Racial Equity Resources for Philanthropy

In this moment, when the centuries-long work for racial equity is center stage, the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy are immense. As individuals and as a society, there is much we need to do. The urgency to come together to demand equity in every thread of the fabric of our society has perhaps never been stronger. We created this resource center to share a variety of resources, tools, articles, thought pieces, and more to help funders on this journey.

But first, what are we talking about? We found this Racial Equity Tools Glossary to be a helpful place to start. Words matter, especially in this context. According to Racial Equity Tools, “Words and their multiple uses reflect the tremendous diversity that characterizes our society. Indeed, universally agreed upon language on issues relating to racism is nonexistent. We discovered that even the most frequently used words in any discussion on race can easily cause confusion, which leads to controversy and hostility. It is essential to achieve some degree of shared understanding, particularly when using the most common terms. In this way, the quality of dialogue and discourse on race can be enhanced.”

There are many valuable resources to help funders support and accelerate efforts to create a more just and equitable society. We hope the tools, guides, resources, and more listed below will be helpful to individual donors, families, foundations, companies, and others in the field of philanthropy. We know this list is not exhaustive and will continue to expand. If you know of other resources that we should consider adding to this page, please contact Jennifer Montone (jmontone[at]tpi.org).

Resource Hubs

Articles, Blogs & Opinion Pieces

Guides, Reports & Tools

Funder Networks & Organizations to Follow

  • ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities: ABFE is a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Partnering with foundations, nonprofits and individuals, ABFE provides its members with professional development and technical assistance resources that further the philanthropic sector’s connection and responsiveness to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • CHANGE Philanthropy: CHANGE Philanthropy (formerly known as Joint Affinity Groups) was founded in 1993 to unify identity-focused philanthropic affinity groups into an empowered coalition. CHANGE Philanthropy’s seven core partners are working to integrate diversity, inclusion, and social justice into philanthropic practice, transforming the sector’s culture to be one that embraces equity.
  • D5: In 2007, 50 foundations and allied leaders began the Diversity in Philanthropy Project (DPP), a time-limited campaign to expand diversity in the field. D5 was the culmination of this effort. D5 was a five-year coalition to advance philanthropy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion. As our constituencies become increasingly diverse, we need to understand and reflect their rich variety of perspectives in order to achieve greater impact.
  • Funders for Justice: A national network of funders increasing resources to grassroots organizations addressing the intersection of racial justice, gender justice, community safety, and policing.
  • Funders for LGBTQ Issues: A network of more than 75 foundations, corporations, and funding institutions that collectively award more than $1 billion annually, including approximately $100 million specifically devoted to LGBTQ issues.
  • Justice Funders: Justice Funders is the home of Bay Area Justice Funders Network while also 1) offering professional and leadership development programs, 2) providing coaching and consulting for organizational transformation; and 3) designing, piloting and scaling innovative collaborations that advance social justice movements. By engaging in these multiple areas of programming, Justice Funders is ushering a Just Transition within the field of philanthropy to take a proactive role in building the world we need.
  • Neighborhood Funders Group: A network of national and local grantmakers throughout the U.S. that brings together funders to learn, connect, and mobilize resources with an intersectional and place-based focus.
  • Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE): PRE aims to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources aimed at combating institutional and structural racism in communities through capacity building, education, and convening of grantmakers and grantseekers.
  • Racial Equity in Philanthropy Fund: a collaborative effort of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation and builds on each institution’s efforts in the philanthropic sector (Borealis Philanthropy)