CEP’s latest research report, Persevering Through Crisis: The State of Nonprofits, provides further evidence of the devastating impact of 2020 on nonprofits — and how the crises of the past year hit some nonprofits much harder than others. While many nonprofits reported that their foundation funders were flexible, responsive, and communicative, this was not the experience for a great number of nonprofits that are led by women, that serve certain marginalized communities, and organizations for which both are true.

Consider these findings:

  • Compared to organizations led by men, woman-led nonprofits (68 percent of survey respondents) were less likely to hear from their foundation funders about future funding or allowing the goals of their existing grants to shift.
  • Among nonprofits who primarily serve Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, or Native American communities, most reported that no foundations provided new funding in 2020.
  • Moreover, compared to organizations that do not serve those four communities, these nonprofits report that fewer foundations lifted up the individual voices of their organization – or the people and communities they serve – to inform public discourse.

As a woman leading an organization in a field where the majority of organizations are also led by women, it feels devastating and defeating to read those findings. Why isn’t philanthropy showing up fully and equitably to meet the profound needs of nonprofits – needs which have never been more acute?

Read the full article about funders falling short on equity by Satonya Fair at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.