Learning as a Lever for Change

A number of philanthropic organizations, in their efforts to shift the balance of power to become more inclusive of the communities they serve, have made significant changes to their grantmaking processes. Approaches such as awarding more unrestricted grants, streamlining grant applications, capturing grantee demographic data, and increasing grantmaking to Black, Indigenous, and people-of-color-led organizations have been adopted by many funders. Others, like Health Forward Foundation, are also reimagining and redefining the role that learning can play in being more inclusive of the communities they serve. Learning can inform the work as much as it can tell us about the impact of the work, and it can also provide insights into the strategic priorities of our communities. Health Forward recently adopted a new strategic plan that makes a deliberate shift to working towards racial equity and economic inclusion for the communities most affected by these issues, including Black, Latinx, and rural