Racial Equity

Racial justice leaders, allies call for shareholder action
Published in the Financial Times by advocacy group Majority Action and Service Employees International Union, the letter calls on asset managers to use their influence as corporate shareholders to change "business-as-usual practices" and help advance racial justice....

Philanthropy Unbound launches 'Philanthropy 100'
Comprising twenty-five honorees in each of four categories — foundations, nonprofits, individuals, and corporations — the list is based on both financial contributions and a "love of humankind, a desire to promote the welfare of others, and creative approaches to advancing the cause of social justice"....

Amex invests $40 million in Accion Opportunity Fund
Part of a $1 billion racial equity commitment announced by American Express in November, the largest-ever investment in the organization is expected to generate more than $125 million in loans to small business owners, with a focus on people of color, women, and immigrants....

Bloomberg commits $20 million to Princeton for diversity initiatives
The gift will support the establishment of the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity as a hub for the university's college access and opportunity initiatives as well as research and innovation in the field of college access and success....

Kresge Foundation commits $2 million for vaccine, health equity
The funding includes $1 million in support of COVID-19 vaccine outreach and access efforts by community health centers, community development organizations, and human service agencies in Detroit and $1 million in grants to be announced in the near future....

Dodge Foundation announces $2.8 million in 1Q grants
The foundation's first grants of 2021 include support for racial equity and justice programs, COVID-19 relief and response efforts, and/or organizations working to strengthen the arts, education, the environment, and their communities....


Supporting the South's small businesses is supporting an equitable recovery
April 17, 2021Beth Bafford, vice president of syndications and strategy at Calvert Impact Capital, and Jennifer Gadberry, vice president of asset management at the Heifer Foundation, explain why support for small buinesses is key to the post-pandemic recovery in the South....

Kresge awards $8.4 million for climate change, health equity efforts
Grants were awarded to fourteen community-based organizations through the foundation's Climate Change, Health & Equity initiative, which works to advance policies and practices aimed at improving community health while helping cities mitigate and adapt to climate change….

Foundation, nonprofit leaders join call to protect voting rights
Published concurrently in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and USA Today, the statement declares that "[f]or American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us...."

Bloomberg commits $6 million to HBCUs for mobile COVID-19 vaccinations
The grants will support efforts by Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine to expand mobile unit COVID-19 vaccine operations in Black and medically underserved communities....

$11 million fund launched to provide transportation to vaccine sites
Uber, PayPal, and Walgreens have committed $11 million to launch an initiative aimed at providing transportation to COVID-19 vaccination sites in underserved communities....

Rockefeller Foundation commits $20 million for vaccine equity
The Equity-First Vaccination Initiative will work with anchor organizations in Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Oakland to deploy equity-focused, hyper-local vaccine interventions....

California Endowment doubles commitment to AAPI organizations
In response to a surge in violence against AAPI communities, the foundation will double its investments in AAPI-led power-building organizations to $100 million over the next ten years....

Crowdfunding donors younger, less religious, study finds
The report from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI found that donors who give to crowdfunding campaigns are slightly younger, less religious, and more likely to be single than those who give through more traditional channels....

Two-thirds of students want police removed from schools
A survey by the Center for Popular Democracy found that 41 percent of middle and high school students felt "unsafe" or "very unsafe" when they encountered police officers at school....

Upswing Fund awards $10.8 million to expand mental health services
The grants will enable organizations that provide mental health services to adolescents of color and LGBTQ+ youth to increase their capacity and deploy innovative solutions designed to improve access to care….

OSF pledges $20 million for grassroots advocacy efforts
The bulk of the funds will be awarded through Open Society Foundations' 501(c)(4) affiliate, the Open Society Policy Center, to progressive advocacy groups organizing in support of policies included in the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan and forthcoming American Families Plan....

Report urges wealthy families to prioritize impact investments
A report from the Bridgespan Group argues that high-net-worth individuals and families are uniquely positioned to pursue "impact-first" investments that prioritize social and environmental impact over financial returns....

Gilberts commit $30 million to Cranbrook Academy of Art
The largest gift in the school's 117-year history will establish and endow the Gilbert Fellows program, bolster the academy's existing scholarship fund, and fund visiting faculty artists, with a focus on artists of color....