Since my column in August, Hurricane Ida battered New Orleans and its power grid, an abortion ban took effect in Texas, border agents on horseback were filmed chasing and whipping Haitian migrants legally seeking asylum, and refugees continue to flee Afghanistan. Every month, the onslaught of devastating news and the current state of our world forces me to take a beat and ask myself “how do we climb out of this mess?” 

The Pathway to Change
Long used by communities of color, grassroots organizing is an effective way to make a shift toward real progress, yet only 2% of philanthropic funding supports powerbuilding in communities of color. By giving people who have been most disenfranchised by oppressive systems the resources to organize around their priorities and build public knowledge of the complexities of intersectionality and unique opportunities for impact -- particularly down ballot to hold elected officials and systems accountable -- we can see sustained equitable change.

When we prioritize the collective voices of our disproportionately impacted neighbors we can mitigate the impact of natural disasters, welcome populations with dignity who are fleeing environmental, economic, and human rights oppression, and irrefutably establish and sustain the agency and self-determination of human bodies in law.

Every single one of these issues is about public opinion, long-term resources for organizing in BIPOC, queer and trans, and immigrant communities, and policy built by the people and for the people. 

Despite the very clear connections between oppressive policymaking and human suffering, only 18% of donors believe that voting makes a difference, only 51% of U.S. adults surveyed in 2020 could name all three branches of government, and confidence in our government -- at all levels -- is lacking:

  • Congress/Federal legislative branch: 40%
  • President/Executive branch: 46%
  • Local/State: 65%

Yet, 86% of high net worth donors believe in the power of nonprofits to solve societal and global problems. A critical part of organizing is the civic education of constituents as to how change not only happens, but is sustained. The critical chasm between knowledge and faith in our institutions and the overwhelming burden for systemic change placed on nonprofits with limited resources must be addressed with the level of resourcing only sustainable by federal policies. Donors can address this confidence gap by intentionally resourcing grassroots organizations that are prioritizing BIPOC and queer and trans leadership to ensure that the priorities of our most marginalized are incorporated in legislation and budgeting moving forward.

While we are gaining momentum with the most racially diverse congress in history, there is so much more work to be done to affirm and amplify human dignity for all people, specifically in a region of the world where we have a protected vote and the agency to advance human rights both domestically and abroad.

There are two essential opportunities for donors to bridge the gap:

  1. Fund the infrastructure necessary to support long-term policy change. In an environment of erroneous corporate news representations and criminalization of human beings, organizations need dollars for communications, litigation, local media, storytelling, arts and culture, and operational support to anticipate and respond to ongoing and “next up” crises.
  2. Fund wellness for grassroots organizers. The leaders fighting for representative democracy at grassroots levels are often impacted by the very oppressive systems they battle. They live the toll of inequity, exercise humility and leadership to foster relationships in communities that build the narratives necessary for public opinion to change, and fight for their humanity often for little or no compensation. Their burnout puts all of us and a representative democracy at risk. Funders need to prioritize health insurance and mental health support for these leaders. 

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Source: U.S Trust and The Philanthropic Initiative. The U.S. Trust Study of the Philanthropic Conversation: Understanding Advisor Approaches and Client Expectations. July 2018.