How Non-Black Funders Can Show Up for #BlackLivesMatter
Resourcing the movement with integrity, accountability and humility
Additional Contributions By: Emily Collins-Ellis
#BlackLivesMatter is once again dominating international headlines with the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others. Pockets of the world are reeling and waking up as this happens in the context of a pandemic that is disproportionally impacting people of colour, and while extraordinary protests for justice have swept countries around the world.
Philanthropy, of course, has a crucial role to play in supporting the movement for racial justice. At I.G. Advisors, we feel passionately that it can be a powerful tool to resource the community structures and care needed to break down and rebuild oppressive systems; however, it can also be used to uphold problematic, outdated and dangerous systems, too. Philanthropy as usual certainly isn’t the answer — but strategic, power-shifting philanthropy can help us move closer to a solution. And there is a big difference.
Listening to the advice of the Black community and front-line activists is fundamental — now and always — and I don’t represent either of those voices. However, many non-Black funders just don’t do this as part of their regular philanthropic practice. This isn’t always an intentional oversight. Like most of us, they’ll look to their own networks first of other funders, intermediaries and consultancies like I.G. At this critical moment, we want to encourage our own community to listen to Black perspectives by using our platform to amplify them. Philanthropy has a huge opportunity to mobilise more resources to the movement, now and in the long-term. If you’re a funder looking to show up for #BlackLivesMatter, then we humbly point you to these important points:
#1) It’s Not Just America
While it’s tempting to direct all philanthropic attention to the egregious violence across the United States, systemic racism plagues the entire world; focusing on the US’s example is a way many donors outside the US escape reflection and investment in their own countries. White supremacy is alive and thriving across the UK, Canada, and yes even the Netherlands, among many others. Now is a great time to look for groups in your local area that are addressing racial injustices, as social media is flooded with suggestions, and ensure donations are challenging racism in your backyard, too.
To get you started, if you’re a UK donor, of course check out #BlackLivesMatter UK; brilliant charities like 4 Front Project and Fix the Glitch, who we’ve had the pleasure of working with; and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race.
If you’re a Canadian donor, check out the local #BlackLivesMatter chapters in your province; this reading list of Canadian Black history books; and this list of exceptional documentaries on the country’s specific history.
#2) Learn From the Other Side
Bear with me on this one. There is a lot of research into the way groups that promote extreme right-wing ideologies are funded — chiefly through the provision of rapid, unrestricted, multi-year support quickly and without focusing unduly on risk — and how this philanthropic style can actually be a boon to burgeoning movements. If you want to equip #BlackLivesMatter to fight back, you have to follow suit and consider how your own funding processes or protocols might get in the way of your aims to support activists and movements.
Be sure to check out Will Cordery’s Dear Philanthropy: These Are the Fires of Anti-Black Racism and Resourcing the Movement for Black Lives for brilliant advice on how to fund effectively. In his words,“imagine if institutional philanthropy strengthened its mutual trust with social movements by matching our grantmaking strategies with movement-building principles.”
#3) Short-Term Action or Long-Term Systems Change?
The answer is always both. Families affected by racial violence and activists on the front-lines of protesting need your support (and they need this rapidly and flexibly via direct cash transfer). And activists doing the hard work of challenging and changing the systems of racial injustice in a broader context need your support, too. Whether that’s reform for the justice, reproductive, education, housing or immigration systems — among many others — the approach must always be ‘both, and’.
Changing systems takes time, and while flash-points like the current wave of protests feel like an urgent rush, there will continue to be work for as long as racist institutions and societal structures exist. Don’t let the current wave of action be your last. Fund for the marathon, not just the sprint.
For more inspiration, check out the Akonadi Foundation’s guide to systems change funding, Racial Equity Tools’ platform for resources on effective philanthropy, and Mari Ryon’s Journey Towards Intersectional Grant-Making.
#4) Burn Your Expectations
In general — but especially now — funders should challenge their expectations and due diligence practices, and ensure they are fit-for-purpose to support a rapidly changing movement. Often, the most effective racial justice groups are unregistered, and the reasons for this are valid and important (for example, registered charities in the UK, US and Canada can’t directly challenge political leaders and parties). If possible, be willing to fund them regardless, and work with your team to ensure you have the mechanisms in place to do so as quickly as possible.
This also means reframing the idea that committing a major gift requires a lengthy application form, followed by a 12 month impact report. We understand this documentation is likely important to your stakeholders, and there are compliance regulations to account for; however we encourage you to be as flexible as possible with these processes. And if you’re an individual that doesn’t have a philanthropic institution to account for, consider directing your support to the unregistered front-line organisations that have trouble securing support from those that do.
For more guidance, check out Peery Foundation’s guide to Grantee-Centric Philanthropy.
#5) Commit to Anti-Racism
Particularly if you’re a non-Black funder, the first key to truly shifting the power of your philanthropy is to acknowledge where you may be part of the problem. In our society, it is impossible to not be racist. The first step is to recognise the internalised racism within ourselves and our circles of influence, and commit to the lifelong work of acknowledging and challenging it. This is not easy, for anyone. But there is no other option. Consider where racism and inequality exist in your personal and professional worlds, and the ways you can address them.
Check out How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi and Layla F Saad’s Anti-Racism Reading List; for philanthropy-specific inspiration, Edgar Villanueva’s Decolonizing Wealth is a must read (you can also hear him on I.G.’s podcast, What Donors Want).
#BlackLivesMatter has long been a wake-up call to our own privilege and the systems of injustice we are all complicit in. It encourages us to dismantle these power structures within ourselves and, by extension — our philanthropy. So as you commit to funding the movement, make sure you commit to doing so with integrity, accountability and humility. Listen to Black voices. Reflect on your own privilege and internalised racism. Know where your role is as a funder, give what you can and commit to the lifelong practice of this work, even when the headlines have changed.
