While charitable foundations regularly leverage grantmaking to advance their missions, the potential impact of their investments is not always similarly scrutinized. To begin exploring your foundation’s effect on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities in the U.S., here are three questions you should ask your investment manager: 1. Who Is Managing My Portfolio’s Underlying... Read More
We’re excited to share the story of a client who’s using its charitable capital to increase civic engagement: The Langeloth Foundation supports health and racial equity outcomes for all people in order to foster and sustain safe and healthy communities. It envisions a society that is free of the systematic barriers that prevent people and communities... Read More
No matter your political or philosophical orientation, nor how you voted in the election, we can likely agree on the continued polarization and erosion of civil discourse in our country. There are any number of factors exacerbating our inability to talk to one another in a civil way: political upheaval, increased racial tensions, the economic... Read More
Funders with few or no staff can advance change on urgent issues. With a few dollars and a wealth of local knowledge and relationships, Exponent Philanthropy members have facilitated reform of a state’s juvenile justice system, increased access to nursing care for new and expectant mothers, and created statewide coalitions to focus dollars and attention on... Read More
Money affects power dynamics in relationships and as donors, we have the responsibility to send money carefully. When considering alternatives to a traditional funding approach, participatory grantmaking leverages knowledgeable input and democratic checks and balances. Being participatory is more than soliciting outside advice; it means inviting people at the center of the work to participate... Read More
Can we recover from the pandemic while becoming a more equitable society? Food, housing and financial security are rightly our philanthropic priorities right now. Yet, our country is calling on us to heal persistent divides and right structural wrongs. Humanities organizations could play a pivotal role. The humanities suffer benign neglect in philanthropy. Many funders... Read More