Giving Compass' Take:

• Jessica Love, Shayna Keller, and Mika Matsuno share how the Kataly Foundation has stepped up to meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and support their grantees. 

• Have you taken all of the appropriate steps to ensure the success of grantees during this time? What more can you do to advance your philanthropic goals during this time? 

• Find out why you should increase your payout during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Like many committed funders, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kataly decided to increase its annual spend beyond the IRS-mandated five percent, despite grappling with the same market conditions impacting endowments everywhere. In reflecting on their role within the social sector, the funders decided to heed nonprofits’ calls for additional support, understanding that this was a moment when stepping up could truly make or break a partner organization’s ability to weather the crisis. Consistent with its mission, Kataly also focused its response on sustaining and building the capacity of organizations led by and serving people of color and communities who have been impacted by injustice.

Across the donors’ board-directed giving and Kataly’s programmatic portfolio, the foundation has already dedicated over seven million dollars in rapid response funding over the past month and has made changes to its existing grant-making practices timeline to accommodate emergent needs. In accordance with the foundation’s values and in the spirit of Trust-Based Philanthropy, the majority of Kataly’s grants were already unrestricted and offered without cumbersome applications or reporting requirements. However, in response to COVID-19, the foundation worked with Arabella to dispense with the few remaining programmatic restrictions tied to certain grants.

Additionally, recognizing the urgency of nonprofits’ need for unrestricted capital, Arabella helped Kataly move up its yearly grantmaking cycle from the fall to the spring, disbursing about $20 million of funding this March and April. This shift has ensured grantees have access to much-needed cash to keep their most critical activities afloat and, in many cases, to pivot their programmatic work toward rapid-response efforts.

Read the full article about the Kataly Foundation efforts by Jessica Love, Shayna Keller, and Mika Matsuno at Arabella Advisors.