Giving Compass' Take:

• Kris Putnam-Walkerly describes trends in philanthropy that are helping to eliminate silos and encourage collaboration for social problem-solving. 

• How can donors encourage more partnerships and fewer silos? What are the benefits? 

• Learn why arts philanthropy should not work in a silo. 

In her work as a philanthropic advisor, Kris Putnam-Walkerly came across philanthropy in all forms- from individual giving to institutional grantmaking and everything in between. It used to be that most clients engaged in their work from behind a wall of protection. Charity and grantmaking were held aside and in addition to other forces for good. However, over the past few years she's noticed philanthropy in all forms becoming less siloed and more interwoven with the world around it.

Eight manifestations of this trend:

  1. CEO branding
  2. Use of advisors and coaches
  3. Faster health conversions
  4. More honesty and transparency among individual grantmakers
  5. Blurring of lines in member networks
  6. Crossover in investments
  7. New types of philanthropic entities
  8. Equity

Of all the trends in this list, I truly hope that the growing philanthropic focus on equity is the one that outlasts all others. Conversations about inequity are at the forefront of field in a way that they’ve never been. More foundations are asking themselves the hard questions about the extent to which their grantmaking-and their internal practices-are contributing to or helping to dismantle longstanding institutional inequities in the field and in society writ large.

Read the full article about silo-smashing trends by Kris Putnam-Walkerly at Putnam Consulting Group.