responsive philanthropy ncrp’s quarterly journal summer 2017 challenging grantmakers to strengthen...

ResponsivePhilanthropy

NCRP’S QUARTERLY JOURNAL

SUMMER 2017

chal lenging grantmakersto s t rengthen communi t ies

IN THIS ISSUE

Philanthropy and the 2020 census:A once-in-a-decade chance to get it right

By Vanita Gupta

How should philanthropy respondto attacks on unions?

By LudoVic BLain and Jim araBy

What does winning look likefor your organization in thecurrent political environment?

Funding transformation throughracial healing

By Jeanné isLer

Pay it forward: A new wayto fund grassroots LGBTQorganizing in the SouthBy reV. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara

A message from the President and CEO 2

Member Spotlight 15

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TheU.S.Constitutionrequiresacen-sus every 10 years, and getting itright is important to everyone. Thecensus has an enormous impact onthe nation’s ability to ensure that allAmericans receive equal treatmentunder the law and have equal accessto economic opportunities. Censusdata provide the basis for virtually

all demographic and socioeconomicinformation used by policymakers atall levels of government, businesses,philanthropy,communityleadersandresearchorganizations.

Agoodcensus isnot apartisan is-sue. The goal of the U.S. Census Bu-reau is to “count everyone once, onlyonce,andintherightplace.”1Butthecensusdoesn’tcountallgroupsequallywell,whichskews theresults infavorofsomecommunitiesoverothers for thenext10years. Already,budgetshortfallsareplacingcensusoperationsdesignedtoreachgroupsthathavebeenhistori-callyunderrepresentedinthecensusatrisk,threateningfairnessandaccuracy,andultimately,ourdemocracy.

TheU.S.CensusBureauspendsbil-lionsofdollarsonthecensus.Howev-er,noneofthatmoneyreachesthenon-profit organizations whose outreach topeopleofcolor,immigrantsandpeoplewith low income can help make thedifference between a disastrous under-countandanaccuratecount.

IT’S NOW OR NEVERSomeof thelargest foundationsinthecountry have started to fill a portion ofthis resource gap, but more focus andresourcesareneededtosupporttheor-ganizationsengaged incritical censuseducationandpromotion.

Here are four reasonswhy fundersneed to (continued on page 12)

Philanthropy and the 2020 census:A once-in-a-decade chance to get it right ByVanita Gupta

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NCRP STAFF

Ben BargeSenior Associate for Learning

and Engagement

Jennifer ChoiVice President and Chief Content Officer

Aaron DorfmanPresident and CEO

Caitlin DuffySenior Associate for Learning

and Engagement

Kevin FariaSenior Director of Foundation Engagement

Peter HaldisSenior Associate for Communications

Jeanné IslerVice President and Chief Engagement Officer

Aracely MelendezIT Manager

Kristina (“Yna”) C. MooreSenior Director of Communications

Stephanie PengResearch and Policy Associate

Dan PetegorskySenior Fellow

Lisa RanghelliSenior Director of Assessment

and Special Projects

Janay RichmondManager of Nonprofit Membership

and Engagement

Beverley Samuda-WylderDirector of HR and Administration

Ryan SchlegelSenior Associate for Research and Policy

Responsive Philanthropy is thequarterly journal of the National Committeefor Responsive Philanthropy.

2017, Issue No. 3Yearly subscription: $25(free to members)ISBN: 1065-0008

© 2017 All rights reserved.National Committee forResponsive Philanthropy1900 L Street NW, Suite 825Washington, DC 20036Phone 202.387.9177Fax 202.332.5084E-mail: [email protected]

DearColleagues,

ThesearechallengingtimesfordemocracyandhumanrightsintheUnitedStates.Someinournationareattemptingtoturnbacktheclockandundomanyoftheadvancementsoursocietyhasmadeoverthepast100years.

In response to this dangerous environment, smart philanthropic leaders will figureouthowtoplaybothoffenseanddefenseatthesametime.Inthisissueof“ResponsivePhilanthropy,” we feature some important ideas that will help funders calibrate strategytobestsupportunderservedcommunitiesandsocialjusticemovements.

In “Philanthropyandthe2020Census: Aonce-in-a-decadechancetogetitright,”VanitaGuptaof TheLeadershipConferenceonCivilandHumanRights tellsuswhyfoundationsmust start putting resources into education and promotion of the 2020censusimmediately,iftheyhaven’talreadystarteddoingso.Guptaprovidesfourrea-sonswhyfundersneedtoensurethecensusisaccurate.“Theoutcomeofthecensusinfluences – directly or indirectly – almost every issue that U.S.-focused philanthropiessupport,”Guptanotes.

LudovicBlainoftheCaliforniaDonor TableandJim ArabyofUFCWWesternStatesCouncilexplainwhatphilanthropycandotorespondtotherightwingpushtoreducethepowerofunionsin “Howshouldphilanthropyrespondtoattacksonunions?” Blainand Araby list 10opportunities for philanthropy to address needs as labor declines.“Oneresultofrightwing attacks onlaborunions isthatliberalandprogressivephilan-thropy will find itself, and its grantees, in a different ecosystem far less likely to producethe results – the justice – we seek,” the authors write.

We asked eight NCRP nonprofit members: “Whatdoeswinninglooklikeforyourorganizationinthecurrentpoliticalenvironment?” Learnhowtheyviewsuccessfortheimportantworkthey’redoingintoday’spoliticalclimate.

In “Fundingtransformationthroughracialhealing,” NCRP’sJeannéIslershareswhyW.K.KelloggFoundationbelievesracialhealingcantransformthenation. Thefounda-tion’s Truth,RacialHealingand Transformationeffortaimstomotivatepeopletomakeasustainedcommitmenttosupportchange.IslerfocusesonhowtheprogramisworkinginNewOrleans,DallasandBuffalo,NewYork.

Did you know that some nonprofits are re-granting portions of their funding to helpgrassrootsefforts?Rev.JasmineBeach-FerraraoftheCampaignforSouthernEqualityex-plainshowherorganizationisusingmicro-grantstofundLGBTQorganizingintheSouthin “Payitforward: AnewwaytofundgrassrootsLGBTQorganizingintheSouth.”

InourMemberSpotlight,wefeaturetheEpiscopalHealthFoundation. Thefounda-tion’s vision is to transform every community in Texas into a healthy community byimprovinghealthinadditiontohealthcare.

Wearecommittedtohighlightingstoriesandresourcesthathelpthesectorbecometruly effective forces for good. Let us know what you think: Send comments and [email protected].

Sincerely,

AaronDorfmanPresidentandCEO

A message from thePresident and CEO

2 National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Responsive Philanthropy

Responsive Philanthropy is thequarterly journal of the National Committeefor Responsive Philanthropy.

2017, Issue No. 3Yearly subscription: $25(free to members)ISBN: 1065-0008

© 2017 All rights reserved.National Committee forResponsive Philanthropy1900 L Street NW, Suite 825Washington, DC 20036Phone 202.387.9177Fax 202.332.5084E-mail: [email protected]

Laborhasan importantroleinthe so-cial justice movement – from memberleadership development projects totax-exempt giving to partisan giving.Unions can be effective at communi-catingapoliticalmessagetomembersand increase turnout and support forcandidates who support policies thathelp people of color and low-incomecommunitiesbyunlikelyvoters.

Asrightwingattacksonunionstypi-callycausetheirdeclineanddiminishlabor’s ability to create a landscape forbetter policy outcomes, progressivephilanthropy needs new strategies toprotectthecommunitiesitcaresabout.

Foundationsandhigh-net-worthdo-norsshouldunderstandthatweareop-eratinginanenvironmentofdecliningunion support for certain organizationsandcampaigns.

