Category: Philanthropy

Perched at the top of Jonathan Jayes-Green’s professional biography on the Marguerite Casey Foundation’s website, there sits a small quote from Lucille Clifton, former Maryland Poet Laureate, which reads: “come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.”

It’s not your typical professional first impression — especially for a top leader at an organization that disperses millions of dollars in grants a year. But then again, Marguerite Casey Foundation is far from your typical grantmaking foundation, the sort that tend to be progressive in their desire for change but conservative in their attempts to actually enact it; the sort whose fundraising efforts correctly identify the urgent, life-or-death stakes facing our society’s most marginalized, only to end up grantmaking through the traditional, risk-averse methods that predate their new rhetoric.

Marguerite Casey Foundation actually walks the walk, and a new wave of top leaders like Jayes-Green, its Vice President of Programs, are a big part of how the foundation is making good on its commitment to “support leaders, scholars and initiatives focused on shifting the balance of power in society — building power for communities that continue to be excluded from shaping how society works and from sharing in its rewards and freedoms.”

For Jayes-Green, that commitment spans their entire career. An activist, strategist, and organization builder, in 2016, they founded the UndocuBlack Network, a “multi-generational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources, and advocates to transform the realities of [Black] people.” Its services to its community include support with applying for DACA, the establishment of a mental health initiative “to underscore and address the trauma that [the undocumented Black] community experiences,” and creating local meetups as “safe spaces for attendees to develop kinship amongst other Black undocumented immigrants.” In 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren hired Jayes-Green to be the Director of Latinx Outreach for her presidential campaign.

Throughout their career, Jayes-Green has seen some of the biggest problems affecting our most marginalized communities up close and personal. In a Zoom interview, they tell me that one of the biggest challenges they face as an activist and a philanthropic organization leader is the deluge of money the activist right pours into fighting national battles across multiple local fronts.

“We in the progressive movement are not that clear about the role of money in the fights that we’re fighting,” Jayes-Green said. “When it comes to radical organizing, the resources are just not there. And then you look at the right, and the amount of resources the right has, and the amount of institutional power the right has — it’s just not a fair fight.”

Jayes-Green hopes that Marguerite Casey Foundation can be the model for a new and urgently needed era of philanthropy, a bold approach that uses smart systems-building — which Jayes-Greens calls “the radical act of process building” — to counter the activist right’s deep pockets. 

“Philanthropies and foundations spend the bulk of their time focused on due diligence,” Jayes-Green explains, “but what the f*ck is a safe investment in a crumbling system within a crumbling global economy?” 

“Our job at Marguerite Casey Foundation is to give our grantees the freedom, power, and space to lead,” they say. “We can be thought partners to them. But it’s also asking ourselves, how do we encourage the rest of our field to operate the way we operate?” 

One key way Jayes-Green helps to encourage their foundation — and by extension, their field — to operate: funding leaders in traditionally underfunded fields with life-changing, no strings attached grants. Such was the case with the foundation’s Freedom Scholars, twelve experts who received $250,000 to pursue their radical ideas. 

“Freedom Scholars reflect the commitment of Marguerite Casey Foundation and Group Health Foundation to work as partners in service of these scholars and their work — to help these leaders be freer,” Marguerite Casey Foundation and its partner said in a joint statement. “We know if these scholars have resources and support, they will shift the balance of power in this country toward economic and social justice. The awards honor the long arc of freedom organizing by and for Black, Indigenous, queer and poor people, migrants and all People of Color.”

That last part is personal for Jayes-Green, a queer undocumented Black leader in a position to push for paradigm shift.

“We can have a country and a world where people have their human rights respected and their basic needs met,” Jayes-Green affirms. “My message to other funders is to stick it out. Double down on investing in communities of color, in work that’s more clearly ideological. There is no economic justice without racial justice, without trans liberation. We can track, record, envision, and transform what democracy actually looks like.”

In his 2019 book “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” author and Time magazine editor-at-large Anand Giridharadas delivers a blistering takedown of the current state of the philanthropic sector — and the wealthy and powerful elite class invested in maintaining that status quo.

“In an age defined by a chasm between those who have power and those who don’t, elites have spread the idea that people must be helped, but only in market-friendly ways that do not upset fundamental power equations,” Giridharadas writes. “By refusing to risk its way of life, by rejecting the idea that the powerful might have to sacrifice for the common good, it clings to a set of social arrangements that allow it to monopolize progress and then give symbolic scraps to the forsaken — many of whom wouldn’t need the scraps if the society were working right.” 

