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PEAK Grantmaking

Weekly Reads – January 8, 2021

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A roundup of timely insight from the grantmaking community and beyond.

“The grantee experience of systems, tools, and tech required by a funder enhances or alternately detracts from that nonprofit’s ability to deliver on their mission. Put more simply, the grantee experience of philanthropy can make or break their mission.” [more]
– Chantal Forster, Technology Association of Grantmakers, on NTEN

“Too often, our social change sector operates in sharp silos. Some of us work in “civic engagement” and help support get out the vote efforts every few years when election season rolls around. Some of us focus on direct services to communities in need and we may not even consider ourselves to be in the business of democracy reform. But what the experience of these last few years highlights is that all of us must be in the business of democracy reform.” [more]
– K. Sabeel Rahman, Demos, on Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

“[W]e need to break the nonprofit starvation cycle. More than that, we need to replace it with what I’ll call a nonprofit nutrition cycle. The nutrition cycle would ensure investment in not just the strategic and financial health of grantee organizations, but also partner with those organizations to advance their human health: a productive workplace, competitive and equitable compensation and benefits, a nourishing organizational culture, robust support systems for employees, and a thriving staff and volunteer base.” [more]
– Rusty Stahl, Fund the People, on Center for Effective Philanthropy

“The report reviews important lessons from the ongoing crisis in Indigenous communities and calls on philanthropy to invest in Indigenous-led organizations and initiatives, to maximize general operating support, diversify vehicles for investment, identify regions and communities that face serious funding disparities, invest in Indigenous community strengths and leadership – not their deficits, and invest in tribal policy advocacy and tribal leadership.” [more]
Indigenous Community Leadership in Response to COVID-19, Native Americans in Philanthropy