May 12, 2022 How a Public-Private Collaboration in L.A. Is Looking Beyond Punishment to Curb Youth Incarceration May 12, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Ready to Rise is channeling government and private funds toward local groups providing support to youth. Organizers hope it can be a model for communities seeking better ways to reduce crime and curb incarceration.Read More
May 04, 2022 This Nonprofit Is Cultivating In-State Donors to Sustain Progressive Power in Arizona May 04, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Instituto works through a 501(c)(3), a 501(c)(4) and a PAC to cultivate in-state funding. Here’s what it’s doing to support progressive power-building, and how it’s reckoning with the fact that demographics doesn’t always equal destiny.Read More
April 27, 2022 California Foundations Look to Ensure Billions in Government Aid Are Allocated Equitably April 27, 2022/ Martha Ramirez With California on the verge of receiving billions in public funding, a new initiative is looking to make sure this investment is distributed equitably to nonprofit organizations and underserved communities in the state.Read More
April 26, 2022 A Tale of Two Valleys: Five Ways Philanthropy Can Change to Make Silicon Valley More Equitable April 26, 2022/ Martha Ramirez A new report highlights five shifts funders can make to more effectively combat inequality. Though it’s geared toward giving in the Bay Area, its advice rings true for philanthropists across the nation.Read More
April 20, 2022 Latino Communities Continue to Be Underfunded. Here are 5 Funders Looking to Make a Difference April 20, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Despite increasing population growth, Latino communities in the U.S. continue to be underfunded. Here are some of the top supporters of Latino issues looking to make a difference.Read More
April 15, 2022 How This Women-Led Giving Circle Supports Latino Families April 15, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Based in the Bay Area, the Peninsula Latina Giving Circle is taking on the negative impacts of COVID and other stressors by funding Latino organizations close to home. Its founder sees it as a way to democratize philanthropy.Read More
April 07, 2022 This Funder Collaborative Is Taking on Sovereign Debt, a Growing Problem in the Global South April 07, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Sovereign debt has a big impact on the ability of nations in the Global South to ensure basic human rights and protections, especially post-COVID. A pooled fund with some huge backers is looking to make a difference.Read More
March 23, 2022 Way to Win Wants to Keep the Blue Wave Going This Year. Can It? March 23, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Staunchly progressive, Way to Win is an umbrella organization for both philanthropic and political funding. Its Sun Belt-focused strategy faces some headwinds as it seeks to galvanize voters ahead of the midterms.Read More
March 22, 2022 California's Homelessness Problem Has Long Defied Solutions. Here’s What Five Funders Are Doing March 22, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Even before the pandemic, California had around 28% of the nation’s homeless population. Here’s how five Golden State funders are approaching a problem that continues to stymie philanthropy.Read More
March 14, 2022 Here’s How the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles Supported the City During COVID March 14, 2022/ Martha Ramirez The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles is an unorthodox funder, perched between philanthropy and city government. A new report from the fund makes a case for its effectiveness in providing immediate relief.Read More
March 07, 2022 What's Next for the Weingart Foundation? March 07, 2022/ Martha Ramirez A longtime Los Angeles grantmaking institution, the Weingart Foundation has thoroughly committed itself to addressing the region’s stark inequalities. As part of that process, it’s also looking inward.Read More
February 28, 2022 Ford Foundation Doubles Number of New Global Fellows Working to Address Inequality February 28, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Launched in 2020, the Ford Global Fellowship supports leaders working to address the drivers of inequality around the globe. As a response to the pandemic, Ford has increased the number of fellows in its sophomore cohort.Read More
February 18, 2022 How a Philanthropic Family Is Putting Power in the Hands of a Historically Underserved Community February 18, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Focused on southeastern San Diego, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation is moving resources—and governance—from its founding family to the community it supports. Its leaders call it a way to decolonize wealth.Read More
February 11, 2022 The Pandemic Has Hit Informal Workers Hard. Here's How Ford's Supporting Them February 11, 2022/ Martha Ramirez The Ford Foundation is upping its support for advocacy on behalf of the world’s 2.1 billion informal workers, who’ve been severely impacted by COVID. The $25 million effort is financed by Ford’s social bond.Read More
February 04, 2022 How Philanthropy Is Backing a COVID Recovery Fund for L.A.'s Most Vulnerable Students February 04, 2022/ Martha Ramirez The L.A. Education Recovery Fund was founded to help the Los Angeles students who’ve been most impacted by the pandemic. Here’s who’s backing this public-private partnership effort, and what it’s supporting so far.Read More
February 01, 2022 Beyond the Hashtag: How Me Too Is Building on the Momentum of a Viral Movement February 01, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Four years after #MeToo went viral, nonprofit Me Too International’s work continues to expand, picking up new foundation, individual and corporate donors, and expanding a partnership with Global Fund for Women. Read More
January 06, 2022 This Community Foundation Raised $10 Million—and Counting—to Help Latinos Build Power January 06, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Based in California, the Latino Community Foundation’s Latino Power Fund exceeded its initial fundraising goal for the year and now seeks to raise $50 million as activists look toward the 2022 midterm elections and beyond.Read More
January 05, 2022 Why Philanthropy Continues to Underfund Rural America—and What Grantmakers Can Do January 05, 2022/ Martha Ramirez For years, rural organizations have been sounding the alarm about philanthropic neglect. Here’s a look at why funders often ignore rural areas and what interested philanthropists can do to change that.Read More
December 06, 2021 With the Elevate Prize, a Foundation Looks to Harness the Power of Fandom for Good December 06, 2021/ Martha Ramirez At first glance, fandom and philanthropy appear to have little in common. But through a prize program, one foundation is looking to harness the power of fandom to inspire social change. Its goal? To make good famous.Read More
November 16, 2021 Five Questions for Miguel A. Santana, President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation November 16, 2021/ Martha Ramirez We caught up with Miguel A. Santana, the new president and CEO of the Weingart Foundation, to discuss how his career and personal background has influenced his work, both in the public sector and now in philanthropy.Read More