February 05, 2024 Amid Attacks on DEI, This Tool Can Help Funders Further Their Own Journeys — and Push Back February 05, 2024/ Dawn Wolfe CHANGE Philanthropy’s Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals survey is perhaps the most in-depth instrument of its kind in the sector. It’s particularly apt this year as attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion escalate.Read More
January 18, 2024 Culture Wars On Campus Are Raging, and Megadonors Are Key Figures on the Battlefield January 18, 2024/ Mike Scutari On the heels of Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation, activists are pivoting to hot-button issues like dismantling DEI programs. Major donors have played a key role, and will likely continue to do so. Read More
December 19, 2023 Green Funders Show Improvement on Diversity, But More Than Half Still Don’t Share Data December 19, 2023/ Michael Kavate Many environmental funders still did not share their diversity data with the sector’s annual report card from Green 2.0. Respondents did show gains, though board diversity declined.Read More
November 02, 2023 How Dalio Philanthropies' OceanX is Working to Diversify Marine Research and Teaching November 02, 2023/ Paul Karon In the past year, this research nonprofit has expanded efforts to diversify ocean science through new educational partnerships with HBCUs Spelman College and Howard University — with more set to come.Read More
October 12, 2023 How John Palfrey Is Leading MacArthur Into a New Era of Philanthropy October 12, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe John Palfrey has led this $8 billion foundation through a time of great change — a racial reckoning, the rise of trust-based philanthropy, and program shifts at MacArthur. We take stock of how Palfrey’s done so far, and what’s next.Read More
April 24, 2023 IP Explainer: What Is Philanthropy Doing—or Not Doing—to Address Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? April 24, 2023/ IP Staff Philanthropy is difficult to navigate. That’s why we’ve produced a series of explainers to demystify the basics. Today, we delve into a huge topic in philanthropy right now—the need to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.Read More
March 20, 2023 New Study Underscores Longstanding, Persistent Biases in Green Grantmaking March 20, 2023/ Michael Kavate A new study from pioneering environmental justice researcher Dr. Dorceta Taylor reaffirms funding imbalances that those in the movement have lamented for years. Read More
March 17, 2023 Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein on Philanthropy’s Responsibility to Diversify Tech March 17, 2023/ Paul Karon In the 1980s, Mitch Kapor's Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet app helped make personal computers indispensable. Now, Mitch and Freada Kapor Klein are on a mission to prove that a fairer tech sector can also be a more successful one.Read More
March 08, 2023 How a 75-Year-Old Foundation Dramatically Increased Funding for Groups Led by People of Color March 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe In 2019, Public Welfare Foundation announced a plan to move the vast majority of its grantmaking resources to Black and POC-led nonprofits. Its leadership unpacks the process and shares its results to date.Read More
January 18, 2023 It’s Time to Standardize Demographic Data to Advance Equity January 18, 2023/ Dwayne Marsh and Ann Mei Chang, Guest Contributors Efforts to advance racial equity and diversity have led to a dizzying array of requests for data. Guest authors from Northern California Grantmakers and Candid make the case for a standard way to track demographics.Read More
December 13, 2022 More Green Funders Than Ever Shared Diversity Data in 2022, but Most Still Avoiding the Sunlight December 13, 2022/ Michael Kavate For six years now, Green 2.0 has been tracking the diversity of staff at environmental nonprofits and foundations. More are submitting data than ever, but overall participation — and diversity at the top — remain frustratingly low.Read More
July 20, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on with Philanthropy for STEM Education? July 20, 2022/ IP Staff STEM education is one of the few areas where corporate funders play an outsized role in philanthropy, but there are several institutional funders and major donors involved, as well. Here’s the field in a nutshell.Read More
June 13, 2022 This Research Funding Giant Is Spending $1.5 Billion to Diversify Academic Science June 13, 2022/ Paul Karon As part of an even larger diversity initiative, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will extend long-term support to scientists from underrepresented backgrounds during the tough early years of their academic careers. Read More
April 07, 2022 Hiring a DEI Consultant? Here’s How to Avoid Exacerbating Inequity in the Process April 07, 2022/ Aparna Rae and Kendall Guthrie, Guest Contributors The hiring process for DEI consultants and firms often perpetuates the inequities foundations are trying to address. There’s a way to fix this, according to two longtime philanthropic professionals—pay RFP applicants.Read More
March 16, 2022 A Big Gift to Barnard College Highlights Need and Opportunity to Support Women in STEM March 16, 2022/ Paul Karon A $55 million donation to Barnard College, the largest in the school's history, will fund expansion of science facilities at the elite institution. Can Barnard’s success be replicated elsewhere to support women in STEM?Read More
December 15, 2021 Celebrating the Voice, Vision and Value of Black Women in Philanthropy December 15, 2021/ Connie Matthiessen Toya Randall is the creator of Voice. Vision. Value., a site elevating Black women in philanthropy. We talk to Randall about the challenges facing Black women in the sector, their unique perspectives—and what still needs to change.Read More
November 11, 2021 Philanthropy Has Fallen Short in Its Efforts to Make STEM More Diverse—We Have the Tools to Fix It November 11, 2021/ Lorelle L. Espinosa and Tashera Gale, Guest Contributors While STEM education funders point to diversity, equity and inclusion as priorities, research from Sloan and Higher Ed Insight shows that their efforts have fallen short. In this guest post, the authors outline a path forward.Read More
November 08, 2021 To Counter #PhilanthropySoWhite, a Foundation Offers a Paid Introduction to the Sector November 08, 2021/ Connie Matthiessen Lack of diversity is a persistent problem in philanthropy. A new initiative aims to improve equity by recruiting candidates from a wide range of backgrounds for a two-year paid introduction to the sector.Read More
August 17, 2021 Where the NBCUniversal Foundation Is Focusing Its Local Giving in the U.S. August 17, 2021/ Alyssa Ochs This media giant’s corporate funding arm awards millions of dollars to various regions to address community challenges. We take a closer look.Read More
May 11, 2021 How Melissa Madzel Builds Equity into Philanthropy Recruiting May 11, 2021/ Mandy Van Deven Some foundations are working to counter philanthropy’s history of discrimination in staffing. Mandy Van Deven interviews recruiter Melissa Madzel of Koya Partners to learn how she’s breaking down barriers.Read More