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One Foundation’s Journey to Becoming an Anti-racist Organization

PEAK Grantmaking Sep 16, 2020
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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One Foundation's Journey to Becoming an Anti-racist Organization Giving Compass
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Giving Compass’ Take:

• Satonya Fair interviews Jim Canales, President and Trustee of the Barr Foundation, about the foundation’s work towards becoming an anti-racist organization.

• How can individuals donors take lessons from the Barr Foundation on anti-racism practice in philanthropy? 

• Learn how other philanthropic institutions are measuring progress on racial equity.


In the first of a series of conversations between PEAK Grantmaking President and CEO Satonya Fair and members of the PEAK community, she spoke with Jim Canales, President and Trustee of the Barr Foundation. A PEAK Organization Member since 2011, Barr is a Boston-based grantmaker focusing in the arts, climate, and education, but also maintains a sector effectiveness program devoted to increasing the impact of the social sector across New England.

In an August 2020 post on the Barr Foundation blog – “An Enduring Commitment to Racial Equity,” Canales underscored Barr’s dedication to the work of equity in grantmaking – focusing especially on racial equity, and committing themselves to becoming an antiracist  organization. Fair and Canales discussed how this moment is adding urgency regarding these issues, the values that shape Barr’s response, and how the foundation is working to understand, implement, and promote needed changes.

Jim Canales: Let me say something at the outset: In addition to welcoming you and remarking how thrilled we all are to have you in this role. I just want to say a word of thanks for PEAK. I think, in our field, we often don’t give sufficient credit to the role that grants management professionals play. We need to understand that this is the guts of the enterprise. Without an effective grants management team and set of processes, the operation is not able to function.

That perspective very much informs the way I think about the role of grants management. To achieve a foundation’s mission goals and programmatic objectives, CEOs must be attentive to the integration of, and the partnership between, programs and grants management. I think that’s the fundamental basis. And I would also make the case that grants management plays a critical role in the issues around racial equity that we’ve all been grappling with.

Read the full article about becoming an anti-racist organization by Satonya Fair and Jim Canales at PEAK Grantmaking.

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Learning and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact on Race and Ethnicity take a look at these selections from Giving Compass.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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    How Funders Can Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Giving Compass' Take: • Melissa Sines lays out steps for funders to take to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in nonprofits.  • How can funders understand their own role in maintaining the status quo?  • Learn about the Center for Effective Philanthropy's report: Nonprofit Diversity Efforts: Current Practices and the Role of Foundations. For philanthropy to advance equity in all communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, it needs to be able to understand the demographics of the organizations being funded (and declined), the people being served, and the communities impacted. That data should be used to assess practices and drive decision making. Here are some action steps funders can take right now: Be transparent with grantseekers and grantees and tell them how you are using the demographic data you collect from them. If you require your grantees to collect or report demographic data, help to build their capacity for collecting and reporting this information by funding technology, databases, and staff time committed to this effort. Seek out and give additional support to nonprofits led by diverse teams that are inclusive of the community they are serving in decision-making roles. Fund DEI skill building and efforts to shift culture in support of recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting leaders of color. Read the report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Nonprofit Diversity Efforts: Current Practices and the Role of Foundations. Read the full article about supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion by Melissa Sines at PEAK Grantmaking.


Looking for a way to get involved?

If you are interested in Race and Ethnicity, please see these relevant events, training, conferences or volunteering opportunities the Giving Compass team recommends.

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