“What does liberation require of us?”

At a conference I attended two years ago with Latinx, Black, Native American, LGBTQ+, and Asian American Pacific Islander leaders of state-based civic engagement nonprofits, the facilitator, Aida Cuadrado Bozzo, asked,

“What does liberation require of us?”

I was dumbfounded both by the range of answers from these leaders and the lack of my own personal point of view on the question. That moment — filled with humility and hope — has since defined my work as a grantmaking intermediary.

Grantmaking intermediaries play an interesting role in the philanthropic ecosystem. To quote the MacArthur Foundation, “Working through intermediaries can facilitate collaboration with other funders and pooling of resources for re-granting to others. It also makes it possible for us to augment the efforts of our staff with those of individuals with specialized expertise… Effective intermediaries are well-run, knowledgeable organizations with the capacity to grant or invest our funds and oversee their use.”

These revenue generation methods drive people and dollars that can be spent at the groups’ discretion to progressive nonprofits. In turn, these organizations grow stronger and can self-direct how they serve their missions. Simultaneously, our funders realize a high-leverage return on their investment that continues to build power for the movement (Our grantee partners are currently on track to earn about $6 for each one they’ve been granted!).

So, the keystone of our answer to what does liberation require? Independent, flexible revenue.

Here are the four reasons why our grantee partners have made independent revenue generation a priority and are seeking a sea change in how philanthropy invests in it.

  1. Readiness
  2. Agility
  3. Scale & Sustainability
  4. Accountability

Read the full article about independent revenue generation by Bethany Maki at Johnson Center.