Weekly Reads—November 21, 2025

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

“Based on survey responses from more than 400 nonprofit leaders and 200 foundation leaders from August to September 2025, this first look at the survey data offers a stark picture of the challenges facing nonprofits and philanthropy.” [more]
CEP

“As “narrative change” has become a trending topic in philanthropy, the work of liberation movements risks being overshadowed and co-opted by funder-driven frameworks that have a history of eroding the deeper, more durable efforts led by the individuals, organizations, and networks on the front lines of change.” [more]
Chiara K. Cattaneo, Jody Myrum, Mandy Van Deven, and Erin Lynn Williams for Nonprofit Quarterly

“Transforming philanthropic culture and practice to operate in service of nonprofits and communities requires a fundamental shift in how grantmakers work. This transformation demands that the philanthropic sector ground its efforts in equity-centered and community-driven practices, relationships, and organizational cultures.” [more]
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

“Philanthropy is almost always involved in reducing vulnerabilities, regardless of the explicit focus. Whether donors are engaged with health equity, education or food security, a long-term view helps shift the focus from exclusively meeting today’s basic needs to planning for how to reduce vulnerability, strengthen community resilience and prepare for when the next crisis does occur.” [more]
Center for Disaster Philanthropy