Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five essential strategies to implement disability inclusion into your grantmaking. These steps can help you make the necessary changes for more inclusive philanthropy. 

• What are the ways that individual philanthropy can promote disability inclusion? 

• Here is a framework for disability-inclusive design. 

There are many steps to take to catalyze disability-inclusive grantmaking. This guide offers five key strategies to start.

1. Ask the networks and collaboratives you fund which disability organizations participate and how they could strengthen that participation.

Too often disability organizations work in parallel to other nonprofits and are not part of broader coalitions and networks. Oftentimes including one or two groups with disability expertise can enrich the understanding of inequality and bridge gaps between social movements.

2. Ensure disability inclusion is a criterion for all request for proposals you develop.

By asking potential grantees about how they will include people with disabilities before extending funding, disability inclusion can be included from the start of new grantmaking and ensure that disability inclusion becomes an organic part of the funding, rather than an add‐on.

3. Involve people with disabilities in agenda setting done through convenings or other strategic discussions.

Similar to work with collaborations and networks, convenings offer a unique opportunity to bridge communities, facilitate learning and build relationships.

4. Require events you fund to be accessible.

Accessibility helps ensure participation of people with disabilities and can also catalyze deeper conversations about participation of people with disabilities in broader programmatic efforts.

5. Discuss how grantees’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts should consider disability in addition to and overlapping with other identity groups.

Disability is often completely absent from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Exploring why and how grantee organizations think about disability inclusion amongst their staff, advisory boards and governance can lead to practical changes (and donor support) that strengthen disability inclusion at an institutional level.

Read the full article about disability inclusion in grantmaking at the Presidents' Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy.