Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors writing for PhilanTopic discuss how trust, philanthropy, local knowledge and relationships, and investing in leadership creates strong safety nets for communities to survive crises. 

• How are you investing in your neighborhood? What areas of your community need the most help?

• Learn more about rebuilding community after crisis. 

Amid multiple ongoing crises, foundations are struggling with how best to support the nonprofit sector — in particular, community-based organizations working to address a raging pandemic, police violence, and systemic racism.

Led by people with a wealth of lived experience, community-based groups have long been a critical source of support for under-resourced neighborhoods struggling to rise above interconnected challenges, including insufficient access to fresh and affordable food, clean air, and safe, healthy housing.

By listening to and investing in local organizations, philanthropy has helped accelerate resident-centered collaborative approaches that have made it possible for such groups to pivot to meet immediate COVID-related needs and maintain their financial footing during an economic downturn that has forced many nonprofits to shut their doors.

Read the full article about helping communities in crises survive by Stacey Barbas and Regina R. Smith at PhilanTopic.