What Does it Mean for Funders to Build Power?
Submitted by Carmen Graciela Díaz on August 15, 2018
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) addressed recently the question, "What does it mean for funders to build power?," as more grantmakers deepen journeys to embed values of equity, diversity, and inclusion into their work.
On how to incorporate a power-building frame to measure meaningful progress on equity, the NCRP recommends the following best practices in their Power Moves toolkit:
- Investing in racial equity trainings for board, staff, and grant partners, such as those offered by ABFE, and as much as possible, gaining institution-wide commitment.
- Fostering internal discussion to address any discomfort with risk and with making long-term, patient investments in power building.
- Examining how oppression shows up internally in decision-making, organizational culture, and staff structure.
- Creating “safe spaces” to share learning with peers, including how to weave power building throughout grantmaking, investments, and procurement.
- Supporting capacity building, leadership development and technical assistance for grant partners, e.g. on how to form policy solutions and advocate for policy change, in addition to resourcing their “power to stay with the process.”
Image: NCRP's Power Moves