One result of rightwing attacks onlaborunionsisthatliberalandprogres-sive philanthropy will find itself, andits grantees, in a different ecosystemfar less likely to produce the results –the justice – we seek. So philanthropyneedstohelpstemthetideandprepareforitatthesametime.Foundationsthatseek to make America better for themost marginalized will need to beatback the attacks, thus causing the re-treatoflabor’spower,andtostepintothegapcausedbythatretreat.

Labor spends hundreds of millionsof dollars to defeat anti-labor candi-datesandsupportpro-laborcandidates.The backlash against rights gained byblacks,otherpeopleofcolor,women,immigrants,gaysandlesbians,workers

andotherpeopleoverthelastcenturyorsohasbeenfueledbytheasymmet-ric polarization of American politicscausedbytherapidshiftoftheRepub-licanPartytoareactionaryplatform.

In an overwhelming number ofcases, anti-labor candidates are alsoreactionaryonmanyother issuespro-gressive philanthropy supports, whilepro-laborcandidatesaresupportiveofthoseotherissues.

IMPACT OF UNIONS ON THEAMERICAN SOCIAL CONTRACTThe existence of unions has madeAmerican life better in many ways.Unionemployeesmakeanaverageof30percentmorethannon-unionwork-ers,92percentofunionworkershavejob-related health coverage versus 68

percent of non-union workers, andunionworkersaremorelikelytohaveguaranteed pensions than non-unionemployees. Further, the gender wagegapforunionmembersishalfthesizeofnon-unionworkers’gap.1

Aslaborcontinuestodecline,wagesandworkerprotectionsdosoaswell.The union membership rate – the per-cent of wage and salary workers whowere members of unions – was 10.7percent in 2016. In 1983, the first yearfor which comparable union data areavailable, the union membership ratewas20.1percent.

Theimpactunionshaveontheaver-age American goes beyond thework-place; it is also found at the pollingplace. Union members are 4 percentmore likely to vote than non-union

How should philanthropy respond to attackson unions? ByLudovicBlainandJim Araby

Responsive Philanthropy Summer 2017 3

Photo by Fibonacci Blue. Used under Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.

members who have similar demo-graphic characteristics.2 Additionally,union members are more likely to votefor candidates who support policiesthathelplow-incomecommunitiesandpeopleofcolor,suchasraising themin-imumwage.

Unions run sophisticated politicalcampaigns to turn out their membersinhigh-priorityracesatthelocal,stateandnationallevels.

These unions spend incredibleamountsoftime,energyandmoneyonmobilizingtheirmemberstovolunteer,givemoneyandvote.Unionscontrib-ute directly to candidates at all levelsofgovernment.Laborunionsalsospent$167 million in the 2016 federal elec-tion cycle. This excludes the millionsmore that are given at the local andstatelevel.

Unionsplayavitalrolecreatingde-mocracy at the workplace by havingan impact beyond thebread andbut-ter issues of wages and benefits. Theyinstillademocratictraditionofgettinginvolved and being active inside theworkplaceandatthepollingplace. At-tacks on labor unionmembers’ rightsareadirectattackondemocracyitself.

Laborisbyfarthelargestorganizedsector within the progressive move-ment. There are 14.6 million unionmembers and an additional 6millionunionfamilymemberswhoareeligibleto vote. To put that in scale: the ACLUhas1.2millionmembers;SierraClub,3millionmembers; Color of Change,morethan1millionmembers;NAACP,300,000 members; League of UnitedLatin American Citizens has 135,000members; and Planned Parenthoodsees2.5millionmenandwomenintheU.S.annually.

As labor retrenches, other organi-zations will need to engage formerlabor members; otherwise, some ofthosemembersareripeforeitherjoin-ingrightwingmovementsorbecomingapathetic to politics. At the very least,unionsdirectlyengagingtheirmembers

in improving workplace conditions ispart of the social contract that is diffi-culttoreplace.

ADVERSE IMPACTS ON LABORTwenty-eightstateshavepassed“right-to-work” laws, somisnamedbecausethey actually prohibit private sectorunionsfromrequiringallworkerscov-ered by a union to pay dues for thecostofrepresentingthem.Itessentiallyallowsworkerstoreceivealltheben-efits of joining a union with none oftheresponsibilitytopaytheunionforthose benefits.

Rightwingphilanthropyhasledthisattackonlabor. Theseattackersincludethe Lynde andHarryBradley Founda-tion,whichfunded“theFreedomFoun-dationin WashingtonState”to“defundBig Labor” because “Washington State’sliberallaborlawshavelongalloweditto be a net exporter of union dollars tootherparts of the country,” aswell asfundingsimilaractivitiesinmanyotherstates.3

Sincethe“TeaParty”wavesweptthecountryin2010,sixstatespassed“right-to-work”legislation(Indiana,Kentucky,Michigan, Missouri, West Virginia andWisconsin). Many political observersweresurprised that the reliableDemo-craticstatesof WisconsinandMichiganwent to Trump in 2016, but if you lookcloserat the data you will see a directcorrelation between the passage of“right-to-work” legislation and the de-creaseinDemocraticturnout.

Wisconsin’s Act10legislationmadeit more difficult to keep a union certi-fied, which resulted in a drop of unionmembership from 15.2 percent ofall Wisconsinworkers in 2009 to 8.3percent in 2015. After Michigan in2013becamethe24thstatetoadoptaright-to-work law, union membershipdroppedfrom16.3percentto14.5per-cent after the first full year.4

These rightwing victories broughtreal negative change to those states: Forexample,teachersin Wisconsinsawan

8percentdrop inwages since Act10severely limited most public employ-ees’abilitytocollectivelybargainwiththegovernment.5

Attacks on labor have escalatedsince 2010 when Republicans took amajority of statehouses and governor-ships; many of the fights have beenwaged at the state legislative level.WhereRepublicansdon’thavepower,they attempt to diminish progressivepowerattheballotbox.

EveninCalifornia,therightwingandits supporters have attempted to use theballotboxtochangethepoliticalrulesin their favor. Tax exempt groups likethe Freedom Foundation attack unionmembers saying that the unions they at-tack are “a huge political operation inCalifornia” and describing themselvesas“afranklypoliticaloperation.”6Threeinitiatives thatwouldhavebannedpo-litical contributions from unions havebeendefeated at theballot in the past14 years. However, anti-labor groupssuccessfully passed an anti-pension ini-tiativeinSanDiegoin2012.

WHAT CAN PHILANTHROPISTS DO?As labor diminishes, there are a fewways foundations and high-net-worthdonors can respond:

1. Askgranteeswhataretreatbylaborwillmeanforthem.Havestrategydiscussionswiththemandtheirlaboralliesaboutwhateachofyoursectorsshoulddo.

2. Fundpower-buildingstrategiesforcommunitiestoworkwithallies,includinglabor,toprotecttheircommunitiesandoursoci-ety.FoundationsintheCaliforniaCivicParticipationFunderstablehavedoneso,includingdirectlyfundingcountylaborfederationstoworkwithcommunityleadersfornon-partisancivicengagement,asspotlightedinBolder Together7

andBolder Together2.8

3. Supportinnovationsinworkplace



organizingthatelevatewagesand benefits and build workerandcommunitypowersuchastheinnovationsdonethroughtheWorkersLab9andRestaurantOp-portunitiesCenter.10

4. Makelong-termstrategicinvest-mentsinlaboreducationprogramseitherattheuniversitylevel(liketheUCBerkeleyCenterforLaborResearchandEducation11ortheUCLALaborCenter12)orwithinnon-profits themselves.

5. Fundmoreeffortsoneconomicandsectoralstudiesthatengagecommunitiesindeeperpoweranalysisonwhatishappeningintheunderlyingeconomy.

6. Fundnon-partisancandidates(New AmericaLeadershipProj-ect,13WellstoneAction14),ap-pointed(likestate-wideBoardsandCommissionLeadershipInstitute15aswellaslocalones16),andgovernmentstaff(suchastheHaasInstituteGoverningforRacialEquality17)academiesthataretiedtoothernetworkscanhelpbroadenanddeepenunderstand-ingofthelargerprogressivevisionforlocal,stateandfederalgovern-ment.

