GIA Blog

The Ford Foundation asked 40 thinkers to reimagine the future of the creative industry in the midst of "the social, racial, and economic reckoning laid bare by COVID-19 and a growing movement for Black lives." Creative Futures: 40 Provocations to Reimagine the Arts, Documentary, and Journalism is the result of that inquiry, a series of short essays that will unfold through the fall of 2020.

"When it comes to racial bias, you either participate in it actively or through silence, or you use your power and privilege to dismantle it. Each day you make this choice – when you serve as a juror, when you call the police or see someone else call and when and for whom you vote. If oppression happens, then we are allowing it to happen and we are all in the position to stop it."

Six months into the pandemic, we are beginning to see evidence of how the grantmaking field is responding to this historic moment. I’m writing to reflect on the importance of capitalization and financing to our field.

The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project published recently a guide centered on the responsibilities of a trust-based project.

"The Movement for Black Lives and the broader conversation about the value of arts and culture in our society and its role in amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color is opening opportunities for profound change," states Shelley Trott, director of the Arts Strategy & Ventures at the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

A report from Council on Foundations, Philanthropy California, and Dalberg Advisors delves into how the US philanthropic sector is responding to the 2020 public health, racial justice, and economic crises of 2020.

A memo by ABFE and The Bridgespan Group offers funders "potential paths to invest in organizations and movements within the Black-led racial justice ecosystem. It provides principles for giving and highlights priority investment areas and example organizations within those areas."

In "Organizing Mutual Solidarity Projects as an Act of Resistance in Puerto Rico," Jorge Díaz Ortiz writes in A Blade of Grass Magazine about exercises of autonomous action and organizing in Puerto Rico and how "possibilities for self-governance must be grounded in a culture of mutual solidarity to generate and nurture new and existing structures in society, engaging in a praxis of autonomous action and collective agency."

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's Adam Fishbein discusses disability justice activism and what the philanthropic community can do to center the disability community in efforts to eradicate systemic racism in an interview with Zakiya Mabery, founder of B. Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Planning.

The vast majority of boards, writes Jim Taylor, are missing a focus on lived experience, "having individuals on the board who understand in a real way the issues and challenges that they are working to address."