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Democratizing Philanthropy
The War on Philanthropy
Aug 01, 2009 — By David Billet
He is a kind of Society for th' Prevention of Croolty to Money. If he finds a man misusin' his... [ More ]
Study Reveals Lack of Board Diversity
Jul 02, 2009 — Patricia Marroquin--HispanicBusiness.com
A [ More ]
Foundations Lack Board Diversity, Says Report
May 20, 2009 — The Chronicle of Philanthropy
By Ian Wilhelm
Foundations are failing to recruit diverse board leadership... [ More ]
“Diversity on Foundation Boards of Directors”
Among the largest 46 foundations in the nation, 1 out of 4 are people of color, yet most have no people of color o...
“Foundation Board Diversity Report 2009”
This report presents data on the diversity of the boards of directors of the 46 largest independent foundations in...
“AB 624 Fact Sheet”
Brief overview of what AB624 would have done, why it is necessary, and how it would have worked.
“AB 624 Bill Summary”
Summary of each point in the bill.
“AB 624 Community Response”
Greenlining's efforts to bring transparency to foundations have been met with widespread criticism, particularly f...
“AB 624 Quotes”
Greenlining believes that greater transparency and accountabilty from foundations regarding their diversity practi...
“AB 624 Background”
The Greenlining Institute proposed “sunshine” legislation that would require large foundations operati...
“Community Action Plan on Philanthropy”
Addressing the Needs of Diverse and Grassroots Nonprofit Organizations in California
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“Nonprofit Minority Leadership and the Capacity of Minority-Led and Other Grassroots Community-Based Organizations”
In December 2008, a group of nine wealthy California foundations, under the umbrella of the “Foundation Coal...
“Philanthropic Investment in the Sunshine State”
This report analyzes the grants made by the ten largest Florida-based foundations, and details the percent of thei...
“Leadership Statement by 10 California Foundations”
The undersigned, consisting of a group of California private foundations, issued the following
statement:
“This is the latest-amended full text of AB624”
This is the latest-amended full text of AB624.
“Funding the New Majority”
Greenlining is pleased to announce the release of our latest report on grant giving to minority-led organizations ...
“Investing in a Diverse Democracy: Foundation Giving to Minority-Led Nonprofits”
This report analyzes grantmaking of the nation’s largest private foundations and California’s largest...
“2006 Legislative Hearings on Philanthropy”
Members of California’s Latino Legislative Caucus, Legislative Black Caucus, and Asian Pacific Islander Leg...
“Fairness in Philanthropy Part II: Perspectives from the Field”
This study looks at why foundation funding for minority-led nonprofits is so low and how the diversity practices ...
“Fairness in Philanthropy Part I: Foundation Giving to Minority-led Nonprofits”
This study analyzes the giving of the nation’s largest foundations to determine how equitably foundation do...
These individuals are experts regarding this initiative, and can be contacted if you have any questions.
Orson Aguilar
Executive Director
Tel: 510.926.4005
Email Orson
Chris Vaeth
Legislative Director
Tel: 510.926-4026
Email Chris
Democratizing Philanthropy
Programs Overview: Democratizing Philanthropy
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VISION: We envision a fair, just and democratic society in which communities of color and other underserved groups are adequately represented in all areas of public policy. We envision a robust minority-led nonprofit sector that has the capacity and resources to engage in public-policy and is empowered to provide an effective voice for all communities. We envision a diverse foundation sector that views minority communities as full partners in addressing our nation’s most pressing problems. Philanthropy, if utilized effectively, could lead us to this strong democracy we envision. Overall, Greenlining will work to faciliate win-win partnerships between communities of color and philanthropic foundations. |
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Foundation Philanthropy |
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Advocates for a stronger democracy who struggle to bring opportunities to our nation’s underserved communities should have hope. It appears that just beyond the desert there is a rainforest flowing with philanthropic dollars. Consider this statement from the Foundation Center’s website: “The country's more than 72,000 grantmaking foundations increased their giving to $42.9 billion in 2007, an estimated 10 percent gain over 2006.” The Foundation Center goes on to report that there was a 12 percent growth in foundation assets in comparison to the previous year. |
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Problem: It is Like Receiving a Check Marked, "Insufficient Funds" |
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Unfortunately, the halls of philanthropy, with the exception of a few outstanding institutions, have failed to live up to this vision. According to Robert Reich, Clinton’s Labor Secretary, only “10% of all charitable deductions are directed at the poor.” It is further estimated that communities of color receive less than 5% of all charitable donations from the more than 72,000 foundations in the country. Some would call this the equivalent of receiving a check marked “insufficient funds.” In fact, the Applied Research Center, a think tank on racial justice conducted a study in 2004 entitled Short Changed: Foundation Giving and Communities of Color. A major finding in the study was that “grants to communities of color fell from a peak of nearly ten percent of all grants in 1998 to seven percent in 2001.” Recognizing that foundations traditionally prefer to fund established national and local institutions, Greenlining conducted research in 2005 to determine foundation investments to minority-led non-profit organizations. We were shocked when we found that a mere 3 percent of foundation dollars went to minority-led non-profits in 2002. We followed with a report the next year that had similar findings - only 3.6 percent was being invested in minority-led non-profits. Read our Research Reports Here. |
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Hope is on the Horizon |
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Greenlining's efforts in our Democratizing Philanthropy program will be to create win-win partnerships with philanthropic institutions throughout the country. Greenlining firmly believes that private-public partnerships between community organizations and foundations can lead to synergestic opportunities that create long lasting change. Overall, Greenlining will work to positively engage foundations on issues related to diversity, effective grant-giving to communities of color, responsible foundation assett management, and other pertinent issues. |
