Weekly Reads—May 5, 2025

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

“In this new era, grant programs that survive—and thrive—will be those that can provide extensive, detailed evidence of compliance. … Those that fall short risk delayed payments, reduced funding, or cancellation.” [more]
Sam Caplan, Submittable

“By approaching AI proactively rather than reactively, funders can ensure that ethical AI grantmaking is not just about preventing harm—but about maximizing AI’s ability to enhance equity, improve outcomes, and empower communities.” [more]
Sarah Di Troia, Project Evident, for The Center for Effective Philanthropy

“[These attacks are] a legal and narrative strategy to redefine what counts as charitable—and to erase not just racial justice, but also gender, environmental and economic justice from the definition of public good. Criminalizing philanthropy, then, is not just a First Amendment fight for philanthropy’s right to give. Rather, the attack on racial equity is the opening salvo of the attack on independent institutions and the undoing of civil society — both necessary to any functioning democracy.” [more]
Lori Villarosa, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity

“While some funders have stepped up and explicitly named and funded their commitment to standing alongside communities under threat, others have been in active retreat from the language and practices of justice so urgently needed in this time.” [more]
Building Movement Project, Movement Lessons From the First 100 Days