In 2020, amid the worldwide protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, the philanthropy sector saw dozens of pledges and commitments toward advancing racial justice. At the turn of yet another year, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Vice President Mae Hong and Senior Vice President Greg Ratliff look back at whether philanthropy made progress in its racial equity and justice efforts in 2021—and provide the outlook for additional developments in 2022.

What did we see in 2021 in terms of philanthropy’s efforts to pursue racial equity and justice?

Mae Hong: In 2021, there was a separating of the wheat from the chaff in terms of how funders and donors made good on their commitments to racial equity. There are clearly some funders that are working toward making long-lasting change—and this has become a permanent part of how they now see the world and work as a funder. And there are those for whom these commitments were sort of a one-time reactive thing and are now going back to where they started.

Funders that are getting deep into it are doing some serious internal work. Whereas 2020 was very externally focused, on how grant programs and strategies are showing up in the world with racial equity, 2021 was focused on internal work and the necessary changes to how philanthropic organizations operate, who’s on their staff, who’s on their board, how they make decisions.

Greg Ratliff: Overall, we’re seeing more initiatives that are focused on racial justice. We’re seeing more funders try to incorporate a racial equity lens or racial justice lens in their current programming. Additionally, in our conversations with prospective clients, people want to see our own diversity numbers. And in different planning engagements I have, they’re starting to push for more diversity among their  vendors and service provides, which is a great sign. I’m seeing a larger number of companies and donors asking for diversity stats and asking, “Where are the women?” or “Where are the people of color?” or “What is your own racial equity plan?” That’s a big shift that we saw in 2021.

What’s next on the horizon for racial equity and justice in philanthropy?

Hong: I would say that the next frontier involves two things. The first involves a shift from equity being about individual disparity to about systems-level challenges and naming that as being race-based. Historically, funders have generally attempted to address racial disparities at the individual level, at the direct service level—for example, obtaining Medicaid coverage for 20,000 uninsured individuals (who also happen to be Black) —as opposed to acknowledging that there are systemic forces that are race-based.

Read the full article about racial justice and philanthropy by Mae Hong And Greg Ratliff at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.