Amid the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, we’ve seen how untenable and inequitable our society’s way of life has become. If we are to truly build back better — a phrase coined by disaster relief experts and championed by many, including President Joe Biden, during 2020 — then we must also build a better, braver philanthropy: one that eschews tinkering around the edges of a broken system, for supporting ambitious new solutions that shape new systems where everyone has a right to security and happiness. 

Leaders and luminaries within the NationSwell Council are already making the case for this new, sometimes provocative approach to philanthropy — and pushing their peers to join them in working towards that seachange.

“As a leader of a corporate philanthropy, I experience this moment of reckoning from a unique perspective,” Paurvi Bhatt, president of Medtronic Foundation, said in Stanford Social Innovation Review. “Like me, many of my colleagues in corporate philanthropy and global health are compelled to reflect: Are we truly considering how systems in our societies are driving our divisions? Are we tapping into [our] full potential … to deliver social impact that achieves real change? And specifically, are we as leaders taking the time to appreciate our own history, our role and influence, and how we need to evolve as stewards of resources in this time?”

During a digital convening for NationSwell’s #BuildItBackBetter initiative, Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood Foundation, asked big funders to rethink their role in society: “We have to remember that our job [in the philanthropic sector] is not to make pain tolerable. Our job is to break down why the pain exists in the first place, and make sure people don’t have to keep going through it. There is actually a unique role that philanthropy can play. It can be the seed capital, the risk capital, the thing that’s able to address and come up with things that have the potential to be scalable, show how to be scalable and pass them on to our governmental partners to address it in the long term. Philanthropy should not be thinking about itself as a line item.”

In 2020, NationSwell institutional member Marguerite Casey Foundation, an organization committed to the belief that “working people should have the power to shape our democracy and economy,” joined with Group Health Foundation to create The Freedom Scholars Award: an annual $250,000 award to each of twelve of “the nation’s boldest scholars [standing] at the forefronts of movements for economic and social justice… creating the catalytic ideas for transformative change.” 

“Freedom Scholars reflect the commitment of Marguerite Casey Foundation and Group Health Foundation to work as partners in service of these scholars and their work — to help these leaders be freer,” the foundations said in a joint statement. “We know if these scholars have resources and support, they will shift the balance of power in this country toward economic and social justice. The awards honor the long arc of freedom organizing by and for Black, Indigenous, queer and poor people, migrants and all People of Color.”

Recipients of the award include Dr. Megan Ming Francis, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, Dr. Barbara Ransby, a historian of the Black Freedom Movement and political activist and Dylan Rodriguez, a professor in the Department of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside.

Rodriguez still remembers the moment he realized the full extent of the generosity of the grant. 

“I remember being on the call and thinking, wow, the twelve of us get to split $250,000, that’s so incredible, we can do so much with that money,” Rodriguez said. “When I realized we got $250,000 each… I still can’t believe it.”

Rodriguez’ incredulity comes from within a decades-spanning historical context. He said he’s been so used to the “non profit industrial complex” ignoring or eschewing academics in fields like the Freedom Scholars’, whose work is drastically underfunded when compared to other academics whose work largely supports the status quo of society as we know it.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Erica Kohl-Arenas, a fellow Freedom Scholar and a professor of American Studies at the University of California, Davis.

“My scholarship often critiques the ways in which institutions, philanthropy and professionalization have compromised poor people led movements — something I also personally experienced while working in the field,” she said. “While I am donating some of the funds to radical social movement organizations that I believe in, the unrestricted individual award has truly unlocked my thinking about how I might best use these unexpected one-time resources completely outside of the academic university framework.”

That’s how Kohl-Arenas found her way to reviving an education center in the Mendocino County redwoods that her parents founded in 1979.

“I aim to restore the center to offer as a resource for radical educators, scholars, organizers and artists in the years to come,” she said. “I never dreamed of having the resources to do this.” 

Rodriguez is optimistic that if more foundations follow Marguerite Casey’s model of funding radical thinkers, then philanthropy can actually fund equitable change, catalyze the urgently needed shifts in the balance of power and catalyze the activists, organizers and scholars who are pushing for this change.

Learn more about Marguerite Casey Foundation and the Freedom Scholars here.

For a recent #BuildItBackBetter event, NationSwell Council member Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former Democratic candidate for United States President, and Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, gathered around our digital table to identify some of the most compelling and precise solutions for creating a more human-centered and dynamic national economy. The event was moderated by Marie Groark, Director of Programs at Schultz Family Foundation

Here is the NationSwell Takeaway from the event.

Three Numbers

90%
The percentage of American voters concerned about the economy in 2022.

8.2%
The current rate of inflation, up ~250% from the long term average 

50
The approximate number of years wages have stagnated in America

Three Trends

Attitudes towards capitalism are shifting — largely along generational lines. A 66% majority of young adults view capitalism negatively, and about 50% of young adults are likely to hold a favorable definition of socialism compared to 30-34% from older generations.