7. Invest in long-term legal researchthathelpsstrengthenworkplacerightsandsmalldemocraticpar-ticipation.

8. Fundorganizingatthescaleequivalenttothesizeoflaborasanorganizeroftheirownmem-bers.

9. Foundationsshouldensurethattheirgrantsareusedinthemostimpactfulwaypossible. Thatincludesensuringthatgranteesaretakingthe501(h)election,sotheirgroupscanlobbystrongly.Publicfoundations,likecommunityfoun-dations,shouldencouragetheirgranteestostartup501(c)(4)sandgivec4funds.

10. High-net-worthdonorsneedto

continuetoexpandtheireffortsoverthepastdecadeusingnon-tax-exemptdollarstosupportcan-didatesalignedwithprogressivepoliciesthatthosedonorshavebeensupportingthrough501(c)(3)giving.

Attackson labor, just like thoseonPlanned Parenthood, and other pro-gressiveanchor institutionsarepartofawhite Americannationalistbacklash.Thesebacklasheshappenregularly,at-temptingtoretrenchalltherightswoninthepreviousera. They’vehavebeendescribed as “redemptions,” and thepreceding periods where rights werefought forandwonarecalled“recon-structions.” WeneedtomakethismostrecentAmerican redemption18shallowandshort-lived. Thisneedstobe Amer-ica’slastredemption. n

LudovicBlainisdirectoroftheCalifor-nia DonorTable.

Jim Araby is the executive director ofUFCWWesternStatesCouncil.

Notes1. Katherine Gallagher Robbins and Joan

Entmacher, “Gender Wage Gap forUnion Members Is Half the Size of Non-Union Workers’ Wage Gap,” NationalWomen’s Law Center, Jan. 24, 2014,https://nwlc.org/blog/gender-wage-gap-union-members-half-size-non-union-workers-wage-gap/.

2. Richard B. Freeman, “What Do UnionsDo to Voting Turnout?” Russell Safe Foun-dation, http://www.russellsage.org/research/social-inequality/working-papers/freeman-voting-turnout.

3. Mary Bottari, “Bradley Foundation Bank-rolls Attacks on Unions,” The Center forMedia and Democracy’s PR Watch,May 8, 2017, http://www.prwatch.org/news/2017/05/13239/brad-ley-foundation-bankrolls-attacks-unions.

4. Brent Snavely, “Michigan union mem-bership falls to 14.5%,” Detroit FreePress, Jan. 23, 2015, http://www.

freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/2015/01/23/union-membership-michigan-right-work-fall-state/22219305/.

5. Alana Semuels, “How to Kill theMiddle Class,” The Atlantic, Dec. 7,2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/12/unions-wisconsin/509798/.

6. Margot Roosevelt, “The FreedomFoundation wants to fight Democratsby busting a California homecareunion,” The Orange County Register,April 8, 2017, http://www.ocregister.com/2017/04/03/the-freedom-foundation-wants-to-fight-democrats-by-busting-a-california-homecare-union/.

7. Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund,“Bolder Together,” http://www.haasjr.org/resources/bolder-together.

8. Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund,“Bolder Together 2,” http://www.haasjr.org/resources/bolder-together-2.

9. See The Workers Lab website: https://theworkerslab.com/.

10. See Restaurant Opportunities CentersUnited website: http://rocunited.org/.

11. See UC Berkeley Center for Labor Re-search and Education website: http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/.

12. See UCLA Labor Center website:https://www.labor.ucla.edu/.

13. See New America Leadership Projectwebsite: https://www.newamerican-leaders.org/.

14. See Wellstone Action website: http://www.wellstone.org/.

15. See Boards and Commission Leader-ship Institute website: http://www.urbanhabitat.org/leadership/bcli.

16. See Center on Policy Initiatives website:http://www.cpisandiego.org/bcli/.

17. See Haas Institute Governing for RacialEquality website: http://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/gare.

18. “Reconstruction vs. Redemption,” Na-tional Endowment for the Humanities,Feb. 11, 2014, https://www.neh.gov/news/reconstruction-vs-redemption.

WINNING IS RECOGNIZING THATintersectionality – the interconnectednatureofsocial identitiesas theyover-lap giving people advantages and dis-advantages in society – is not just ap-plicable to the populations we serve,buttoourselves,andplaysaroleinourwork,whetherwe’reawareofitornot.

Winningisbuildingtheroadsthatbringcommunitiesto-getherwithleadersthattakerisks,thatlistentocommunitiesandunderstandintersectionality.Itiscreatingaunitedfrontthat seeks to liberate everyone from all forms of oppression inacoordinated,interconnectedwaythatrevealsthevoiceandpowerthateveryonehashadallalong.

– Layal Rabat, Empowerment and Advocacy ManagerAsian Pacific Community in Action

WINNINGFOR THE TASKFORCE IN-volvesanintersectionalapproachtoso-cialjusticethatbelievesthatnooneisfreeuntilallpeoplearefree.Undertheguiseof resistance,wewillgivevoicetodisenfranchisedLGBTQpeople,am-plify progressive positions and lift upthe work that fights back against the ha-tred, intolerance,small-mindedness andinsularity displayedby our opponents. Winning means holding governmentalagenciesresponsiblefortheirdecisionsbymonitoringwhattheydoandprotestingpoliciesthataffectourconstituenciesnegatively. Winningmeanswelcomingmorepeopleacrossthecountrytohelpwithourorganizing,activismandvisibil-ityofLGBTQpeople.

– Rea Carey, Executive DirectorNationalLGBTQ TaskForce

TO ACHIEVECOMMUNITY-LEDCHANGEforhealthandwell-being,diversestake-holders must start by finding commonground. The current political environ-ment is extremely divisive with an ‘us’vs.‘them’narrative.I’dliketorephrasethequestion,becausewinningimpliesthatsomeoneloses.Howwillourorga-nizationcreateimpactinthecurrentpoliticalenvironment?The ActiveLivingByDesign(ALBD)teamenterspartnershipsasabundancethinkers,believingthatwhenwealldobetter,wealldobetter.

Welookfor‘both/and’solutions. Webelieveinthepowerofpeopletoreshapetheircommunitiesintohealthierplacestolivethroughcollaboration. Therefore, ALBDhelpsstrength-enandbridgepowerfulconnectionsbetweenfundersandin-vestors,resourceandtechnicalassistanceproviders,commu-nityleaders,residents,partnersandothercommunityagents.

Weprioritizecollaborationwiththosemostvulnerabletohealthdisparitiesandcoachcommunityleadersandpartner-shipsthroughshiftsinpower. Whendecisionsaremadebyandwithresidents,ratherthan forthem,andwhenunlikelypartnersdeveloptrustingrelationships,animportantcultureshift takes place, which leads to more sustainable and im-pactfulchange.

– Risa Wilkerson, Executive DirectorActiveLivingByDesign

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS UNITEstate-by-statetoregister1millionnewvoters nationally and create state-by-state forums for candidates for stategovernmenttoaddressissuesofjusticeandequity.

– Tom Tresser, DirectorTheCivicLab

What does winning look like for your organizationin the current political environment?


NCRP members share their vision of success as they work to address critical issues faced by our communities.

WEHAVE ANEXTRAORDINARYOPPOR-tunity to take power-shifting creative ac-tion to redefine justice and make oursocial systems more equitable. Win-ninglookslikedesigningnewwaysofengaging people, to take bold leapsof imagination together, that propel usintoafuturewheretherearefewerpris-onsandmorehealthy,safecommunities.

– Piper Anderson, Founder/Chief Creative StrategistCreateForward

AS WE’VE SEEN WITHOUR EMERGINGstatewidepartnershipPhilanthropyCal-ifornia, we can find success in publicpolicybyusingallofoursector’sassetsto speak with a unified voice and cutacross political divides. States and cit-iesareoftencalled the laboratoriesofdemocracy,butIseephilanthropyasadrivingforceinthat,pullingtogetherdifferentexperimentsineffectivegrantmakingandcommunitybuilding.

Tome,successinpublicpolicylookslikefundersutilizingtheirexperience,issueexpertiseandcommunitynetworkstotaketheirworkintotheadvocacyrealm,amplifyingtheirim-pactfarbeyondasinglegrant.

– Christine Essel, President and CEOSouthernCaliforniaGrantmakers

ONE WAYTO LOOK ATTHE CURRENTpoliticalenvironmentisasanopportu-nity tochannel thepublic’sdissatisfac-tionwith the status quo tomake con-creteprogressivechange.

Thiscanbedoneintwoways.First,successfullydefendinghard-foughtpro-gressive victories that have broad basesupport.Second,tacklingsomeofthelargerequityissuesonamore localizedlevelthrough cityandstate efforts. Winningnowrequirestenacitybutremaineminentlypossible.

– John Schwartz, PresidentVoqal

FORUS,‘WINNING’ISDIVERSE YOUNGpeople coming together to engagein conversation and action that im-provesMemphis. Andby‘youngpeo-ple’wemean ALLyouth—regardlessof their background, race, socioeco-nomic status, etc. That’s key in thiscurrent political climate, and it’s re-allycomplicated forourcommunity,becauseall voiceshave not been equal, historically. So for BRIDGES, suc-cessiswhenyoungpeopleareprovidedtrainingandsup-portandthengivenopportunitiestoleadwithinourcom-munity. Regardless of where they come from, youth havegreat insight and ideas that are valuable in shaping thefutureforusall.

– Dana Wilson, Vice President of Bridge BuildersBRIDGESUSA

AccessStrategiesFundAmericanJewish WorldServiceAnnieE.CaseyFoundationArcaFoundationColoradoHealthFoundationCommunityFoundationof TompkinsCountyComptonFoundationConradHiltonFoundationEpiscopalHealthFoundationHeising-SimonsFoundationJay&RosePhillipsFamilyFoundationJessieSmithNoyesFoundation

KansasHealthFoundationKorean AmericanCommunityFoundationLuminaFoundationMertzGilmoreFoundationMeyer MemorialTrustMinneapolisFoundationNewYork FoundationPackardFoundationRichmondMemorialHealthFoundationRobert WoodJohnsonFoundationSaintLuke’sFoundationSanFranciscoFoundation

SandlerFoundationSantaFeCommunityFoundationSouthernBancorpCommunityPartnersStewartR.MottFoundationUnitarianUniversalist VeatchProgramat

ShelterRockUnited WayoftheBay AreaWalterandEliseHaasFundWaltonFamilyFoundationWeingartFoundationWoodsFundofChicago


New/Renewed Members & Supporters


Funding transformation through racial healing ByJeannéIsler

It’srarethatafunderwillunabashedlyexpressagrandvisionof transformingthe nation, but that is what the W.K.KelloggFoundation(WKKF)didwithitsTruth,RacialHealing and Transforma-tion (TRHT) effort. The WKKF, and therecent recipients of TRHT grants, be-lieve that racialhealing isakeycom-ponenttosuchtransformation.

WKKF defines racial healing as: “Tohealistorestoretowholeness;torepairdamage;andtosetright.Healingaso-cietalracialdividerequiresrecognitionoftheneedtoacknowledgethewrongsofthepast,whileaddressingtheconse-quencesofthosewrongs.”1

Formore than10years, WKKFhasinvested $200 million into organiza-tions working to eradicate structuralbiasintheircommunities. The AmericaHealinginitiativewasakeycomponentofthisinvestment,supportingresearchon unconscious bias, expanding ra-cial equity movement efforts, explor-ing how communication can influenceperceptions and behaviors, creating amovementforracialequity,andsolidi-fyinganetwork ofcivilrightsand racialjusticeorganizations.

WKKF staff see TRHT as a naturalnextstepto AmericaHealing.“Wearevery optimistic that these leaders andcommunities will do the hard workneededtosucceedinthetransformationthey seek,”said La June MontgomeryTa-bron,presidentandCEOof WKKF.

Dr.GailChristopher,senioradvisorandvicepresidentfor TRHT,explainedthat this is a long-term, broad-based,multi-sectoral effort, informed and in-

fluenced by several truth and recon-ciliationeffortsfromaroundtheworld.TRHT aims to transform our culture,moving beyond simple conversationsabout race and ethnicity to acknowl-edge our humanity, confront patternsthat are persistent barriers to successandhealoldwounds.

In 2016,WKKF worked with 176 lead-ersandscholarstodevelopaframeworkthatcommunitiescanusetoimplementaTRHT process. In June 2017, it awardedgrants to 14 regions totaling about $24million.2 Theinvestmentsrangefromap-proximately$1.5to$4million,andim-plementation lasts two to five years.

For each site, voluntary representa-tivesfromavarietyofsectors,e.g.,phi-lanthropy, business, grassroots activistsand media,came together to develop animplementationplantopursueeffortsintwo pillars: narrative change, and racialhealingandrelationshipbuilding.

Healing circles, which are facili-tated conversations in which partici-pants share their experiences and be-liefs about race and racism in diversegroups,areacorecomponentoftheseefforts.Eachplacealsochoosestopur-sueactionandchangeinatleastoneofthe threeotherareaswithin the TRHTframework in which racism manifestsitself: separation (e.g., housing), the lawandtheeconomy.

TRHTisacollectivefunderorganiz-ingeffort thatseekstoempowerthosewhoarewillingtobeboldandloftyinshiftingthenarrativeofracialhierarchy.

So, I asked leaders from three ofthesitestotellmeabouthowtheyare

implementing TRHT and how racialhealingadvancestheirgoalstoendsys-temicracismintheircommunities.

LOUISIANA: MOVING BEYOND CRISIS MODE AND “US VERSUS THEM”AlfredoCruz,vicepresidentofprogramsandspecialinitiativesattheFoundationfor Louisiana, said the motivation fortheirworkistheneedtochangethere-ality forpeopleof color andothermi-noritieswhohavebeenunderrepresent-edineveryaspectofpowerinthestate.Butnothingwillchangeunless tackledthrough a racial equity lens, and suchchange requires racial healing – andthathealingwillneed to takeplace inLouisiana communities and within themany organizations working to improveoutcomesinthestate.

Forexample,soonafterCruzstartedworking at the Foundation for Louisi-ana, which was founded in the after-mathofHurricaneKatrinatododisasterrecovery,herealizedthatstaffmemberswerestilloperatingincrisismode.En-suring that his colleagues are healinghelpsthemtobemoreeffective.

Additionally, John Pierre, professoratSouthernUniversityLawCenterandBatonRougecontactfortheLouisianaTRHT, noted that people are isolatedandentrenchedinan“usversusthem”worldview, not realizing how publicpoliciescanmakeallofusvulnerable.TRHThelpseducatepeopleabouthowpoliciesaffecteachofus.

The plan for the first year includesdiversifying the advisory committee.


GreaterNewOrleans Foundation is apartner, and though the Baton RougeArea Foundation is not a formal part-ner,theyinvestinrelatedwork.Otherpartners to include are the people intheregionwhohavealreadybeenlead-ingracialhealingactivities.

There also is a long list of projectsandideasthatneedtobeevaluatedandprioritized in future years such as legalclinicsforundocumentedresidentsandprograms that improve access to eco-nomic opportunities for young people.These projects will be concrete ex-amples of what a changed narrativearoundracelookslikeinthestate.

