The Foundation Center has just released Social Justice Grantmaking II: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends. In 2007, social justice giving reached $3 billion, or 13.7 percent of overall grant dollars. In addition to statistical analyses, the report summarizes findings from interviews with 18 leading social justice funders and eight advocates/activists. Here is a sampling of perspectives from interviewees.
What some funders are saying:
-If you are having trouble advancing a multi-issue, multi-constituency collaboration, try “pursuing a strategy of ‘small tent’ collaborations, which contain fewer groups, and are seen to be more
nimble and disciplined and provide a higher level of trust and mutual accountability.”
-Evaluation is necessary, but can be counterproductive without clear protocols for measuring social justice progress quantitatively.
What some practitioners are saying:
-Interviewees believe there continues to be a divide between practitioners and grantmakers, and that there needs to be “more opportunities for honest, joint exchange—but not more ‘show-and-tell’ conferences.”
Find out more by downloading the report highlights or purchasing the full report at the Gain Knowledge area of the Foundation Center’s web site.