Answering the Call (for Proposals): Moving Toward Justice in Postsecondary Philanthropy

ABSTRACT

As postsecondary grantmaking foundations make sense of recent sociopolitical crises, including inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic;attention to the Movement for Black Lives following the summer 2020 uprisings;and more openly racialized politics, they have been catalyzed to reconsider their racial equity commitments. Grantmakers are expanding beyond their historically white-dominated networks for knowledge and expertise on where to channel their influence toward transforming postsecondary education. These grantmakers are also reflecting on avenues to shift their grant dollars to funnel more funds to BIPOC-led and community-embedded recipient organizations. Without internal and external accountability to harness lessons of the last 2 years, grantmakers (and their grantees) risk returning to status quo practices that effectively entrench racialized hierarchies.