Several overlapping crises are wreaking havoc in the United States and across the globe. From climate catastrophe and forced migration to economic inequality to the erosion of democracy and the rise of political violence—these deep problems are also opportunities for major advances in progressive narratives and policies.1 Yet too often, those of us committed to racial equity, economic inclusion, and multiracial democracy must fight rearguard battles against authoritarianism, racial exclusion, and planetary destruction.

As community power builders and social movement organizers engage in vibrant debates on how to address the immediate expressions and root causes of these multiple crises, social justice funders should take their own hard look at why the problems they have sought to address persist in such an exacerbated form. With so much fuel for change and so much money to spend, what’s coming up short in philanthropy, and what needs to be done?

Five Steps Philanthropy Can Take to Expand Movement Power

1. Focus on power, not policy

For us, the first step to advance social justice through philanthropy is to focus philanthropic attention on power, not policy. Bad policies—a broken immigration system, inadequate voting rights, insufficient housing—are not ‌the result of a lack of technical expertise or a poorly written white paper. Rather, there are interests that benefit from current arrangements that need to be disrupted. As a result, the North Star for both organizing and giving needs to be enhancing governing power.

2. Trust the field

Too often, foundations can act in a top-down fashion, choosing the issues, designating the leaders, hiring the experts. Yet people who are closer to the problem often ‌have better ideas about the solution and can be clear-eyed about the strategies to get there. Trust and accountability go together, and this means less onerous external accountability and more accountability from within social movement organizations—using metrics that matter. 

3. Stick with it for the long haul

The crises that the world faces today have accumulated over time. There is no shortcut to garnering the power needed to address them. Conservative philanthropy has often been patient about its investments—secure in the knowledge, for example, that supporting the Federalist Society could eventually help strip away reproductive rights—while liberal philanthropy changes strategic direction with every new foundation president.

4. Shift the middle

A fourth step involves learning to balance an insistent call for racial equity with a persistent focus on common pool resources. For some foundations, there is a near-obsession with “winning the middle,” something that can suggest the need to ignore race and racism as divisive issues. 

5. Change the funding power dynamic

A final step involves shifting power between foundations and grantees. Too often, community-based organizations are supplicants who are paraded out for performative sessions with hard-to-convince boards. At that stage, the tendency is to hide the truth from the funders lest weaknesses are uncovered and the groups are defunded. We need a more community-driven approach.

Where does social justice philanthropy fit in? While we don’t believe philanthropy alone will be sufficient to address the many crises we face, we think there are many steps foundations can and must take to help even the odds for social movement organizations.

Five Steps Philanthropy Can Take to Expand Movement Power

  1. Five Steps Philanthropy Can Take to Expand Movement Power
  2. Trust the field
  3. Stick with it for the long haul
  4. Shift the middle
  5. Change the funding power dynamic

In short, like the social movements they support, foundations need to step up to the moment. Dividing grantees by issue, geography, and constituency makes mincemeat of whole people and communities—and weakens the prospects for change. Instead, leaders in philanthropy should promote and model collaboration that can help build collective movement power to address structural racism, climate devastation, and economic insecurity—helping build a better future for all.

Read the full article about philanthropy supporting social justice movements by Sulma Arias and Manuel Pastor at Nonprofit Quarterly .