DALLAS: THE RESPONSIBILITY OFBEING CALLED INThe Embrey Family Foundation is asmallfoundationthathaslongfocusedon social justice, but racial equity isrelatively new for them. Lauren Em-brey and other leaders at the founda-tionwanted to bring the Facing RaceconferencetoDallas,buttheyrealizedthey had to prepare their communityfor it first, so they created Dallas FacesRacein2013.

“[We’re] not a big strategy house;[we’re]ledandrunbywomenwhorelyonintuitiontotelluswhatisright,”saidDianeHosey,whohandlesphilanthrop-icoutreachforthefoundation.“Philan-thropyhasbeencalledin,andweneedto respond. It’s the definition of philan-thropy,andit’sourresponsibility.”

DallasFacesRacecreatesawarenessbuilding and training for nonprofit lead-erstofocusonracialequitybyhostingdi-alogueswithintheirorganizations. Theyexpected 20 partners, but more than300organizationshavesignedup.Overtimetheyrealizedthatconversationalonewillnothaveasystemicimpact.

When five Dallas police officerswere shot and killed in a July 2016massshooting,theirDallasFacesRaceprogram officer at Embrey was inun-datedwith calls from the community.More funders got involved, including

theCommunitiesFoundationof Texas,which is the fiscal sponsor and keythoughtpartnerforthe TRHTgrant.BythetimeEmbreysenttheformalrequestto WKKF, five other funders cosignedtheinvitationletter.

Joli Robinson, manager in the officeofcommunityaffairsattheDallasPoliceDepartment,andDavidLozano,execu-tiveartisticdirectorofCaraMia Theater,aretheco-chairsoftheDallas TRHT.

Everyone must go through racialhealing – not just “those in need,” saidLozano. Foundations, simply by theirgiving pattern, can define a narrativeof what and who is important. Com-munities would typically adapt theirnarratives to fit the funder. He sees thetransformative opportunity of peopleof color leading funders in narrativechangeandbelieves thatdoingit inthiscontext can translate to empoweringpeopleofcolorinthelargersociety.

Robinson and Lozano agree thatfunders’ work is primarily to listen,whichcancreateaparadigmshiftandchange the power imbalance. By en-gaging inhealingcircles andbuildingrelationships in their workgroup, com-munitypeople canstartto leadthecon-versationinsteadoffunders.Lozanoas-sertedthatthepaceof TRHTinDallasfeelsslow,buttheywanttoensuretheyhavea strong foundation for theworkthatneedstobedone.

BUFFALO: A GREAT OPPORTUNITYClotilde Dedecker, president and CEOofCommunity Foundation forGreaterBuffalo, believes that institutions arebuilt on people and racial healingbrings thework to individuals. To theextent that individuals in institutionscan understand the lived reality andtrauma of systemic racism, they willfollowthroughwithequitablechanges.In2006,theboardprioritizedincreas-ing racial/ethnic equity in the Buffaloregion. After several successes, theysaid they wanted to domore and, in2013, invested a year exploring what“more”lookslike.

TheyinvitedChristophertospeaktoa roundtable of 32 leaders fromdiversesectors about the economic case forracial equity. The foundationmade thecasefornarrativechangewithindicatorsofinequityandlocaldataabouttheeco-nomiccasetoclosethegaps. Thehopeis to“openthemind, heartand institu-tionalwilltodrivesystemschange.”

The Buffalo TRHT seeks to offer au-thentic, asset-based alternative narra-tivestothedominantnarrativesaroundinequity.Thefoundationstaffandround-table participated in healing circlesand are now training religious leadersand facilitators to build local capacitytohostcircles forothers in the region.Theyalsohostedaracialequityimpactanalysis (continuedonpage11)

Photo courtesy of W.K. Kellogg Foundation.


Pay it forward: A new way to fund grassrootsLGBTQ organizing in the SouthByRev.JasmineBeach-Ferrara

Whenwe launched theCampaign forSouthern Equality (CSE) in 2011, myliving room became our “office”, noonewasgettingpaid,andalmosteveryfoundation we approached turned usdown,eitherbecause theydidn’t fundLGBTQworkorbecausetheythoughtour primary strategy at the time – win-ningmarriageequalityintheSouthby2016 – was laughable.

Acrosssectors,skepticismisaclas-sic response to innovation and start-ups.ButforgrassrootsLGBTQorganiz-ers launchingnewwork in theSouth,the skepticism is intensified because ofspecific regional dynamics, includingthereticenceofSouthern foundations,local governments and other institu-tionstosupportLGBTQorganizingandbecauseLGBTQSoutherners,thenatu-raldonorbaseforlocalgrassrootswork,aremorelikelytobelow-income.

Fast forward to 2017: Large nationalLGBTQ foundations have increasedtheir funding to established LGBTQnonprofits in the South in recent years.The past year has also shown an ex-citing uptick in LGBTQ foundationgrantstograssrootsSouthernwork.Butthe fact remains that for most grass-roots groups, especially those without501(c)(3)statusinruralareas,thereareremarkablylimitedfundingoptions.

BEING LGBTQ IN THE SOUTHMostpeoplearesurprisedtolearnthatone-thirdofallLGBTQ Americanslivein the South, a community that is di-verse in raceandgender. We livenotjust metro areas but also in smallertownslikeMorristown, Tennessee,andPetal,Mississippi.

There are more than 750 grassrootsLGBTQgroupsacrosstheregion,manyof them volunteer-led and without501(c)(3) status,working in thehyper-localized context of a specific town orpopulation.2 One of the first grants CSEreceivedwasfor$250fromBlueRidgePride in our hometown of Asheville,NorthCarolina. Thisgrantmadeitpos-sible forus tohost a free legal clinic,but it was also a vote of confidence.

A PIPELINE OF FUNDING FORGRASSROOTS ORGANIZERSStarting in 2015, we began makingmicro-grants of up to $500 throughour Southern Equality Fund. The goalistobuildapipelinethatgetsfunding

tograssrootsorganizerswhoaredoingheroicfrontlineworksotheycangrowandsustaintheireffortsandleadership.

Youdonothavetobea501(c)(3)toreceivea grant throughour fund, andwe’vemade theapplication short andsweet, knowing that many grassrootsgroupshavenotappliedforagrantbe-foreanddonothavepaidstafforcon-sultantswhocanfocusongrant-writing.Wegetbacktofolkswithinamonthofapplying. To date we have given 111grants totaling more than $59,000 togroupsacross12Southernstates.

In the coming year, our goal is toincrease our grantmaking to 10 per-cent of our organizational budget. Indoingso,wearecreatingapracticeoforganizational tithing, drawing on thefaith-basedpracticeofgivingaway10percentofyourwealthtosupportgoodworksandactsofmercy.

Other organizations are doing it,too. Equality Virginia has launched are-granting program to provide fund-ing and capacity building support totransgender leaders and groups acrossthestate. TheSouthern Vision Allianceprovides wraparound support, includ-ing fiscal sponsorship and funding, toacohortofyouth-led,NorthCarolina-basedgroupsfocusedonsocial,racialandenvironmentaljustice.

Most people are surprised to learn that one-third of all LGBTQ Americans live in the South


URGENT NEEDS IN THE MIDST OFCHANGESystems and structures – in the Southand in the LGBTQ movement – arechanging. TheOutintheSouthFund,a project of Funders for LGBTQ Is-sues, has embarkedon amulti-yearproject to increase LGBTQ fund-ing among Southern grantmakersand Southern funding among LG-BTQ funders. Southern institutionsfrom hospitals to public universitiesarebuildingoutworkandprogramsaround LGBTQ issues, breaking alongsilence.

