Last year was riddled with loss. The pandemic changed how many funders practice philanthropy; and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black, Indigenous and people of color by police—and the ensuing protests—put race equity front and center for many funders. While some lean funders had already integrated race equity into their work,... Read More
A message from Henry Berman, CEO of Exponent Philanthropy One week ago today, we witnessed an assault on our nation’s Capitol. One week from today, that same Capitol will host the inauguration of our new president. Both events will be defining chapters in tomorrow’s history books. But tomorrow is not today. We cannot stand idly... Read More
Equity is a buzzword heard seemingly everywhere these days. For some, equity is about opportunity. For others, it’s the full inclusion of an entire region’s residents in the economic, social and political life of the area. In the nonprofit and philanthropic space, equity is undeniably central to our mission, despite its varying definitions. Commissioning an... Read More
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
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
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