Supporting Social Change
Most of us who are drawn to work in philanthropy do so not to support the status quo but to help provide funding and other forms of support for those who seek to create a better world. Since most of our time is spent on individual grants, it can be difficult to step back and think about how our work might ultimately fulfill that ambitious goal. I was fortunate to work at The Marguerite Casey Foundation, where all of our grantmaking was in support of movement building in low-income communities. These three pieces were informed by my work there, but they are personal statements and do not represent the views of the Foundation or its Board or staff.
Community Engagement
May 2008
Commissioned by The California Endowment to inform the implementation of its place-based grantmaking strategy.
Building a Movement for Health Justice
February 2008
Commissioned by The California Endowment as a backgrounder for their strategic planning process.
Investing in People to Build Collective Advantage
2005
Leadership Development is a burgeoning theme across philanthropy, yet the approaches we support often reinforce the traditional American individualistic image of leadership. This piece explores ways in which we might embrace a more collective approach to developing and sustaining nonprofit leadership. It was an invited address to the 2005 annual meeting of the Jewish Funders Network in Baltimore.
How Does Change Happen?
October 2003
I have been privileged to participate in numerous conversations with veteran community organizers and activists during my years in grantmaking. This piece attempts to summarize some of their understandings about how change happens at the local level. It was originally written for The Marguerite Casey Foundation's electronic newsletter
Horizontal Integration, Vertical Integration and Movement Building
March 2004
How can a foundation support movement building across issue areas and across communities? This piece attempts to build on the previous one to address potential strategies for building networks for social change. It was originally prepared as an internal memo for a staff discussion at The Marguerite Casey Foundation. It is a personal statement and does not represent the views of the Foundation or its Board or staff.
Marguerite Casey Foundation Movement Building Schematic
This one-page diagram resulted from a series of staff and Board discussions at The Marguerite Casey Foundation about ways to support movement building. It is still featured on the Foundation's website.