Weekly Reads—May 5, 2023

Enjoy PEAK’s weekly roundup of timely insights from the grantmaking community and beyond.

“Unfortunately, the authors [of this op-ed published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy] don’t say what the unspecified threat to ‘philanthropic pluralism’ is that they’re countering. … They maintain that we should ‘behave’—behave—‘as if the foundations and individual donors who take stances with which we disagree are also committed to the betterment of society’ and that they ‘have the best intentions.’ But must I ascribe the ‘best intentions’ to those philanthropists supporting efforts to deny the reality of climate change or ban the teaching of American history—including its history of racism—in our schools? How about those who seek to deny the humanity of people because of their gender or sexual identity?” [more]
Phil Buchanan, The Center for Effective Philanthropy

“The manifesto also urges those in the field not to “question the underlying legitimacy of any foundation or philanthropist holding a particular view” and to assume that all philanthropists have the “best intentions.” So, no matter what cause a foundation adopts, we should just accept the legitimacy of its views? Should a foundation with clearly racist, misogynist, or treasonous goals be given our respect?

“Certainly, a foundation’s motives are not always crystal clear and are open to fair and unfair interpretation. However, one way institutions achieve and retain legitimacy is through the questioning and challenging of their ideas and approaches. It isn’t clear why foundations should be exempt from that test.” [more]
Craig Kennedy, formerly of the Joyce Foundation and The German Marshall Fund, for The Chronicle of Philanthropy

“We hover over our grants management system analytics, our rankings at Grant Advisor, and the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Grantee Perception Report to see if people are being compelled to spend inordinate amounts of time making their case to us. Spurred by global pandemic and racial justice reckoning, we interrogated what we ask of grantseekers, and what we ask of ourselves, when assembling insights and evidence to support a great grant recommendation.” [more]
Suki O’Kane, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, for the National Center for Family Philanthropy

“[S]ome funders are creating space for young people to give feedback, co-design strategies, and make decisions, both directly and through youth councils and advisory groups. This shift includes participatory grantmaking, which places funding decisions in the hands of those most affected by them. This can be one of the most impactful ways to shift power within philanthropy, but it requires a deep trust and an understanding that the priorities identified by young people and their communities may differ from our own.” [more]
Vanessa Stevens, Global Fund for Children, and Zoe Trout, Elevate Children Funders Group, for Grantmakers for Effective Organizations