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Shifting to Trust-based Philanthropy: A Study in Change Management

Facilitated by Pia Infante, Co-Executive Director, The Whitman Institute & Trust Based Philanthropy Project Steering Committee member

Trust-based philanthropy has emerged as a one way to re-imagine the structure and culture of philanthropic institutions. While much of the focus has been on grant-making practices – which do operationalize values for equity in many of the ways non-profit leaders have articulated – the core of the work is creating the cultural and systemic conditions that underlie practice.

In this dialogue session, we’ll explore why trust-based philanthropy is trending, the fundamental values and principles that undergird this approach, and the ways that well-intentioned efforts can fall short. In the context of multiple large system change efforts, we will examine the obstacles and potential solutions from concrete (and confidential) examples. This workshop is designed especially for consultants whose clients are actively supporting trust and equity based change in philanthropic institutions – we will draw from our collective experiences & learn together.

Pia Infante, Co-Executive Director, The Whitman Institute & Trust Based Philanthropy Project Steering Committee member

Pia Infante is the Co-Executive Director of The Whitman Institute, a private foundation that’s year away from an intentional spend down.  Pia brings her chops as a former high school teacher, organizational development consultant, and nonprofit manager to her work in philanthropy.  She is a nationally recognized advocate for trust-based philanthropy.  She chairs the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project steering committee and serves on the board of MediaJustice.org. Pia is visiting faculty at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment, and speaks and teaches in many settings. She holds a M.A. in Education from the New School for Social Research, and a B.A. in Rhetoric from The University of California at Berkeley.  Follow her @PiaVision.

Study after study confirms that philanthropy remains predominantly white. The Council on Foundations (COF) reports that over 75 percent of US foundation staff are white. According to the D5 Coalition, 92 percent of foundation CEOs, 84 percent of executive staff, and 87 percent of foundation boards are white.

Today, fewer than 35 Native people control giving portfolios or serve in key leadership roles at private foundations — nationwide. According to the COF report, as of 2015, “Individuals with American Indian or Alaskan Native heritage constituted .09 percent of administrative positions, .06 percent of executive positions, and .30 percent of professional positions.” Consequently, Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities continue to be minimized in foundation giving portfolios and invisible within the hiring and board compositions of U.S. foundations. In fact, only 4/10th of one percent of funding invested by private foundations goes to Native causes. Further, about half of those funds are invested in institutions that are not Native-controlled, such as universities and museums.

To document and address these inequities, researchers at Melvin Consulting PPLC, First Nations Development Institute and Frontline Solutions analyzed philanthropic hiring practices, focusing on search firms, to learn more about why so few Native people are hired by private foundations. In their recent publication Searching for Inclusion in Philanthropy: A Guide to Equitable Practices in Foundation Hiring, the authors layout a pathway to equitable practices that philanthropic institutions take to be more inclusive of Native American candidates during their hiring processes.

Goals for this interactive session include:

1. Participants will be introduced to data on how current philanthropic hiring practices exclude candidates from diverse communities with a particular focus on Native American candidates.

2. Participants will develop an understanding of the structural and institutional practices that contribute to the lack of Native representation in foundation hiring practices.

3. Participants will be introduced to effective practices to expand Native representation in philanthropy.

4. Participants will work in small groups to explore their role in being advocate for how philanthropy can be more inclusive of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians — ultimately celebrating the knowledge, lived experiences, innovative solutions and essential voices that Native people bring to philanthropic institutions and the communities they serve.

Presenters

Eileen Egan, Partner

NNCG Member

Melvin Consulting PLLC (Hopi-founded and led firm)

Jessica Barron, Consultant

Frontline Solutions (Black-owned and led firm)

Raymond Foxworth, Vice President

First Nations Development Institute (Native founded, controlled and led nonprofit)