Giving Compass' Take:

• Vu Le explains that equity in philanthropy is about giving money to the most marginalized communities and organizations led by them. 

• Why is it important to understand equity and why it matters in philanthropy?  Should it only be about money? 

• Read about what is next for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In a previous article, I mentioned that equity has been like coconut water. It’s all over the place. It’s flavored with pineapple, sometimes with chocolate. Everyone is drinking Equity; it’s on websites, in conference themes, and in those “word-cloud” thingies. Given how pervasive it is, it’s weird that we don’t seem to have a common, universally-accepted definition for it.

Equity is about ensuring the communities most affected by injustice get the most money to lead in the fight to address that injustice, and if that means we break the rules to make that happen, then that’s what we do.”

Some of you are probably thinking, “Money? That’s your definition?  Equity is about money and whether that money is going to the people most screwed over by our society. All of us need to stop avoiding this basic premise.

We have to change our entire philosophy around Equity. If philanthropy is serious about Equity, at least 70% of every foundation’s budget should be going to marginalized communities and the organizations led by them. Foundations all need to analyze where their funding is actually going. Are you only allocating 8% or 10% of your total funds to organizations that are led by and serving our most marginalized communities despite the fact that communities of color, communities of disabilities, LGBTQ communities, rural communities, etc., experience the most injustice?

Read the full article about equity  by Vu Le at Nonprofit AF