Butthereisstilltheurgencyofto-day and tomorrow. Tragically, morethanhalfofthetranswomenofcolorwhohavebeenmurderedtodatein2017 lived in the South.3The preva-lenceofHIVratesamonggayandbi-sexualmen in the South, especiallymenofcolor,dramaticallyoutpacesotherregionsofthecountry.4AcrossSouthernschooldistricts,transgenderchildren live without district-levelpoliciesthatprotecttheirrightsunderTitleIX.5 You can still be fired for be-ingLGBTQinmostSouthernstates.6

PAY IT FORWARD TO FUND THEFRONTLINESSimply put, we need to get morefunding into thehandsof grassrootsLGBTQorganizersacrosstheSouth,andweneed todosoasquicklyaspossible.

Established501(c)(3)LGBTQorga-nizations in the South are well-posi-tionedtoleadanefforttofundgrass-rootswork;weencouragemoretodoso. A quick glance at financials showsthatifthesixlargestLGBTQorganiza-tionsintheregionweretobegintith-ingat10percenttosupportgrassrootswork,itwouldreleasealmost$1mil-lionintotheregionannually.

There’s a moral case for doing so:Getting resources to where they aremost urgently (continuedonpage14)

tool training for 54 major employersandgovernmentorganizations,sotheycanunderstandtheforcesandpoliciesthat led tocurrent conditions. Finally,the foundation is convening five pub-lic–private partnerships focused on sys-temschangearoundkeyissues.

CHALLENGES AND LESSONSDespite the optimism surroundingTRHTfromgrantrecipients,therearesome serious hurdles:• Criticismthat TRHTstrategies,

specifically racial healing, are notsystemic.

• Peopleandinstitutionsenteratdifferentstagesofcapacityandwill.CruzsharedthechallengeofbridgingtwocitiesinLouisianawithsimilarracialinequitybutverydifferentcultures.Louisianacommunitiesaresegregated,andeveryonewrestleswiththefactthattheyhavetoworktogetherwithpeopletheydidn’tchoose.Hoseyacknowledgedfeararoundracialhealingworkacrossdivides,especiallyinthesouth.DedeckerandRobinsonnotedthatpeopleinpowerdon’talwaysunderstandtheconditionsandeffectsofracism,andithindersdecision-makingwithanequitylens.

• Lozanomentionedthepowerthatfunderswieldandthecomplex-ityoffundersleadingthisworkintheircommunities.Manypeople,oftenunder-resourced,havebeendoingracialhealingworkatthegrassrootslevelforyears.Founda-tionswhoareleading TRHTworkcouldreinforcethepowerdynam-icsoverlookpeoplealreadydoinghealingwork.

Theworkof TRHTisalongjourney.ThefunderswhoareleadingTRHTini-tiativesofferedadviceforotherfunderswhowanttodosuchwork.

• Showcourageandleverageyourrelationshipstogetpeopleintotheroom.

• Learnfromthosemostaffectedbyproblemsinyourcommunitiesanditerateyourpracticesandbehav-iorsaccordingly.

• Shiftingtheunderstandingofpeopleinsystems,includinggrantmakinginstitutions,isapartofshiftingthesystemsthemselves.

• Theworkisurgent,buttheworkisajourney. Actwithurgencythatcanbesustained,notpanicthatwilldissipate.

• Startfromwhereyouare,withacoalitionofthewilling.Funders who are genuinely inter-

estedintransforming systemic causesof inequity in theircommunity,espe-cially systemic racism, can use theirleadershiptosupporthealingthetrau-ma thatpreventsus fromcollectivelymovingforward. n

JeannéIslerisvicepresidentandchiefengagement officer at NCRP.

Notes1. W.K. Kellogg Foundation, “TRHT

Implementation Guide,” http://www.racialequityresourceguide.org/TRHT-Summit.

2. The TRHT sites are: 1. State of Alaska;2. Baton Rouge, Louisiana; 3. NewOrleans; 4. Buffalo, New York; 5.Chicago; 6. Dallas; 7. Los Angeles;8. Richmond, Virginia; 9. Selma,Alabama; 10. Saint Paul, Minnesota;11. Battle Creek, Michigan; 12. Flint,Michigan; 13. Kalamazoo, Michigan;and 14. Lansing, Michigan.

Funding transformation through racial healing(continuedfrompage9)


prioritizeachievingafairandaccurate2020census:

1. THE CENSUS IS IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE.The outcome of the census influences–directlyor indirectly – almost everyissue that U.S.-focused philanthropiessupport, including political empower-ment,socialjustice,educationaloppor-tunity,employment,veterans’services,ruraldevelopment,healthcareandin-frastructure in disadvantaged commu-nities.Philanthropyalsoreliesoncen-susdatatoguideinvestmentstrategiesandevaluatetheworkofgrantees.

Decennialcensusdataonstatepopu-lations determinethe number of seats inCongress each state receives and howthosedistrictsaredrawn.Morethan$600billionannuallyisallocatedthroughfed-eralprogramsbased,inwholeorinpart,oncensusdata.2 Additionally, state andlocal governments use census informa-tion todistribute billions more for essen-tialservices.Censusdataarealsousedtomonitor compliancewith, and enforce-mentof,civilrightsstatutes.

CountingeverypersonintheUnitedStatesisanextraordinarilycomplexen-deavor–itisthenation’slargestpeace-time mobilization of personnel andresources.Evenwithcarefulplanning,aperfectcountisvirtuallyimpossible:Somepeoplearemissed,somearedou-ble-counted,andsomedonotrespondfully. But, because the accuracy of thecensusdirectlyaffectsournation’sabil-ity toensureequal representationandequalaccess topublicandprivate re-sources,achievinga fairandaccuratecensusmustberegardedasoneofthemost significant civil rights and socialjusticeprioritiesfacingthecountry.

2. THE 2020 CENSUS IS ALREADY UNDERWAY.While the 2020 censusmay seem faroff,keydecisionsarebeingmadenow,and poor choices could lead to signifi-

cantharmforyearstocome. TheCen-sus Bureau has spent an entire decadeplanningfortheupcomingcensus,and,bytheendof2017,theCensusBureauwill have finalized the questionnairefor2020andlauncheditsprogramforsharing preliminary address lists withstatesandmunicipalities.

Significant operations will go intoeffectin2018withtheEnd-to-EndCen-sus Test. This pivotal “dress rehearsal”had been scheduled to take place inthreeareas–PierceCounty, Washing-ton;ProvidenceCounty,RhodeIsland;and Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, WestVirginia–butduetobudgetshortfalls,itwillonlybeconductedinProvidence.Thedryrunistheonlyopportunityforacompletetestofthe2020questionnaireandnewtechnologies,includinganewInternet responseoption that theCen-susBureauispromotingastheprimaryresponsemodeforthe2020censusandelectronicdevices forcensus takers tocollectinformationduringpersonalvis-itstounresponsivehouseholds.

In 2019, the Census Bureauwill rampupitsoutreachefforts,whichincludeapartnership program, paid advertisingand a census in the schools program.Hundreds of millions of question-naires will be printed, and local officesacrossthecountrywillbeginrecruitingmore than amillion temporary censusemployees, with plans to hire about300,000 enumerators during peak op-erations.Censusworkersalsowillcan-vassselectedcommunitiesthathaveun-dergone significant change or that haveunstablehousingconditions, toupdatethe master address file that establishestheuniverseforthe2020count.

3. ENGAGING LATER MAY BE TOO LATE.Historically, the census has missed dis-proportionately high numbers of peo-ple of color, low-income householdsin rural and urban areas and youngchildren. TheCensusBureaualsodes-

ignates “hard-to-count” areas basedonadditionalcharacteristics,includinglimited English proficiency, mobile andsingle-parent households. This unevenaccuracy has significant civil rights im-plications because it could deny themostvulnerablemembersofoursoci-ety equal representation andopportu-nity.Effortstoaddressthesechallengesmust be built into the census processnow, before it is too late for them tohaveanimpact.

