What Are Some Whys and Hows of Grantee Inclusion?

Giving Compass’ Take:

• This Grantmakers for Effective Organizations post describes the principles and practices of grantee inclusion, specifically how to address power imbalances.

• From organizing around diversity to increasing transparency, there are recommendations here that should apply to all types of organizations. How many of these ideals are we embedding into our grantmaking?

• Here’s more on how grantmakers can use power mindfully to advance equity.

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Since 2012, The Heinz Endowments — in partnership with artists, community development professionals, teachers and colleague funders, many of whom are grantees and prospective grantees of the Endowments — have been developing a grantmaking program called the Transformative Arts Process (TAP). The program has led to more than $2,500,000 in grants to strengthen and improve the arts experiences available in African American and “distressed” neighborhoods, particularly for youth.

And in 2015, the Endowments were honored to join Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ Change Incubator, a program to deepen the practice of grantee inclusion in the field of philanthropy. Here, we’ve had the privilege to think through and test ideas about inclusion in concert with colleague funders, as well as some members of TAP’s advisory board, and it’s been a truly helpful experience.

One of the goals of the Change Incubator program is for the participants to share their grantee inclusion experiences with the broader field, so, to that end, two members of the TAP Advisory Board — Dana Bishop-Root, program coordinator of the Braddock Carnegie Library and co-founder of Transformazium, and Celeste Smith, CEO of 1 Hood Media — and myself decided to share some of what we’ve learned over the last two years developing the TAP grantmaking strategy, particularly as it relates to the principles, practices and benefits of grantmaker-grantee partnerships.

Ultimately, we are excited to share this work because we are interested in expanding beyond the idea of inclusion, which still implies an “includer” that provides access to an “includee.” We want to be part of network of people working toward “mutual accountability” as a means of undoing systemic racism in the philanthropic sector.

Read the full article about the hows and whys of grantee inclusion by Justin Laing at GEO.