell Roybal hopes that other grantmakers will look to examples set by funders like Solidaire when trying to figure out how to be responsive to the communities we all serve.

“The Impact Awards continuously reminds philanthropy that entities like Solidaire are modeling, in real time, some of the best practices the sector needs,” said Roybal. “Grantmakers can turn to them and other honorees to see how a better way of resourcing non-profits and other community institutions is not just possible, but urgently needed, right now. “

Click here to read more about Solidaire’s work and why they were chosen to be NCRP’s 2023 “Mover and Shaker” Impact Award for Bold Peer Organizing.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power.

For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/

 

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CONTACT(S): Russel Roybal, rroybal[at]ncrp.org
Elbert Garcia, egarcia[at]ncrp.org

New Era of Board Leadership Begins
at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Three new members and a new executive committee mark smooth transition as
Missouri Foundation for Health President & CEO Dr. Dwayne Proctor  succeeds
Children’s Defense Fund President & CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson as Board Chair.  

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) ushered in a new fiscal year this week by announcing the election of a new Executive Committee and welcoming three nonprofit and foundation leaders as members of its Board of Directors.

The DC-based philanthropic advocacy group announced this week that Sarita Gupta (Vice President of U.S. Programs at The Ford Foundation), Nana Gyamfi (Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration) and Eric Ward (Executive Vice President of Race Forward) had joined the board effective October 1. They also announced that President and CEO of Missouri Foundation for Health Dr. Dwayne Proctor had been elected the Board’s new Chair, succeeding Children’s Defense Fund President & CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson.

Dr. Proctor has more than 20 years working in philanthropy, holding a variety of roles at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation before becoming President and CEO of Missouri Foundation for Health in 2021.

headshots of NCRP's new Executive Committee: (from top left to top right) Board Chair Dr. Dwayne Proctor (President and CEO of Missouri Foundation for Health), Vice-Chair Daayiah Bilal-Threats (National Education Association), Secretary Don Ragona (Native American Rights Fund) , Treasurer Molly Schultz Hafid (Butler Family Fund), and At-Large member Farhad Ibrahimi (Chorus Foundation).
NCRP’s new Executive Committee includes (from top left to top right): Board Chair Dr. Dwayne Proctor (President and CEO of Missouri Foundation for Health), Vice-Chair Daayiah Bilal-Threats (National Education Association), Secretary Don Ragona (Native American Rights Fund) , Treasurer Molly Schultz Hafid (Butler Family Fund), and At-Large member Farhad Ebrahimi (Chorus Foundation).

“I am honored and humbled to lead NCRP’s board at such an important time for the sector and the nation,” said Dr. Proctor. “While building an equitable, multiracial democracy is not the sole responsibility of philanthropy, our financial and social capital play an important role in ensuring that all communities have the resources to thrive and heal from systemic injustices and obstacles.”

“Dr. Proctor’s extensive experience in philanthropy has been consistently dedicated to ensuring that all of our communities have the same opportunities to be healthy and successful,” said Rev. Dr. Wilson. “I can’t think of a better person to lead what is an outstanding group of leaders committed to pushing philanthropy to increase their support of movements and to be more transparent with and accountable to the communities we all serve.”

Dr. Proctor heads a new Executive Committee that includes Daayiah Bilal-Threats of the National Education Association as Vice Chair, Don Ragona of the Native American Rights Fund as Secretary, Molly Schultz Hafid of Butler Family Fund as Treasurer, and Farhad Ebrahimi of Chorus Foundation as the At-Large member.

Bilal-Threats, along with current Board members Sharon Alpert, Jocelyn Sargent, Joe Scantlebury and Pamela Shifman, were also re-elected to serve another three-year term on the Board.

“We are blessed to have had – and continue to have — a board that is involved in so much of the change that we want to see happening in the sector,” said NCRP President and CEO Aaron Dorfman. “Their commitment and contributions are vital as we continuously push philanthropy to boldly invest in intersectional movements and leaders that are working to build a more just and equitable world.”

A former Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Proctor was also an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he taught courses on health communication and marketing practices to reach multicultural populations. He is the current chairman of the board of trustees for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Foundation, and former chairman of the board of directors for the Association of Black Foundation Executives.

Bold Leadership that Continues to Support Movements & Push Philanthropy to be Better

While he remains a Board member, Rev. Dr. Wilson steps down as board chair after six years that saw the organization’s release of popular publications like Power Moves and the launching of important initiatives like the Movement Investment Project.

Dorfman credited Rev. Dr. Wilson for building on the important work of past Board Chair Sherece West-Scantlebury, who presided over the creation of NCRP’s bold strategic framework nearly a decade ago.

“I couldn’t have had a better partner and friend in the trenches of some of this work,” said Dorfman. “Rev. Dr. Wilson’s leadership over these last six years has been crucial in helping our Board and staff execute a vision for philanthropy that not only centers and prioritizes impacted communities, but also shifts power to the movements and grassroots leaders that are on the frontlines of important battles against systemic inequities and injustice.”

“It’s been a pleasure and honor to work with such a remarkable group of nonprofit and foundation leaders.” said Rev. Dr. Wilson, who assumed the Board Chair position when he was President & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri. “From the Trump presidency through the pandemic through this current period of social uncertainty, I have always been surrounded by those who have always been lovingly committed to each other and our work in ensuring that philanthropy uses its wealth to be transformational agents of just, equitable social change.”

Dorfman also announced that long-time board members Kate Villers, Crystal Hayling, and Cristina Jiménez have stepped off the board.

“We are so thankful for the energy, insight, and perspective that Kate, Crystal and Cristina brought to our work,” said Dorfman.  “Their leadership, relationships and values-based commitment have helped root our research and advocacy in the urgent practical needs of movements and other community-centered groups.”

For a full list of the current NCRP Board of Directors, visit the NCRP website at https://www.ncrp.org/about-us/board.

ABOUT NCRP 

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, nonprofits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

About Our New Members 

Color headshot of NCRP Board Member Sarita Gupta

Sarita Gupta  
Vice President of Programs
The Ford Foundation

Sarita Gupta is vice president of U.S. Programs, overseeing the Ford Foundation’s domestic work including Civic Engagement and Government, Creativity and Free Expression, Future of Work(ers), Technology and Society, Disability Rights, and Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice. Gupta joined the foundation in 2019 as director of the Future of Work(ers) program, bringing more than two decades of experience working to expand people’s ability to take collective action to improve their workplaces, communities, and lives by creating meaningful solutions.

Gupta has played a key role in building numerous workers’ rights campaigns, previously serving as executive director of Jobs With Justice and co-director of Caring Across Generations, a national movement transforming the way America defines care so all families can live well and age with dignity. She is also co-author of The Future We Need: Organizing for a Better Democracy in the Twenty-First Century.

Color Headshot of NCRP Board Member Nana Gyamfi

Nana Gyamfi 
Executive Director
Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)

Nana Gyamfi is the Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), a Black national organization that fights for the rights of Black migrants and African Americans through organizing, legal advocacy, research, policy, and narrative building to improve the conditions of Black communities by advancing racial justice and migrant rights.

A Movement attorney for over 25 years, Nana is co-founder of Justice Warriors 4 Black Lives and Human Rights Advocacy, organizations dedicated to fighting for human rights and Black liberation. She is a former professor in the Pan African Studies Department at California State University Los Angeles and the former President of the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL)

Color headshot NCRP Board Member and Race Forward Executive Vice President Eric Ward

Eric Ward 
Executive Vice President
Race Forward

Eric K. Ward is a nationally-recognized expert on the relationship between authoritarian movements, hate violence, and preserving inclusive democracy. He brings over three decades of leadership in community organizing and philanthropy to Race Forward, having worked with leaders from government, law enforcement, business, and civil rights groups to advance civil rights work. Eric also serves on the boards of several organizations.

An author, in-demand speaker, and media source, Eric has written multiple works and has been quoted in various widely read mainstream media outlets. His singer-songwriter talents helped launch the Western States Center Inclusive Democracy Culture Lab.  In 2021, Eric became the first American recipient of the Civil Courage Price, adding to the awards and distinctions he has received throughout his career, including the Peabody-Facebook Futures Media Award.

His previous work in philanthropy includes holding various positions with Atlantic Philanthropies and the Ford Foundation.

NCRP Identifies Philanthropy’s
Best & Boldest Leaders in Announcing
the Winners of Its 2023 Impact Awards

Selection Committee of 12 philanthropic and nonprofit leaders spotlights innovative and steadfast commitment of the Raikes Foundation, the Solidaire Network, the Black Immigrants Bail Fund, New York Women’s Foundation and NonProfit AF’s Vu Le to challenging their colleagues to better support movement groups.

Washington, DC –This week, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) proudly announced the winners of its biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors, the IMPACT Awards.

The Raikes Foundation (“Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback), the Black Immigrants Bail Fund run by Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and African Bureau for Immigration & Social Affairs (ABISA) (“Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking), the Solidaire Network (“Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer Organizing) and the New York Women’s Foundation (“Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking) were chosen by a committee of distinguished philanthropic and non-profit leaders for displaying the kind of exemplary leadership and funding practices that philanthropy should be pursuing in service of the common good.

Non Profit AF’s Vu Le was also announced as the inaugural winner of the NCRP’s “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism. The award was established late last year in honor of NCRP’s Founding Board Chair Pablo Einsenberg, who passed away at age of 94.

