May 10, 2023 In Three Decades’ of Efforts to Fund the True Costs of Nonprofits, Where Are the Workers? May 10, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The sector has long been grappling with the “nonprofit starvation cycle,” in which organizations are never able to cover the full costs of their work. One key component of the problem has received too little attention — labor.Read More
May 08, 2023 Is Excessive Wealth a Disorder? If So, This New Nonprofit Aims to Cure It May 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe It’s all there in the name. The Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute, founded last year, is taking on extreme wealth inequality, a problem with deep ramifications for philanthropy. We talked with its new executive director to learn more.Read More
May 01, 2023 This Bay Area Grantmaker’s Pushing for Good Nonprofit Jobs. Will Other Funders Take a Cue? May 01, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe With its new $24.5 million Endeavor Fund, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund made a point of selecting grantees committed to their workers’ wellbeing. Haas is also being loud and proud about that fact in front of other funders.Read More
April 27, 2023 The Radically Democratic Philanthropy of the FRIDA Young Feminist Fund April 27, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Founded in 2008, FRIDA is a collaborative of young feminists, funding young feminists around the world. It’s also been an early adopter of participatory grantmaking and other power-shifting grantmaking practices. Read More
April 20, 2023 Six Organizations Fighting to Improve Nonprofit Pay and Working Conditions April 20, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Amid burnout and poor retention, there’s a growing push for funders to provide greater support to nonprofit workers. Here’s a handful of organized efforts. Read More
April 18, 2023 Going Deeper: How an Initiative to Grow Giving Circles Is Evolving April 18, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Philanthropy Together has been making the case for giving circles since 2020. Now, it’s seeking to grow its impact in the field of collective giving with new research, an upcoming summit and expansion plans.Read More
April 12, 2023 Antisemitism Is Surging in America. This $25 Million Campaign Aims to #StandUpToJewishHate April 12, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Amid frightening new statistics on the rise of anti-Jewish hate incidents, Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism made a big commitment to fight back. Here’s how the campaign will work.Read More
April 11, 2023 Inside This Abortion Care Backer’s Move to an “Anti-Colonialist” Decision-Making Model April 11, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe As it seeks to expand abortion and contraception access, Ipas is making major changes to its organizational model, in part to bolster a global abortion ecosystem it sees as limited by top-down funding.Read More
April 04, 2023 CZI’s Grant for Diversity in Neuroscience is a Positive Development. Is it Part of a Larger Trend? April 04, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is backing an effort to diversify the neuroscience field and the people participating in research on brain disorders. Is more such funding on the way? Read More
March 27, 2023 Funders Back an Organization that Puts People Impacted by the Justice System in Front March 27, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The MacArthur Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners are some of the major national funders supporting JustLeadershipUSA’s efforts to give people who’ve experienced the criminal justice system a voice in its reform.Read More
March 22, 2023 What Makes a Funder Worker-Friendly? Here's a Handy Report Card March 22, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe With burnout and retention struggles in the nonprofit world, more funders need to prioritize worker wellbeing among their grantees. We’ve compiled a list of criteria to determine whether a grantmaker is getting it right.Read More
March 21, 2023 After 40 Years, the North Star Fund Remains Highly Influential. Here's Why March 21, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe This small, New York-based community foundation has been ahead of the game on everything from participatory grantmaking to stopping police brutality. It’s still making waves today.Read More
March 16, 2023 A Pittsburgh Funding Initiative Targets Racial Inequities in the Area’s Arts Scene March 16, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe BIPOC artists have historically received just a sliver of grantmaking in Pittsburgh. National and local foundations are partnering to move unrestricted funds to the city’s Black-led arts organizations.Read More
March 13, 2023 What Funders Can Do to Fight the Nonprofit Worker Burnout Crisis March 13, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe Nonprofit workers are suffering. Fortunately, there’s a lot that funders, especially, can and should do to create better sector jobs. This new toolkit lays out some action items for both funders and grantees.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
March 03, 2023 Backed By Diverse Funders, Liberation Ventures Is Pushing for Reparations and a "Culture of Repair" March 03, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe With an eclectic mix of funders and a holistic and long-term plan, this field-building organization is seeking reparations for Black Americans. We connected with co-founder and managing director Aria Florant to learn more.Read More
February 22, 2023 Why Mellon Is Boosting Art That Confronts the Criminal Justice System February 22, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The leading funder of the humanities committed $125 million to lift up the artistic voices of those directly impacted by American legal system. It’s a big influx of cash for this field, and one that Mellon hopes will have broad impacts. Read More
February 21, 2023 For These Faith Groups, Funding Abortion Access and Advocacy Is a Matter of Religious Freedom February 21, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The views of the anti-abortion religious right do not represent those of the majority of U.S. believers. Following the fall of Roe, these pro-choice faith groups have been stepping up their efforts to fund abortion care.Read More
February 13, 2023 The Power of Reentry: New Grants Demonstrate the Potential of Holistic Support for Returning Citizens February 13, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe New backing from the Michigan Justice Fund shines a light on the unmet needs of people reentering society after incarceration — and how attention to this area could help funders address a whole range of social ills.Read More
February 08, 2023 Foundations May Be Backsliding on COVID-Era Flexibility. Are Grantees Getting Fed Up? February 08, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe A new survey from Technology Association of Grantmakers suggests some funders who relaxed restrictions in 2020 are reverting to old practices. That raises tough questions about the grantee-funder relationship going forward. Read More