Welcome to The Promise
Promise is a fitting word for where we are right now as a country. Glimmers of possibility as a dark period in our history begins to close. Hope for what comes next. And a pandemic reminding us — and in some cases educating us for the first time — about just how deeply racism has damaged the country and held us back as a society. We have work to do to live up to our promise of equality and justice for all.
We’ve chosen to launch The Promise now because the movement that led us to this moment has the power to deliver promises this country made but long deferred. To me, The Promise is equally about what is owed and could be. We have a chance to evolve our society to make it much more equitable and just. That’s huge, and it’s a lot to think about.
On this page, we will explore what meaningful, equitable change could look like. I lead the Raikes Foundation, so we will write, in part, about the field of philanthropy, but we’re even more interested in how philanthropy interacts with various actors like our government, the business community, activists and advocates, and others who have a responsibility to get this moment right. We’re also interested in how philanthropy can shift from being a barrier to progress for our country’s advocates and community organizers and instead act as a dynamic financial engine of social change.
You’ll be hearing from me, members of our staff, and also our partners in this work. We hope you will find informal, real talk here — devoid of jargon and other forms of gatekeeping. So please do read along, share your ideas, and if something you read here makes you think, share it with someone else.
Thanks for following along.