“We live in a nation under the constant threat of not just authoritarianism that would limit rights and opportunities, but a kind of draining and paralyzing cynicism that doubts the possibility of any kind of collective action can bring progress on the things we hold most dear. However, the leaders and organizations honored this year by NCRP don’t need extensive data sets, surveys, or focus groups to know how to support communities,” said NCRP President & CEO Aaron Dorfman, “They have done the work to understand that the urgency of the moment requires both the rapid and bold flow of resources to movement groups, as well as extended time to form collaborative decision-making relationships and thoughtful examinations of their own work and wealth in order to get us all to the multiracial, multilingual, multigenerational democracy we deserve.”

Winners will be presented their awards at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California on October 18 during the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit. The three-day conference looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.

LEADERS RESOURCING & PUSHING EACH OTHER TO FUND SOCIAL CHANGE

Dorfman and NCRP VP & Chief External Affairs Officer Russell Roybal thanked the members of the Selection Committee and external consultant Rebecca Murphy for their time, energy and insights, especially given the increased personal and professional challenges since the pandemic. The outstanding leaders that served on this year’s committee were:

Elizabeth Barajas-Román, President and CEO., Women’s Funding Network (WFN)
Vivian Chang, Executive Director, Susan Sandler Fund
Aaron Dorfman, President & CEO of NCRP
Elizabeth Guernsey, Chief of Staff, US Programs, Open Society Foundations
Jillian Hishaw, Esq., Founder and Director, Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (FARMS)
Amaha Kassa, Founder and Executive Director, African Communities Together
Eloisa Lopez, Executive Director of Pro-Choice Arizona and Abortion Fund of Arizona
Erin Matson, co-founder and Executive Director, Reproaction
Dwayne Proctor, Ph.D., President & CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health, and NCRP board member
Molly Schultz Hafid, Executive Director, Butler Family Fund, and NCRP board member
Nick Tedesco, President & CEO, National Center for Family Philanthropy
Marissa Tirona, President, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
Sophy Yem, Senior Program Officer for Philanthropy, Surdna Foundation

Roybal said that this year’s Impact Awards specifically reflects and honors the ways that grantmakers are funding the social justice movements that are pushing back against those who would want to limit rights, opportunities and the deep work of holding institutions for the harms of the past.

“These honorees know that philanthropy has a strong civic, economic, and moral obligation to resource a more inclusive and equitable future,” said Roybal. “They understand that we get there not only by building, wielding and sharing power with communities to resource movement groups, but also alongside these groups in encouraging their colleagues to do the same.”

Winners were selected based on these three criteria:

Exemplary Grantmaking – Funders had to demonstrate evidence of allocating a relatively high percentage of annual discretionary giving to social justice, marginalized communities, general operating support and multi-year grants. Its grantees have a visible effect on promoting systems change and empowering underserved communities.

Philanthropic Leadership – The funder’s leaders also had to publicly demonstrate a commitment to systems change strategies such as public speaking or writing about funding social change strategies and marginalized groups, serving on committees or other initiatives that promote social justice and signing on to Philanthropy’s Promise.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equity – Finally, the funder shows a demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, especially along lines of race and gender, in its staff and trustees.

While many in the sector are using their resources to build, wield and share power on behalf of racial, gender, reproductive and climate justice movements, this year’s award winners stand out: for their commitment to boldly resourcing and advocating for those on the frontlines of getting us closer to a just and equitable world:

 

Raikes Foundation

The “Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback is given to the funder that has shifted their strategies and operations in response to feedback from their stakeholders, particularly those most affected by inequity and injustice.

Dorfman : “The Committee chose the Raikes Foundation for the extraordinary work that they have done in both deeply learning about the harms of systemic racism and ultimately utilizing their grantmaking to support the work of racial equity and justice, center it in their work. and advocating that their peers do the same.”

Dennis Quirin, Executive Director, Raikes Foundation & Tricia Raikes, Co-Founder, Raikes Foundation: “The entire Raikes Foundation team would like to thank NCRP for selecting us for the “Changing Course” Impact Award for Incorporating Feedback. Our foundation embarked on a journey to reimagine and redesign our organization to center racial equity because we recognized it not only as a moral imperative, but also a social and economic one. When we invest in equity, we invest in a stronger, more prosperous future for all. Our 20-year journey is a testament to the power of collaboration and the unyielding commitment of our partners and staff who have propelled us forward on this transformative path. We are honored to work alongside them and honored to receive this recognition.”

Black Immigrants Bail Fund

The “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking goes to a funder that provides timely, flexible resources and adjusted processes to respond quickly to urgent movement needs, especially those of smaller grassroots, frontline groups.

