Social Justice Philanthropy Principles

RG is a connector between social justice organizing and philanthropy, and works to transform the philanthropic sector towards redistribution rather than charity. These principles guide us towards giving and redistributing in alignment with social justice values. 

Social justice philanthropy focuses on the root causes of social, racial, economic, and environmental injustices. It strives to include the people who are most impacted by those injustices as decision-makers. Social justice philanthropy aims to make the field of philanthropy more accessible and diverse. Under this model, foundations are accountable, transparent, and responsive in their grantmaking. Donors and foundations act as allies to social justice movements by contributing not only monetary resources but also time, knowledge, skills, and access. 

So, what does that definition really mean?

Here are the five key principles of social justice philanthropy: 

  1. Social justice giving focuses on systemic changes that address the root causes of racial, economic, and environmental injustice, not just the symptoms. For example, giving multi-year funding to organizations creating public safety initiatives and working to defund the police, rather than only responding after state based violence has happened.
  2. Social justice giving centers the people most impacted as key decision-makers and respects their self-determination by giving with no strings attached. For example, giving general operating support to Black-led, Native-led, and immigrant-led organizations that are powerfully positioned to have the best insight into what organizing and solutions work best for their communities. 
  3. In social justice philanthropy, foundations strive to be accountable, transparent, and responsive in their grant-making. For example, clear, simple, compensated application processes, explicit funding criteria, and invitations for feedback can help build strong relationships. 
  4. Donors and foundations act in solidarity with social justice movements by contributing not only money but time, knowledge, skills, and access. For example, helping an organization fundraise, strengthening community campaigns by sharing relevant connections, advocating for increased foundation payouts, increasing taxes on the wealthy and door-knocking in your neighborhood. 
  5. Foundations use their assets and investments, alongside grants, to support progressive social change. For example, giving more than the mandated 5% of assets and investing the rest in non-extractive or regenerative investments. Enable grassroots groups to acquire land and make capital purchases.

HOW MUCH MONEY GOES TOWARDS SOCIAL JUSTICE?

Giving towards social justice remains under-researched. However, we can discern a few key trends from issue-based reports. 

Following the uprisings of 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving towards racial justice appeared to increase dramatically. However, as the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Justice found in their report, Mismatched: Philanthropy’s Response to the Call for Racial Justicepreliminary data indicate that funding for grassroots organizing towards racial justice and equity actually decreased in 2020 (as compared to 2011 to 2018), both as a percentage of the total and in raw dollar amounts.

As stated by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) in their 2022 report on funding for migrant justice, giving toward other social justice issues has also remained low. In fact, the proportional share of pro-immigrant and pro-refugee philanthropic funding dropped by 11% in the last decade, despite a four-fold sector growth in overall giving. (NCRP)

Despite these surprising statistics, social justice giving has taken center stage in public discourse as a result of developments, including MacKenzie Scott’s record-breaking grantmaking and the transfer of Patagonia ownership to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe. Young people with wealth play a vital role in increasing giving towards and awareness of social justice philanthropy. Read about Social Justice Community Foundations, Rapid Response Funds, and Intermediaries.

SOURCES

  1. Funding for racial equity (Candid)
  2. “A Ripple, Not a Wave: Comparing the Last Decade of Foundation Funding for Migrant Communities and Movements” (NCRP)
  3. Mismatched: Philanthropy’s Response to the Call for Racial Justice
  4. MacKenzie Scott dominates donations to racial equity
  5. Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company