Will using philanthropic intermediaries help or hurt your sustained racial justice efforts?
Intermediaries such as philanthropy serving organizations and collaborative funds can be instrumental in moving funders to align strategies and practices with racial justice, if leveraged correctly. But racial justice activists have expressed concerns about access to funders, gatekeeper roles and accountability.
Use these guiding questions from Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens: A Practical Guide to help answer: Is more transformational, sustainable money getting out into the field because we’re using an intermediary?
And for more context on intermediaries, please check out relevant passages on pages 23-29 of Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens and GROUNDED GIVING — THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT KIND OF INTERMEDIARY sidebar from Mismatched: Philanthropy’s Response to the Call for Racial Justice (pgs 56-58).
Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens centers what racial justice activists want funders to know. In addition to examining the role and cost of philanthropic infrastructure groups, it features experienced funders’ stories and how-to tips on advancing foundation practices to achieve racial justice such as:
- Responding to internal resistance
- Correcting the course of some problematic trends in racial equity and justice funding
- And more!
Learn more about Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens: A Practical Guide
