Weekly Reads—July 21, 2025

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

“We know that when community members and leaders sit on foundation boards and when boards employ practices that increase transparency, define roles, expand engagement, understand their highest and best purpose, act with accountability, cultivate trusting relationships, and operate with a learning agenda, we break free from archaic governance structures that pen us all in. These approaches deepen relational trust, inspire more connection with the work on the ground, and foster an ecosystem where each entity brings its unique strength.” [more]
Caitlin Brune and Kate Seely, Northern California Grantmakers

“When capital stewards invest in understanding their money stories and cultivating abundance, somatic care, and relational governance, allocation can better shift from risk avoidance to strategies that are just, sustainable, and equitable.” [more]
Nyia Hawkins, Center for Cultural Innovation, for Nonprofit Quarterly

“Nonprofit organizations, movement lawyers, and grassroots organizers are quickly stepping in to protect hard-fought civil and human rights. But limited resources often force them to work in silos and with little or no collaboration. To challenge growing authoritarianism, protect past gains, and continue making progress, philanthropies must provide funding that creates time and space for leaders and organizers to form deep, long-term relationships across movements.” [more]
Terrance Pitts and Rachele Tardi, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

“Philanthropy’s role in closing the tech gender gap extends far beyond supporting isolated interventions. As corporate commitments to gender diversity plateau…thoughtful philanthropic investments that emphasize intersectional data, long-term program design, and infrastructure for women-serving ecosystems can drive lasting change.” [more]
Beck Spears, Rewriting the Code, for Candid