Millennials are the first-ever recorded generation in American history to hold the opinion that they will be less wealthy than their parents. 

Philanthropy is increasingly being seen as the risk capital — and the increased popularity in trust-based approaches that center community and remove red tape from grantees are pushing it to be even riskier.

The Challenges

The structure of the current economy has been broken for some time. COVID didn’t break anything, it simply exacerbated already existing realities of inequality.

You can’t solve trillion-dollar problems with a million dollars. Half of all philanthropy each year goes to alma maters, and half of the remaining half goes to hospitals and houses of worship. How can we allocate the majority of resources to where there is the majority of need?

What’s Working

We all need to think of ways we can better give people power and autonomy over their own financial circumstances. An important tool in this regard can be direct cash assistance. Millions of people recently received cash assistance in April 2020 and this didn’t make them lazy, it simply allowed them to address immediate needs and take care of themselves and others. On top of this direct cash assistance, give every American 100 dollars they can use to give to a non-profit every year.

Embrace philanthropy as risk-capital. Philanthropy should be able to nurture ideas that are scalable, prove they can work, then pass them on to our government partners. We should not be thinking about ourselves as a line item. Ask yourself: what’s the problem you’re trying to solve? And how are you trying to solve it?

Create a dashboard for human flourishing. People in power need to change the very measurements of our economic progress from GDP, stock market values and unemployment rate to life expectancy, mental health, freedom from substance abuse and childhood success rates. 

If you missed the conversation, watch it here on our Facebook page.

I am unapologetic in my beliefs, my thoughts, and my work. Yes, it took some time to get there. It took a commitment to pushing boundaries for racial equality and inclusion. It took remaining steadfast in lifting up the voices of those who aren’t always heard.

Today, as we face a deadly pandemic, lifting up those voices is more crucial than ever. So, I turned to equally unapologetic affinity groups to support and elevate people of color who are disproportionately affected right now.

Just before the COVID-19 outbreak, Lumina Foundation awarded grants to five organizations dedicated to advancing racial equity across the philanthropic sector. Now, as the pandemic worsens, these efforts become even more urgent. Here are the five innovative groups awarded 2020 sector grants and the ways they’ll make progress over the coming year:

• Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) will advise, train, advocate, and increase investments that lead to better outcomes for Black communities.
• Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) will create a trustee leadership program to improve the influence, voice and skills of Hispanic leaders in philanthropy.
• CHANGE Philanthropy, a coalition of 10 philanthropic networks, will strengthen bridges across members to create connections, expand leadership, and build knowledge with accurate data.
• Funders for LGBTQ Issues will provide cutting-edge research and train foundations on the needs of LGBTQ people of color, and the best ways to support them.
• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) will provide racial equity training and workshops through the lens of the needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Responding in a crisis

In times of crisis, fear elevates racism and bigotry. As they say, “that train is never late.” We’ve seen some vicious instances of racial profiling around COVID-19 and after the 9/11 attacks.

That’s why the five organizations awarded grants to fight inequality are acting quickly. As they continue their day-to-day work, they have responded – as philanthropy always does in a crisis – to the broader, pressing needs of communities of color and those that serve them.

They’ve issued these open letters, offering immediate resources, funding, and advice:

• AAPIP: Statement on COVID-19 and The Cure to Viral Racism is Within our Hands
• Funders for LGBTQ Issues: LGBTQ Funding Resources in the COVID-19 Response
• HIP: Funds to Address Census Outreach Efforts and Migration and Forced Displacement
• ABFE: Federal Aid Plan for Non-Profits Needs More Input from Black-Led Organizations

Just like me and my team’s commitment to equity, these organizations are passionate in their missions – and unapologetic in their zeal to help people of color who are often overlooked. During this crisis and beyond, those passions and partnerships will lead to real results for the people we serve.

This was published in partnership with the Lumina Foundation. For more information on their work, visit their website.

One hour. Five incredible organizations. All that’s missing is you.

On June 26, 2020 at 1 P.M. EST, #NationSwellLive will convene leaders at the frontlines of COVID-19 response for communities with some of the most urgent need — and you can be a part of helping their efforts.

Ahead of our event, NationSwell spoke with some members of the leadership team for NDN Collective, an organization whose mission is to be “the most ambitious, systemic effort to empower indigenous communities in the history of philanthropy.” This is what they had to say about how COVID-19 has affected indigenous populations across North America, how they’ve pivoted their efforts to meet that urgent need — and how you can help assist their efforts.

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NationSwell: Who are the communities you serve, and how has COVID-19 impacted them?