Encouraging people to completetheir census questionnaires, and elimi-nating undercounts in at-risk commu-nities,will be particularly challengingin 2020. Encouraging an online re-sponse might lead to concerns aboutInternet privacy and data confidential-ity, especially given high-profile newsstoriesaboutcomputerhackingaffect-ing businesses and government. Andsome communities that may alreadyfeel besieged by the current politicalclimatemaybeconcernedaboutnewoptions for identifyingMiddle EasternandNorth Africanethnicity.Immigrantand mixed-status households may beespeciallyfearfulofprovidinginforma-tiontothefederalgovernmentin2020,given the heightened climate of fearthat anti-immigrant rhetoric and poli-cieshavecreated.

TheCensus Bureauwill attempt tominimize undercounting with an ex-tensive, $400+ million communica-tions plan, but the bureau cannot besuccessfulonitsown. Therolethatna-tional and state advocacy groups andcommunity-based organizations playiscriticaltoafairandaccuratecensus.

According to former Census BureauDirector Kenneth Prewitt, “Of the manythings necessary for a successful cen-sus,nonerival‘trustedvoices’thatreas-sure Americansanxiousaboutthegov-ernment askingquestions. TheCensusBureauknows that trustedcommunityvoices persuade millions of Americansto join the once every decade opportu-

Philanthropy and the 2020 census(continuedfrompage1)

nitythatistruly‘ofthepeople,bythepeople,forthepeople.’”3

We commend the philanthropiccommunity for identifying an accurate2010censusasan important goal andfor committing significant resources tothis work – The Leadership Conference’s2010censuseducationandpromotioncampaign, a collaborative with AsianAmericans AdvancingJustice-AAJC,theNational Association of Latino Electedand Appointed Officials EducationalFund, the NAACP, and the NationalCongress of American Indians, whichservedasakeybridgebetweentheCen-susBureauandcommunitiesatgreatestrisk of an undercount – would not havebeenpossiblewithoutthissupport.

Foundations invested at least $37million in “get out the count” cam-paigns to increase theaccuracyof the2010census.4 But the flow of funds tononprofit organizations was unevenand unpredictable, and the levels offundingwere not commensurate withthe importance of the census and thewide-ranging and long-term conse-quencesofunderperformance.

Equallyimportantistoconsiderthatmeaningfulfunderinvolvementdidnotbeginuntil2008,whichwasnotearlyenough in the decade during the lastcensuscycle.

Ourwork for the 2020 census hasbeenunderwayforyears,andsomeofthe nation’s largest foundations havebegun to shore up funding to sup-port nonprofit communities. But theresources and reach to date are inad-equatetomeettheimmensechallengeofensuringafairandaccuratecount.

In the current climate, broadeningthe coalition engaged in censusworkwill be critical. Foundations that un-derstandtheimportanceof thecensusfor their other substantive areas of fo-cus must find ways of ensuring a swiftand sufficient investment in the work ofcommunitygroups.

4. FOCUSING ON POLICYIMPROVEMENTS NOW COULD PAY SIGNIFICANT DIVIDENDS.The2020census facesasevere threatthatunderfundingwillcompromise itsfairness and accuracy. In order for theCensus Bureau to prepare well – andcarryout important testsofnew tech-nologies and procedures – it requires acontinuous ramp up in funding levelsintheyearsendingin“6”through“0.”

Unfortunately, as the below graphshows,forthiscycleCongressallocatedfarlessthantheCensusBureaurequest-ed in both 2016 and 2017; the 2017fundinglevelwasonlymodestlyhigherthanthepreviousyear. Tomakemattersworse, the administration’s funding re-quest of $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2018isirresponsibleandunrealisticallylow,fallingatleast$300millionshortofthelevelneededtoensureacost-effectivedecennialcensusin2020.

This underinvestment has alreadyforcedtheCensusBureautoscalebackor eliminate some key 2020 censuspreparations. For example, 2017 field

tests planned for Puerto Rico and ontwo American-Indianreservationswerecanceled. In addition, the opening ofthree of six regional 2020 census of-fices has been delayed, and the com-munications campaign and coveragemeasurement components of the 2018dressrehearsalwereeliminated.

Given the Trump Administration’sinadequate budget request for 2018,the Census Bureau has been forcedto entirely eliminate twoof the threedressrehearsalsites,thusdiminishingtheopportunity to fully test allmeth-ods and operations in a census-likeenvironmentindifferenttypesofcom-munities.

The consequences of inadequatepreparationandfundingcouldbedev-astating,withvulnerable,hard-to-countcommunities taking the hardest hits.Educationaloutreach, toboth sidesofthe aisle, about the need for sufficientgovernment investment in the soundpreparationandpolicydevelopmenttoensureafairandaccuratecensus,canhelp address this potential crisis, but


Proposed Increase in 2018 Census Bureau Funding Far Less Than in Previous Decennial Census CyclesChangeinCensusBureauBudgetrelativetoyear6ofeachdecade

philanthropicsupportisneededforthisworktobesuccessful.

Censusfundinghasbeentraditional-lyviewedbyphilanthropyasaonce-a-decade undertaking, without a midcyclefundingstream.Butfundingfororgani-zations with a proven track record oncensusissues,aswellasforthosewhocan reach audiences that will supportand decide census policy, can helpmakethedifferenceinbolsteringeffortsto educate and influence policymakers.

FUNDERS: BE A VALIDATOR TO YOUR PEERS.Thecensusisaclassic“intersectional”is-sue.Ithasadirectimpactonantipovertyefforts,criminaljusticereform,racialjus-ticeissues,educationalaccessandmuchmore. Thousands of community groupsacross thecountryarehoping toplayaroleinpromotingthecensustotheircon-stituents, but they lack the resources todevelopandstaffmajoractivities.

Foundations that support the core

workoftheseorganizationsshouldrec-ognizethataninclusivecensusenablesgrantees to access the resources theyneedtoprovidebetterservices.

We hope that funders will be opento combining portfolios, as many did in2010, to increase thepot of availablefunding.Pleasetalktoyourcolleaguesaboutthiscriticalissue.

Whenitcomestothecensus,thereare no do-overs – we have only onechancethisdecadetogetitright. n

VanitaGupta is president and CEO ofTheLeadershipConferenceonCivilandHuman Rights and former head of theCivil Rights Division at the U.S. Depart-mentofJustice.

Notes 1. Jennifer Saindon and Robert Chestnut,

“The 2020 Census: A New Designfor the 21st Century,” U.S. CensusBureau, October 2016, https://

www.fdlp.gov/file-repository/outreach/events/depository-library-council-dlc-meetings/2016-meeting-proceedings/2016-dlc-meeting-and-fdl-conference/2800-census-2020-slides/file.

2. Andrew Reamer. “Counting for Dollars:The Role of the Decennial Census inthe Geographic Distribution of FederalFunds.” GW Institute of Public Policy,June 4, 2017, http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/census/CountingForDollars-Intro.pdf.

3. Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Ad-dress, November 19, 1863.

4. Kim Crews, “Philanthropic Supportfor 2010 Census Outreach: A List ofGrants Awarded,” May 2011, https://www.funderscommittee.org/files/FCI_2010_Census_Grants_Spread-sheet_by_Kim_Crews-_final_1.pdf. Seealso Kim Crews, “Philanthropic Supportfor 2010 Census Outreach: An Over-view of Grants Awarded,” May 2011,https://www.funderscommittee.org/files/2__Overview_of_Grants_Award-ed_by_Kim_Crews-_final.pdf.


needed, to be usedby thosewho aremost impacted. There’sastrategicrea-son as well: Creating legal and livedequality in theSouth requires thatwedolong-termorganizingineverycom-munity,notjustinlargemetroareas.

