August 2023
What I’m Thinking About
One topic I’m watching closely, and I encourage my fellow philanthrospherists to pay attention to, is how the Supreme Court’s ruling on Affirmative Action can/could/may impact our work. In Atlanta just weeks ago we saw anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum file suit against Fearless Fund, a Black-led BIPOC-supporting venture capital fund, claiming their Fearless Strivers Grant contest violates the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibiting racial discrimination in contracts by excluding non-Black applicants. Think of all of the equity programs in our sector that are built to lift up specific populations. Or how this might affect higher-ed alumni giving with the end of legacy admissions? Here are some of the things I’ve bookmarked during this spiral:
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)’s analysis of the Supreme Court’s decision: Video 1 & Video 2
Following Court Ruling, Foundation Officials Urge Sharing Power With Grantees (Chronicle)
Philanthropy Should Redirect Anger at the Supreme Court Toward Solving Underlying Social Problems (Chronicle)
What Nonprofit and Foundation Leaders Are Saying About the Supreme Court’s Affirmative-Action Ruling (Chronicle)
Memorandum on behalf of the Hewlett Foundation: Evaluating the Potential Implications for Charitable Foundations and Nonprofits of the Supreme Court’s Upcoming Decisions on Consideration of Race in College Admissions (Munger, Tolles & Olson)
Whatever the case, this is not the time for our sector to shy away. This is the time for significant investment in organizations and programs supporting these issues. This is the time for us to stand together to defend and support our communities. It is the time to explore funding advocacy and democracy. It is the time for our nonprofit organizations to stand up and make a statement. This can’t wait.
Articles and News
‘Giving USA’ Misses the Boat on the True State of Generosity in America
There has been a lot of chatter about the latest Giving USA Report and if it’s methods of analyzing giving are keeping pace with newer trends in individual giving via crowd sourcing, mutual aid, and the like. While the Giving USA report shows individual giving is down, some wonder if it’s just not capturing the full picture. In this opinion piece, Jeff Cain, writes that we shouldn’t equate IRS data as a true indicator of generosity. (Chronicle)
Donor Codes of Conduct to Fight Sexual Harassment of Nonprofit Fundraisers Are Growing More Common
According to a 2022 study, more than a quarter of fundraisers have experienced sexual or other harassment on the job. (Chronicle)
Strong Boards: An Antidote to Founder Syndrome
“Think about a nonprofit organization as a twin-engine jet: Each “engine,” the board and staff, must function well independently and in partnership, with the board chair and staff leader in the cockpit leading the organization’s journey together.” (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
This Atlanta duo has a theory to drive climate action: Make it cool
A look at nonprofit Klean Energy Kulture who works to integrate multimedia cultural campaigns in partnership with major brands, influencers, the top Billboard artists, and then climate organizations. (Canary Media)
What Should You Do with an Oil Fortune?
A feature on oil-heiress Leah Hunt-Hendrix and her experience grappling with the philosophical and very real implications of generational wealth and her desire to “devote her life to rectifying society’s imbalance of wealth and power.” (The New Yorker)
Studies and Research
Philanthropy in art: locality, donor retention, and prestige
A recent study published in Nature (of all places) crunched IRS data from 46,643 foundations to 48,766 art recipients between 2010 and 2019 to better understand funding trends in the Arts. The study shows that giving is highly localized, with 60% of grants and funds going to recipients in the donor’s state and that, unsurprisingly, funding does correlate with prestige. (Nature)
Fidelity’s 2023 Geography of Giving Report
Some interesting statistics on giving behavior - for example, Atlanta ranks #3 and Baltimore #7 in the US for percentage of grant dollars contributed to local organizations. “Based on an analysis of Fidelity Charitable donors in our largest metro areas, the Geography of Giving report explores giving priorities and behaviors in 30 of the most charitable cities in the U.S.—and pinpoints how they’ve evolved since 2019.” (Fidelity)
Higher income individuals are more generous when local economic inequality is high
Research led by Joel Suss, of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Bank of England, analyzed U.S. charitable donations in 2018 based on IRS data as well as data on income inequality by ZIP code. Suss also looked at self-reported charitable giving data from Britain’s “Understanding Society” survey, which was gathered in 2016-17, and evaluated income inequality using home values for 23 million households. (Chronicle)
The Generosity Commission
In response to what the Giving USA report has turned up (below), the Generosity Commission “seeks to contribute to national understanding about how individual givers and volunteers are reimagining generosity in powerful and positive ways, strengthening our society and democracy in the process.” Their work will culminate in a final report with recommendations on how the business, nonprofit, and policy sectors can support and enable everyday giving and volunteering in Spring 2024 so stay tuned.
For Funders
The Future of Equitable Giving: Understanding and Implementing Trust-Based Philanthropy
A quick primer for funders seeking to understand what Trust Based Philanthropy is and is not, and how to begin to implement its principles in your practices. (Inside Philanthropy)
Andrea Arenas, Community Centric Fundraising cofounder, reflects on her experience working for a Foundation and offers seven questions to consider as you assess the tightness or looseness of your own golden handcuffs. (CCF)
