December 19, 2022

Climate Justice Pledge Keeps Winning New Commitments, but Many Funders Still Silent

December 19, 2022/ Michael Kavate

The Climate Funders Justice Pledge has helped shift $60 million in new commitments to BIPOC-led climate groups since early 2021. Still, despite its intentionally low bar, many top grantmakers have yet to sign on.

September 15, 2022

Philanthropy Has Taken a Big Interest in Narrative Change Strategies. Is It Paying Off?

September 15, 2022/ Philip Rojc

Interest in funding narrative change is growing, but there’s little consensus on how to pursue that goal, or who should lead the charge. A new report dives into those questions, explicitly acknowledging that “values” are at stake.

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.

March 23, 2022

How This Sex Worker-Led Giving Circle Grew, Letting the Movement Lead the Way

March 23, 2022/ Katherine Don

When it was founded in 2018, the Sex Worker Giving Circle was the first sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. foundation. Its growth since then underscores the benefits of giving circles for marginalized communities.

September 20, 2021

Founded to Back Movement Organizers, Funders for Justice Is Ready to “Do Something Really Badass”

September 20, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe

Funders for Justice got its start in the wake of Ferguson and has spent the time since ramping up its efforts to align grantmakers with social justice movement leaders. That work has garnered it some negative attention from the right.

March 19, 2021

To Build the Environmental Movement, a New Initiative Places Grantmaking in Field Leaders’ Hands

March 19, 2021/ Michael Kavate

Mosaic, a new national environmental initiative, has awarded $3 million in relatively rare movement infrastructure grants while ceding funding decisions to a diverse cross section of green nonprofit leaders.

November 24, 2020

Kresge’s New Racial Justice Grants Connect a National Movement with Local Action

November 24, 2020/ Philip Rojc

Kresge held off on making a big racial justice pledge this summer, devoting months to hammering out a $30 million slate of new grants. The funding targets four cities, along with national groups, to support long-term movement infrastructure.

November 12, 2020

OSF Turns Its Attention to Climate Change, With a New Justice-Focused Initiative

November 12, 2020/ Michael Kavate

Open Society Foundations, a giant in the sector, is launching a climate change program focused on human rights, economic justice and movement building. OSF leadership pulls back the curtain on the new initiative.

October 07, 2020

The Uneasy Alliance Between Progressives and Billionaire Donors

October 07, 2020/ Philip Rojc

The super-rich are under heavy fire from progressives, especially as they rack up billions while the nation’s vulnerable suffer. So what are we to make of mega-donors now backing justice movements?

September 17, 2020

In an Era of Crisis, Philanthropy Professionals Weigh in on Key Issues Facing the Sector

September 17, 2020/ Michael Kavate

IP reached out to our audience and others in the field to learn about their views on what’s happening in philanthropy. Survey respondents shed interesting light on recent events, shifting strategies and resistance to change.

July 25, 2017

A Small Family Funder Trying to Cure What Ails Environmentalism

July 25, 2017/ Tate Williams

Since 2013, the Overbrook Foundation has sought to make the environmental movement more impactful, focusing on equity and building alliances across issues.