ForCSE,fundinggrassrootsworkisacorestrategyaswebuildanewmodelofSouthernorganizing, just likedirectser-vicesand litigation. We learn fromandbuild with our grassroots partners.In thesharedworkandmutualityoftheserela-tionships,thereisalsogreatjoy. n

Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara is the execu-tivedirectoroftheCampaignforSouth-ern Equality, which promotes LGBTQequalityacross theSouth.She isamin-isterintheUnited Church ofChristand

a County Commissioner in BuncombeCounty, North Carolina.

Notes1. According to research from Funders for

LGBTQ Issues, foundation funding to LG-BTQ groups in the South has increasedfrom less than 5 percent to 25 percentin recent years, with grants primarily go-ing to large non-profits in metro areas.

2. Claudia Horwitz, “Out in the South PartTwo: The Assets,” Funders for LGBTQIssues, September 2014, https://www.lgbtfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Out_in_the_South_Part_Two_LGBTQ_Community_Assets_in_the_U.S._South.pdf.

3. Human Rights Campaign, “ViolenceAgainst the Transgender Community in2017,” http://www.hrc.org/resourc-

es/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2017.

4. Susan Reif, Donna Safley, CarolynMcAllaster, Elena Wilson, KathrynWhetten, “State of HIV in the USDeep South,” Center for HealthPolicy and Inequalities Research,Duke University, https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/han-dle/10161/13807/State%20of%20the%20Deep%20Southrevised%20online2.pdf.

5. Movement Advancement Project, “SafeSchool Laws,” July 7, 2017, http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/safe_school_laws.

6. Movement Advancement Project,”“Non-Discrimination Laws,” July 7,2017, www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws.

A new way to fund grassroots LGBTQ organizing in the South(continuedfrompage11)

NCRP:EpiscopalHealthFoundation’svi-sionistotransformallof Texastohealthycommunities. How do you define “healthycommunities?” Whatdoyoumeanwhenyousay#HealthNotJustHealthCare?EHF: EHFbelieveshealthycommuni-tiesarecreatedwhendiversepeoplecome together to develop commu-nity-driven, people-centered healthsystems. We believe that healthycommunities shouldnotonlyensurethat all Texans receive qualitymedi-calcare,butthattheplacestheyliveandworkshouldhelpenablethemtogetandstayhealthy.

It’s clear that issues such ashous-ing, employment, poverty, transpor-tation and education have a greatinfluence on a family’s health status.But theU.S.spends$3trillionayearon health care – not health. When itcomestospendingonsocialservices,theU.S.ranksbelowmostdevelopedcountries in the world. Despite mas-sivespendingonhealthcare,wehavethe lowest life expectancy and highestrateofinfantmortalityofthosedevel-opedcountries.

Whileprovidinghealthcareservicesiscritical,EHF’sfocusgoesbeyondtheexam room to address the underlyingcauses that lead to poor health. That’swhy we’re dedicated to improving#HealthNotJustHealthcare inTexas.

Ifwedon’taddresstherootcausesof poor health, clinic visits alonewon’t make a difference. Overallcommunity health will continue todecline,andvulnerable,low-incomefamilieswill continue to suffermorethananyoneelse.

NCRP: The foundation’swebsitemen-tions that “we’re not just funding more... we’re investing in different.” Whatare some of the different strategies thefoundation is pursuing?EHF:We’reconvincedthatsimplybuild-ingmore clinics to servemorepeoplewon’thealabrokenhealthsystem.Ourgrant investments fund organizationsandprograms thatwork “upstream” tofocusonnewanddifferentwaystopro-videpreventivehealthservicesandad-dress thechallenges that causepeopletobecomeunhealthy.

We’reworkingtostrengthensystemsof health to make them more accessibleand equitable – not just deliver “after-the-fact”medicalcare.

EHF is also helping grant partnersand congregations organize and focustheir efforts to better understand thehealthneedsoftheircommunity.

Finally, we’ve recently focused ef-fortstohelphealthsystemsandfamiliesimplement best practices for healthychild brain development from beforebirth toage three. Webelieve this isakeystrategytohelping Texansbuildthefoundationforahealthylife.

NCRP:Whyshouldhealthfundersbecon-cerned about federal and state policiesthataffecthealthcareinthecountry?EHF: Improvinghealth requirespolicyandpublicfundingcommitmentsatthehighest levels. The financial contribu-tion philanthropy can make – throughgrants and program-related invest-ments – is tiny compared with the con-tributionmade (orwithheld) by publicsources. Allourphilanthropicresourc-

escannotmakeupforpoorpublicpol-icychoices.

Thecurrent“repealand replace”de-bate is an excellent example of the im-portanceofpublicpolicyandits impacton health philanthropy. For decades,many health foundations focused effortson helping low-income and vulnerablepopulations access healthcare by gain-ing insurance coverage. When the Af-fordableCare Act(ACA)passedin2010,manyfoundationssupportedgovernmentagenciesinimplementingthatcoverage.Theremarkabledecreaseintheuninsuredrate that resulted from the ACAenabledhealth foundations to shift resources toother matters,including health equity.Theadvances in coverage that enabled thisshift maybe lost ifan ACA replacementsignificantly reduces coverage.

Philanthropycanmovetheball for-wardwhenpublicpolicyisaligned,butourworkgetsmuchharderwhenthatisnotthecase.

NCRP: What advice do you have forfunders exploring how they can im-prove health and health care in theircommunities?DS: Webelievethewaychangeoccursis through the engagement of com-munity members. The people “on theground” aremost affected by commu-nity health and have deep knowledgeof their own lives and communities.Funderscansupportorganizationsthatseek to raise these voices: communityorganizing groups, civic engagementgroups, leadership training. Ifwe helpcommunitymembersengage,ourownagendaswillbeadvanced. n

Episcopal Health FoundationHouston,TXepiscopalhealth.org


M E M B E R S P O T L I G H T

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crp.

org

1900LStreetNW•Suite825• Washington,DC20036AddressServiceRequested

NCRP Board of DirectorsEXECUTIVE COMMITTEEDr. Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (Chair)Gara LaMarche Democracy Alliance (Vice Chair)Vivek Malhotra (Treasurer)Priscilla Hung Move to End Violence (Secretary)Cynthia Renfro Civis Consulting, LLC (At-Large)

DIRECTORSBill Bynum HOPEBill Dempsey Service Employees International UnionTrista Harris Minnesota Council on FoundationsTaj James Movement Strategy CenterCristina Jiménez United We Dream NetworkMary Lassen Center for Community ChangeDaniel J. Lee Levi Strauss FoundationRuth W. Messinger American Jewish World ServiceMolly Schultz Hafid Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter RockKatherine S. Villers Community CatalystThe Rev. Starsky D. Wilson Deaconess Foundation

PAST BOARD CHAIRSPaul Castro Jewish Family Service of Los AngelesJohn Echohawk Native American Rights FundPablo Eisenberg Public Policy Institute, Georgetown UniversityDiane Feeney French American Charitable TrustDavid R. Jones Community Service Society of New YorkTerry Odendahl Global Greengrants Fund

Organization affiliation for identification purposes only.

Select Publications

As the South Grows: Strong Rootsby Ryan Schlegel and Stephanie Peng June 2017

Thesecondreportinthisseriesexploreswhyit’simportantfor

donorstobuildlastingwealthamongtheSouth’smarginalized

populations. It features sixcommunity leaders from theSouth

whoareworkingtorevitalizelocaleconomiesinwaysthatare

inclusive and equitable for local residents in Kentucky Coal

CountryandtheLowcountryofSouthCarolina.

Foundations,donorsandhealthpolicyby Lisa Ranghelli May 2017

Thisnewhealthequitybriefisahandyresourceforgrantmak-

ersanddonorswhoareunsureaboutwhether they should,

and if so,how to respond toattempts to reverse recentad-

vances in health equity through the Affordable Care Act,

MedicareandMedicaid.

visit: www.ncrp.org/publications

responsive philanthropy ncrp’s quarterly journal summer 2017 challenging grantmakers to strengthen...

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