There is no one right answer to the question whether to pay out more during a financial crisis, which depends on balancing the needs of present and future beneficiaries and so varies depending on a funders’ goals and objectives. This is the keystone article for the Up for Debate series on foundations' payouts during big crises. Visit the series page for responses to this essay.
Funders must take the lead in breaking a vicious cycle that is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations—let alone serve their beneficiaries.
Endowments are often lacking for social change nonprofits—even more so for Black-led organizations. By closing this gap, we could radically transform how we confront society’s most pressing issues.
Open-access to this article made possible by The Bridgespan Group.
To fulfill this nation’s promise as a multiracial democracy requires more than tinkering around the edges. Renewal requires bottom-up transformation.
The movement to mobilize big bets in philanthropy is growing. Let’s not dissuade potential donors by framing it as “a new way to fail.”
We need big bet philanthropy. We also need it to change.
Leaders of several intermediary organizations share how they envision their role within—and how they ultimately hope to upend—the philanthropic landscape.
Unrestricted grants produce powerful impacts, but we won’t see more of them until we address the hidden barriers.
Our understanding of community can help funders and evaluators identify, understand, and strengthen the communities they work with.
Too many people believe social value is objective, fixed, and stable, when in fact it is subjective, malleable, and variable.
These leaders’ assets go beyond experiences of oppression or marginalization to include the connection, meaning, and joy they can draw on from their respective cultures and communities.
A few nonprofits are using social media to fundamentally change the way they work and increase their social impact.
A clear definition of equity would seem paramount to galvanizing philanthropy into action around this increasingly used term—but the field is only beginning to explore what it really means.
