Justice Philanthropy during Poly-Crises

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

In recent years, heightened by the convergence of COVID with the racial/Indigenous justice movement and the urgency of climate action, foundations are under pressure to undertake systems-change initiatives that address root causes of injustice and produce better outcomes for historically marginalized communities (Burton & Barnes, 2017; Villanueva, 2021; Walker, 2019). The calls for a justice-based philanthropy include shifting power relationships with grantees and communities through more trust-based, engaged grantmaking, more diverse and inclusive foundation governance, greater collaboration, more extensive use of impact investing strategies and increased activism in policy advocacy (Gibson, 2017; Hauger, 2022; Husted et al., 2021). The enthusiasm for justice-oriented philanthropy may have outpaced actual practices, however, and there is skepticism about whether foundations are making the transformational change they are being called upon to make (Bell et al., 2021). Even among those foundations advancing justice-based philanthropy, we should not expect these transitions to be uniform, but to differ across contexts and countries, and between private and public, place-based community foundations. This panel of four papers interrogates the practices of justice philanthropy from conceptual, critical, empirical, and historical perspectives to address some of these nuances.

In a conceptual analysis, the first paper reminds us that ‘justice’ has multiple conceptions and that philanthropy and justice have often been at odds. The paper explores the diversity and complexity of issues that underpin the notion of justice and justice-oriented philanthropy, providing an actionable framework to guide to philanthropic decisions and practices.

The second paper takes up the empirical question of actual transformations by examining how private, family-controlled foundations in Canada are adopting justice-oriented approaches. They consider whether foundations tend to specialize in one arena of justice or are polyvalent, working on multiple causes, and it assess the factors that have propelled foundations to justice philanthropy as well as the changes in their practices and relationships with grantees and communities.

Paper 3 provides a deeper dive into the practices of participatory grantmaking that are core to shifting power and advancing more equitable outcomes. The analysis of case studies of innovative practices internationally, including the Global South, provides a window into the differences across foundations and across contexts.

The fourth contribution recognizes that, as fundraising and community-mandated institutions, community foundations have complex institutional logics and it examines, through archival analysis, whether the current justice orientation is actually new. This analysis of how and why a social change logic has ebbed and flowed over the past century provides insights into the challenges that philanthropy faces today.

The participants are collaborators in a research project that seeks to build an international research network that involves scholars and philanthropy practitioners.

References

Beer, T., Patrizi, P., & Coffman, J. (2021). Holding Foundations Accountable for Equity Commitments. The Foundation Review, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1565

Burton, D. O., & Barnes, B. C. B. (2017). Shifting Philanthropy From Charity to Justice. https://doi.org/10.48558/RMZA-A722

Gibson, C. M. (2017). Participatory Grantmaking: Has Its Time Come?. New York: Ford Foundation.

Hauger, T. D. (2022). Nothing about s without us: Innovating grantmaking processes with participatory methodology. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 1-21.

Husted, K., Finchum-Mason, E., & Suárez, D. (2021). Sharing Power?: the landscape of participatory practices & grantmaking among large us grantmakers. Seattle: Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington.

Villanueva, E. (2021). Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance (2nd ed.). Berrett-Kohler.

Walker, G. (2019). From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth. The Ford Foundation. https://www.fordfoundation.org/just-matters/ford-forum/the-future-of-philanthropy/from-generosity-to-justice/

Sub Unit

• The role and position of the Third Sector during crises and conflicts

Moderator

• Susan D Phillips, Carleton University

Individual Presentations

• Just Philanthropy? Towards a pragmatic and accountable integrative framework for justice philanthropy - Tobias Jung, University of St Andrews

• The Intersections of Justice: Polyvalent Approaches to Justice Philanthropy by Canadian Foundations - Susan D Phillips, Carleton University; Melissa Wilson

• Evaluating Participatory Grantmaking in social justice initiatives: its uses, benefits, and shortfalls - Keratiloe Mogotsi, Chatham University

• Examining the Local Antecedents of Institutional Logics of Justice Philanthropy in U.S. Community Foundations - Laurie Paarlberg, Indiana University School of Philanthropy; Megan LePere-Schloop, Glenn College - Ohio State University; Jamie Levine Daniel, New York University; Marlene Walk, University of Freiburg