Dorfman: “The Committee chose the Bail Fund, an effort jointly run by the The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and African Bureau for Immigration & Social Affairs (ABISA), for their extraordinary work providing free legal assistance and relief to Black immigrants who are wrongfully held in ICE detention. Their work to eradicate the mass incarceration of Black immigrants and to level the playing field of equity in due process is not really being done by anyone else.”

Guerline Jozef, Co-Founder & Executive Director: We want to thank the Selection Committee and the NCRP staff for this honor. We wish our work didn’t have to be done, but the urgency of the moment demands that we immediately address the dual threat that the criminal justice and immigration system poses to Black immigrant families. We stand with our colleagues across a number of trusted movement organizations who know that the more of us who are quickly resourced to lend a hand, the greater the chance that we can bring about a system that gives communities an equal opportunity at the better life we all deserve. Anpil men, chay pa lou! (Many hands make light work!)”

Solidaire Network

The “Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer Organizing goes to a funder that centered their work on the needs of excluded and impacted communities, leveraging their reputation and convening power to advance systems-change strategies.

 Dorfman: “The Committee chose Solidaire for their extraordinary work moving quickly to distribute funds to community-led social justice movements, specifically reproductive, gender, racial and climate justice. Their donor engagement and activism through education influences not just foundations and institutional donors, but also individual high net worth donors who are increasingly having a greater say in how groups are funded.”

Rajasvini Bhansali, Executive Director: “We are deeply honored to receive the “Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer Organizing. Here at Solidaire, we see ourselves as one force among many in a long, liberatory struggle and we are committed to accompanying movements as they contest for power. We model our solidarity with movements by moving money quickly and boldly, and meeting our partners in their various forms of development and growth. We are honored to follow the trusted guidance of movement leadership and movement elders as we work together to transform society so that every community has the resources to flourish.”

New York Women’s Foundation

The “Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking is given to funders that worked in deep partnership with under-represented and vulnerable communities and supported multi-issue and cross-identity efforts to address systemic causes of social, economic or environmental challenges.

Dorfman: “The Committee chose the New York Women’s Foundation for their extraordinary work advancing justice for women and families in New York – work that is rooted in gender, racial, and economic justice, that uses trust-based philanthropy, and engages community in identifying and developing solutions. The Committee particularly noted the foundation’s recent grantmaking in the areas of reproductive and environmental justice, as well as their focus on participatory grantmaking.”

Ana Oliveira, President/CEO:  “We are so honored to be the recipient of NCRP’s The “Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking. We take pride rooting our work in the interconnected needs of women and gender expansive people in New York City and beyond. At a time of unprecedented attacks on our bodily autonomy and national abortion rights, it more important than ever for funders to address the immediate health and reproductive needs of communities and invest in pathways for long-term solutions.”

Vu Le, Non Profit AF
The inaugural “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism. This award was recently established after the passing late last year of one of NCRP’s founders, Pablo Eisenberg. The honor seeks to spotlight the kind of bold truth telling that Pablo modeled all throughout his public career.

Dorfman: “Vu was chosen for this award for his engaging, insightful and often humorous work telling the truth about, and to, philanthropy. His writing holds holds philanthropy accountable, challenging long-held narratives about wealth and puts up a mirror our intentions, actions and funding. He courageously communicates what so many think and know about the sector, but who may not have the right words or platform to express them.”

Vu Le: “I feel deeply honored to be receiving this award. I had the pleasure of talking with Professor Eisenberg once, and his passion and clarity were inspiring and fueled my work. To get this recognition named after him means a lot to me.”

This year’s recipients join a distinguished list of past winners that include the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, Libra Foundation, the Groundswell Fund, the Four Freedoms Fund, the Third Wave Fund, The California Endowment, Marguerite Casey Foundation. the Solutions Project, the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the Emergent Fund.

ABOUT NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has served as philanthropy’s critical friend and independent watchdog since 1976. We work with foundations, non-profits, social justice movements and other leaders to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.

Our storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts, in partnership with grantees, help funders fulfill their moral and practical duty to build, share, and wield economic resources and power to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.

ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair.

The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. This year’s edition is slated to be held in Los Angeles, CA, the first in four years to be held in person. (The previous event was held virtually in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns)

ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT

This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th. The three-day conference will explore strategies for utilizing power to advance philanthropic equity, with emphasis on how philanthropic institutions and individuals working in philanthropy can shift their practice. Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore shifts in internal organizational practice that consider organizational climate and culture as well as realizing intersectional racial equity within philanthropic organizations; and external practice that examine use of capital, ways of engaging with accountability to community, and methods for leveraging collective power. For more information on the 2023 Unity Summit, or to explore past Unity Summits,  visit https://www.changeunitysummit.info/