Philanthropy can help the Biden-Harris administration balance advancing racial equity and accomplishing aligned policy objectives. One current opportunity is the Office of Management and Budget’s request for information (RFI), which solicits methods and practices the government can use to advance equity and support communities.

Philanthropy can play two key roles in this RFI process to ensure a robust response by the July 6 due date.

1. Sharing their own racial equity experiences. As the Greater Washington Community Foundation showed, some foundations are already integrating racial equity into grantmaking and throughout their institutions. Lessons from the approaches most and least successful in philanthropy might help inform the administration.

2. Facilitate the participation of others, especially people of color, through raising awareness and removing barriers. Smaller foundations, donor collaboratives, and grantees, especially at institutions led by people of color, with lived experience facing racial barriers or operationalizing commitments to racial equity may have useful strategies for the administration but might not know about the opportunity or see a benefit to participation. Philanthropy infrastructure organizations can spread the word to their networks and make personal appeals to those who might be the least inclined to respond to the RFI.

Read the full article about the Biden-Harris Administration's vow to promote Racial Equity, and how Philanthropy can help by Laura Tomasko at Urban Institute.