Social Justice Fund Northwest (NW) is building relationships across race and class through philanthropy.
You might have heard of giving circles before. Giving circles are a form of philanthropy where groups of individuals donate money or time to a communal fund in order to raise awareness and engagement in a certain issue.
Social Justice Fund NW developed a new form of collaborative philanthropy, the Giving Project model, which it is now helping expand to other funds across the country, thanks in part to support from the Raikes Foundation. The goal of a Giving Project is to share giving power across race and class in order to fund grassroots movements for social change, facilitating an inclusive process where people of all economic classes and income levels offer their knowledge, life experience, and financial contributions. Partly through a partnership with Resource Generation, it has brought into these circles inheritors of significant wealth who want to give in ways more likely to make a difference.
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Anyone paying close attention to the field of education and philanthropy’s role in it has noticed a shift in focus over the past several years – a shift I think signals real opportunity for young people.
The latest report from Grantmakers for Education, Trends in Education Philanthropy, sheds light on where these shifts have been concentrated over the past decade, which to my mind reflects that the field of philanthropy is learning from mistakes and doing a better job of listening to communities.
Two of shifts I’m most excited about are:
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Tricia and Jeff Raikes announced today that after a nationwide search, they have selected Neighborhood Funders Group President Dennis Quirin to be the new executive director of the Raikes Foundation, starting in September.
“As we deepen our knowledge in and commitment to advancing equity in our work, we knew we needed a visionary leader who was going to push us to be better, and we have that in Dennis,” said co-founder Tricia Raikes.
The Raikes Foundation, established in 2002, works to advance an equitable and just society so that young people have the support they need to reach their full potential. The foundation focuses on advancing equity in the education system and preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness. The Foundation also works to help donors give with more impact, including launching Giving Compass, a tool designed to curate the highest-quality content for donors.
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We all need a great education, but only some of us get it. As Americans, we love to talk about education as the surest way to advance opportunity – particularly if you weren’t born into wealth. However, there is plenty of evidence to demonstrate the disparate outcomes the United States education system perpetuates.
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