Giving Compass' Take:

• Philanthropy can help governments drive progress in recovery by improving investments and helping develop and implement data-driven evidence to reimagine public systems. 

• Why should local governments prioritize equity? How is your philanthropy data-driven and strategic?

• Read more on how to utilize a data-driven approach to philanthropy. 

The cracks and design flaws of our nation’s public systems have been starkly exposed as governments everywhere struggle to respond to health and economic crises that disproportionately devastate Black residents and communities of color. As government leaders respond to the immediate emergencies, they also operate within a legacy of government practices, policies and systems that have played a central role in creating and maintaining racial inequity.

Philanthropy can play a unique and catalytic role in accelerating a real recovery by helping government leaders make smarter decisions, helping them develop and effectively use the data-and-evidence capacity they need to spotlight and understand root causes of community challenges, especially racial disparities, and increase the impact of government investments that could close racial gaps and accelerate economic opportunity. Philanthropy can uniquely support leaders within government who are best positioned to redesign and reimagine public systems to deliver equity and impact.

Philanthropy can accelerate this public sector transformation by supporting change led by internal government champions who are challenging the status quo. By doing so, philanthropic leaders can increase the impact of the trillions of dollars invested by governments each year.

Philanthropy holds a key to building on this momentum. Philanthropic dollars can be put to work immediately to improve the impact of government investments, dismantle racist government structures, and drive long-term systems change in the following ways:

  • Invest in racial equity partners that support government change. 
  • Support governments to target resources for greater impact.
  • Test, learn, adapt” to understand which innovations are worth making permanent.
  •  Speed the spread of effective innovations to other governments.
  • Enlist governments to integrate and align with the work of place-based partnerships.

Read the full article about philanthropy can help governments succeed by Michele Jolin & David Medina at Stanford Social Innovation Review.