From the Inside Flap
With the ongoing economic downturn there has been a dramatic increase in medical uninsured rates, homelessness, and small-business bankruptcies, as well as a crisis in education and diminishing job opportunities. To better address these burgeoning challenges, foundations and nonprofits are questioning their usual strategies and seeking new and more effective approaches for tackling much-needed, widespread social change.
Written for grantmakers, including foundation trustees and program officers, as well as nonprofit executive directors and others, Change Philanthropy is a guide for developing effective long-term strategies that address the causes of critical social problems. The book provides an insider's view of what works—as well as what doesn't work—with respect to grantmaking and grant funding strategies in support of social change. The book showcases a diverse selection of philanthropic institutions and collaboratives that have undertaken a structural analysis of social inequities, including the Liberty Hill Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Needmor Fund, Jacobs Family Foundation, Discount Foundation, Global Fund for Women, Schott Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, and the Gulf Coast Fund (a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors).
The book is filled with stories and illustrative interviews with successful grantmakers and foundation executives that clearly show how funds are distributed and secured for organizations that work for systemic change. In addition, Change Philanthropy includes useful tips, proven strategies, and practical ideas that can be put into place immediately to support a social justice agenda.
Change Philanthropy provides a critical road map for foundations and nonprofits that strive to have all citizens participate fully in the social, spiritual, economic, and political life of their nation.
The Center for Community Change, founded in 1968, is a national nonprofit that strengthens the leadership, voice, and power of low-income communities and communities of color nationwide to confront the vital issues of today and build the social movements of tomorrow.
The Project Director Marjorie Fine directs The Linchpin Campaign, a project of the Center for Community Change, whose goal is to expand the resources available to community organizing efforts in the United States. In 2009 she produced a downloadable resource entitled Untapped: How Community Organizers Can Develop and Deepen Relationships with Major Donors and Raise Big Money.
From the Back Cover
Change Philanthropy"It is ever more urgent, in this period of global economic stress, that foundations and the organizations they fund put their power and money behind strategies that promote lasting change, not temporary charity. Change Philanthropy fills an important gap in the field by providing examples and stories from the real experiences—successes and setbacks—of pioneers in this vital, transformative work. Funders and activists alike will find it an indispensable road map."
—Gara LaMarche, president, The Atlantic Philanthropies
"Read Change Philanthropy and learn from the invaluable experience of a diverse group of grantmakers who moved closer to the root causes of social inequities by making the crucial connections—across race, class, and gender—that lead to broad, transformational, and lasting change."
—Sara K. Gould, president and CEO, Ms. Foundation for Women
"Transparency and truth telling are not always apparent in what funders do and say, but this book is a wonderful exception. Issues of race and class, community building, financial investment, education, and economic development are all reflected in these ten stories, which advance a frame of grantmaking designed to help foundation staff and boards do their best work. This is an excellent and timely resource."
—Emmett D. Carson, CEO and president, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
"This is a must-read for foundation leaders and individual donors who want to see real results from their grant dollars. Change Philanthropy helps grantmakers fulfill their vision for positive change by providing a road map based upon successful programs from effective foundation efforts."
—Quinn Delaney, founder and president, Akonadi Foundation
"During times of economic turmoil, the philanthropic sector has an ever-greater role to play in helping communities weather the crisis. Change Philanthropy is a blueprint for foundations, grantmakers, and nonprofits on how to continue having impact and effecting change in good times or bad."
—Janet Murguía, president and CEO, National Council of La Raza
