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Foundations should be clear that
working to fully define and serve the Common Good and the effective
pursuit of missions require, as both a necessary means and a laudable
end, the equitable participation of all diverse sectors of society.
The Common Good is for everyone. While few would argue with that
statement, foundation decision-makers do not always take steps that
are needed to ensure that all kinds of people will benefit from
philanthropy as they should. Race, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identification, disability, national origin,
religion, age, the economic history of someone’s family and
one’s own socioeconomic position, as well as other personal
characteristics, correlate with different levels of access to
influence and resources throughout American society. “Equal
opportunity” is an ideal that has not yet been fully realized
or reflected in outcomes, and which needs to be pursued and promoted
vigorously.
Foundations can more effectively pursue
both their narrower missions and the broader Common Good when their
decision-makers themselves reflect greater diversity. Many
corporations have already learned that people from different
backgrounds can contribute different perspectives and skills to a
decision-making body, and that this brings strength that is reflected
on the bottom line.
Yet, foundations themselves tend to
reflect the wider society’s inequitable power relations in
their grantmaking, and often have organizational cultures, staffs and
boards that serve to direct resources inordinately to “mainstream”
institutions, organizations and programs. Scholars know that all
people tend to support what is culturally familiar to them, what is
within their frame of reference and comfort zone. The Common Good
cannot easily be served from such narrow perspectives.
Caring to Change suggests that
foundations can more effectively pursue both their narrower missions
and the broader Common Good when their decision-makers have greater
diversity. Our society will be better served by foundation officials
who become even more aware of the ways in which disparities linked to
diversity and income-level operate in their organizations and
environments, and when their operations reflect a genuine commitment
to promoting the Common Good for all – both internally
and in the wider world. Foundations can provide leadership by
assigning diversity the priority it should have both as a moral issue
and as instrumental to internal and external organizational
effectiveness.
SUGGESTED
STRATEGY 2: Foundations should frankly acknowledge, in their
words and deeds, that part of their essential role is to promote the
Common Good for all members of society, and that in order to fulfill
that role, they will lead efforts to promote diversity and vigorously
pursue equal opportunity internally as well as in their grantmaking.
Foundations should make it known that all grant programs give
preference to nonprofit organizations that can demonstrate high
levels of diversity in their governance and operation, and they
should work to advance diversity in grantee organizations. Such
efforts should go beyond increasing the representation of various
categories of people on staffs and boards. In keeping with their
commitments to the Common Good, foundations should themselves also
create diverse boards and staffs. Foundations should seek to “be
the change they wish to see in the world.”
The costs of significant diversity
activities and evaluation of them should be identified, included in
project and program budgets, and funded with equivalent importance to
all other program expenses.
2.1 Create supportive
environments and provide resources for foundation and nonprofit
leaders to address diversity.
2.2 Affirm that diversity is a
central concern in all program areas and for general support grants.
2.3 Support nonprofit
organizational development initiatives that address concerns of
diversity and which vigorously pursue equality of
opportunity/outcomes.
2.4 Make seed grants to
nonprofit organizations that wish to establish “diversity
steering panels.”
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