Dive Brief:
- In its 10-year strategic framework, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy condemns giving that ignores community expertise or gets in the way of infrastructure-building for social change.
- Andre Perry, former founding dean of urban education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI, highlights the framework in a piece for The Hechinger Report, referring back to the NCRP’s definition of a “serious social justice funder,” who allocates at least 25% of giving for advocacy, community organizing, civic engagement and other strategies that work toward systemic change.
- The NCRP also says the makeup of foundation boards and senior leadership should reflect the communities they’re serving, and Perry notes most national education foundations do not meet these standards.
Dive Insight:
With limited budgets, many schools and districts turn to grant-writing to help fill the gaps between what they want to offer students and what they have the resources to offer. One consideration for outside money is always what strings are attached. School communities can be torn apart by ethical battles over what money is or is not acceptable to take.
While the onus perhaps should be on philanthropists to improve their own organizations and ensure their staffs accurately reflect the communities they aim to serve, school administrators would do well to carefully consider the source of funds. Social media offers a powerful way to rally opposition and internet research makes it easy to find fault with any number of donors.