Nick Tilsen, President and CEO of NDN Collective: One of the fundamental beliefs of NDN Collective is that we don’t recognize the colonial borders that divide indigenous people. We work with indigenous people in North America — hundreds of indigenous nations, and we only invest in indigenous-led organizations, which we define as Boards that are 100% indigenous and staff that are 70% indigenous. We don’t support organizations or give our support to organizations that are “serving a people.” We give resources to organizations that are led by the people of those places.

One area that we’re doing this work is in the area of philanthropy. Right now, 0.3% of all philanthropy in America goes to indigenous people — and that is clearly not enough. So part of our collective approach is really upsetting and disrupting the status quo in the field of philanthropy and addressing white supremacy in the field of philanthropy, because it’s a fundamental reason why indigenous people have not been supported.

When the COVID-19 crisis started, we wanted to leverage this infrastructure that we had built and address the invisibility issue of indigenous people. So we pivoted and made a couple big decisions.

One, that we were not going to stop existing programming that we were already doing by and for indigenous people.

Two, that we were going to create a $10 million scalable fund to support indigenous people in a variety of ways that indigenous people need to be supported in this moment.

Michael Johnson, Director of Advancement for NDN Collective: What we decided to do with the $10 million fund was create a decently robust grant opportunity for tribes, indigenous-led organizations and indigenous individuals. And we just finished round one of that. On the tribes and institutions side, we granted 95 grants for $2.5 million, all ranging for emergency response services for tribes dealing with the first wave of COVID-19. So we had projects that were looking at supporting medical supplies, or helping set up virtual communication systems for the tribe, or dealing with elder food and medical delivery or educational systems for youth.

Going into the second phase of the project in July, we’ll be pivoting a little bit. While we’ll still be doing mutual aid support, we’ll also be looking at a new kind of forward-facing opportunity that’s more aligned with transition planning and resiliency planning for community, thinking about how can we take this unfortunate moment to strategize about protecting, strengthening and making our communities more durable into the future. And this really fits back into NDN’s mission and our theory of change around investing in those who are defending, developing and de-colonizing in their community towards the strengthening of self-determination and building indigenous power.

Nikki Love, NDN Fund Managing Director: The work that we all do is movement building. So we have fellows that are on the front lines in a lot of these issues around climate justice, social justice — but that all of the work that we do on the investing and lending side has to support that. We’re going to be moving a hundred million into projects around renewable energy, infrastructure, social enterprise, directly supporting businesses in private sector economy, infrastructure and affordable housing.

When we were talking about COVID-19, one thing that was very evident is that our businesses, our native businesses, and there’s over 250,000 of them across the country, and probably more that are just not officially registered, and they’re hurting. And a lot of them are in retail, and food service and these accommodation industries that are directly impacted, disproportionately impacted. And then there’s already this big disparity ratio between the representation of our businesses compared to white businesses. And then we’re seeing this double effect of COVID-19. And then I would say an additional layer is that all of the federal relief programs under the Cares Act and the Small Business Administration, they’re just not really accessible for our businesses and they’re not either legally structured or they need additional capacity building to access them.

So in response to that, as part of that $10 million COVID response project, we also had to set aside artist and entrepreneur grants to support them directly.

NationSwell: How can our audience help?

NT: The number one way is that people can still contribute to our COVID-19 response fund directly. We work with individuals, we work with all ends of ways for people to give.

Another way is following our stuff on social media at NDN Collective, and being able to share out some of our messages, because such a big part of our work is about shifting the narrative and building a new narratives. And we’re constantly putting out information — that’s raw, authentic, from frontline indigenous communities for a wide variety of different things. And I think that addressing the invisibility issue with indigenous people is something that we all have to do collectively, it’s not just on us to do that.

And I think the other way is: There’s a growing movement for us to do land acknowledgements wherever we are in this country, because it’s through the process of the invisibilization of indigenous people, people have become disconnected from this historical reality that wherever they are in this country, they’re on indigenous people’s land somewhere. And so there’s a growing movement for people to acknowledge them, that this people’s land which they stand on, before meetings, before gatherings, before. And it’s a small gesture to honor the ancestors, but it’s also a reality and a way to bring the indigenous people in room into every conversation happening in this country.

NL: Another way is, a lot of conversations we have are like different investment vehicles, forms of capital. They’re not all known to most of our communities, even the economic development folks at our tribes. So we talk about the importance of social capital — inviting us into those spaces, and having those conversations with us, the knowledge sharing around how that side of the equation works. To the private investment community: Open more of those conversations and help us scaffold our way into those spaces.

To learn more about #NationSwellLive, visit our event page here.