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More U.S. Philanthropies Pledge to Champion and Empower the Poor, Minorities and Other Underserved Groups
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2012 — At one year anniversary, Philanthropy’s Promise continues to gain momentum with 61 new foundations signing on to prioritize marginalized communities
Some 125 leading U.S. foundations that represent a total of more than $3.37 billion in annual giving pledged to prioritize the needs and promote the democratic participation of underserved communities such as the poor, the elderly and LGBTQ citizens through Philanthropy’s Promise, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy announced today.
The NoVo Foundation, Cleveland Foundation and United Way of New York City were among the grantmakers that recently joined the Promise.
When NCRP launched Philanthropy’s Promise a year ago, 64 grantmakers had made commitments to allocate at least 50 percent of their grant dollars to benefitting marginalized groups and 25 percent towards supporting advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement to address the root causes of social problems. Since then, 61 more funders have signed on – bringing the total to 125 – each providing a public statement describing the values and strategies that animate their own approach to this type of grantmaking.
“Research shows that not all types of grants are equal. Some have more impact and are more effective than others at making a real difference in the lives of people and communities, especially those in most need,” said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of NCRP. “The public statements submitted by those that have signed on show the variety of ways that foundations are meeting their goals, and we hope it has an inspirational effect on others.”
Grants from foundations, such as the groups that have signed on to the Promise, are key sources of funding for the country’s nonprofits working on a broad range of issues such as access to education and health care, supporting the arts and fighting poverty, inequality and environmental degradation. Many of these groups have been struggling to make ends meet since the onset of the recession, with increased demands for services while seeing a decline in donations and grants.
“Empowerment of underserved populations lies at the heart of NoVo Foundation’s grantmaking and for that reason we enthusiastically sign on to the Philanthropy’s Promise initiative,” says NoVo Foundation in its public statement. The foundation, co-founded by Peter and Jennifer Buffett, is the largest private foundation dedicated to ending violence against women and girls in the country and the world. “We avoid top-down models for the improvement of societies, but instead commit ourselves to an earnest search for fresh ideas that show unusual promise for significant impact. We are willing to venture where others are reluctant to go; we remain patient in developing sustainable solutions; and we wish to convene diverse stakeholders to address common challenges.”
“As the world’s first community foundation, we are proud to support Philanthropy’s Promise and embrace the guidelines established by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy,” said Robert E. Eckardt, executive vice president of The Cleveland Foundation, in the statement submitted in support of the initiative. “We recognized early on that making a lasting impact and improvement goes beyond dollars; it often involves systemic change. … Improving economic and racial inclusion in our community is always at the core of our work.”
“United Way of New York City is committed to fighting poverty across the five boroughs,” said Gordon J. Campbell, president and CEO of one of the largest local United Ways in the country, in his organization’s public statement. “We rigorously evaluate our programs and use lessons learned to inform and advance public policies, systems and practices that prevent and alleviate poverty citywide.”
Grantmakers that are participating in Philanthropy’s Promise include large and small foundations from across the country. These consist of private foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations and other grantmaking public charities.
This month, NCRP marks the first anniversary of Philanthropy’s Promise. A complete list of grantmakers that are a part of this initiative, along with their public statements explaining why they joined, and a Philanthropy’s Promise video is available at www.philanthropyspromise.org .
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., is a national watchdog, research and advocacy organization that promotes philanthropy that serves the public good, is responsive to people and communities with the least wealth and opportunity, and is held accountable to the highest standards of integrity and openness. Visit www.ncrp.org .
Complete List of Grantmakers Signed on to Philanthropy’s Promise:
FOUNDATION NAME STATE
Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham* AL
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, The AR
Akonadi Foundation CA
California Community Foundation CA
California Endowment, The CA
Christensen Fund, The* CA
Common Counsel Foundation CA
Compton Foundation, Inc. CA
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation CA
East Bay Community Foundation, The* CA
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund* CA
French American Charitable Trust CA
Fund for Santa Barbara, Inc.* CA
Groundswell Fund CA
Hispanics in Philanthropy* CA
John M. Lloyd Foundation, The* CA
Levi Strauss Foundation CA
Liberty Hill Foundation CA
McCune Foundation, The* CA
McKay Foundation, The* CA
Mitchell Kapor Foundation, The CA
Penney Family Fund CA
Rosenberg Foundation CA
San Diego Foundation for Change* CA
San Francisco Foundation, The* CA
Silicon Valley Community Foundation CA
Tides Foundation CA
United Way of Greater Los Angeles CA
United Way of the Bay Area, The* CA
Women Donors Network* CA
Women's Foundation of California* CA
Women's Funding Network* CA
Chinook Fund* CO
Global Greengrants Fund* CO
Arca Foundation, The* DC
Consumer Health Foundation* DC
Discount Foundation, The DC
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation* DC
Hill-Snowdon Foundation DC
Public Welfare Foundation, Inc. DC
Fund for Southern Communities, Inc.* GA
Southern Partners Fund GA
Hawaii People's Fund* HI
Fund for Idaho* ID
3Arts* IL
Crossroads Fund* IL
Retirement Research Foundation, The IL
Wieboldt Foundation IL
Woods Fund of Chicago IL
Foundation for Louisiana (formerly the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Inc.) LA
Access Strategies Fund, Inc.* MA
Eos Foundation, The* MA
Grassroots International, Inc.* MA
Haymarket People's Fund* MA
Hyams Foundation, Inc., The* MA
Peace Development Fund* MA
Proteus Fund, Inc. MA
Solidago Foundation MA
Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts* MA
Calvert Foundation* MD
Maine Initiatives, Inc. ME
W.K. Kellogg Foundation MI
Blandin Foundation* MN
General Mills Foundation MN
Headwaters Foundation for Justice MN
McKnight Foundation, The MN
Minneapolis Foundation, The MN
Northwest Area Foundation MN
Pfund* MN
Saint Paul Foundation, The MN
Women's Foundation of Minnesota MN
Foundation for the Mid-South MS
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust NC
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, Inc. NC
Warner Foundation, The NC
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc. NC
Endowment for Health, Inc* NH
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The NJ
Con Alma Health Foundation, Inc.* NM
Abelard Foundation, Inc., The* NY
Arcus Foundation NY
Daphne Foundation, The NY
Edward W. Hazen Foundation, Inc., The NY
Elton John AIDS Foundation, Inc.* NY
Ford Foundation NY
Funding Exchange, Inc.* NY
H. van Ameringen Foundation* NY
Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, Inc. NY
Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation* NY
Melville Charitable Trust, The* NY
Ms. Foundation for Women* NY
New World Foundation, The NY
New York Foundation NY
Norman Foundation, Inc.* NY
North Star Fund, Inc. NY
NoVo Foundation* NY
Open Society Foundation, Inc. NY
Overbrook Foundation, The NY
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Inc.* NY
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock and its Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program NY
Third Wave Foundation NY
United Way of New York City* NY
van Ameringen Foundation, Inc.* NY
Wallace Foundation, The NY
Cleveland Foundation, The* OH
Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, The* OH
Needmor Fund, The OH
McKenzie River Gathering Foundation OR
Meyer Memorial Trust OR
Northwest Health Foundation OR
Western States Center OR
FISA Foundation* PA
Three Rivers Community Foundation* PA
Appalachian Community Fund* TN
A Glimmer of Hope Foundation* TX
Kirkpatrick Family Foundation, The WA
Marguerite Casey Foundation WA
Peppercorn Foundation WA
Potlatch Fund* WA
Pride Foundation, The* WA
Quixote Foundation, Inc.* WA
Social Justice Fund Northwest WA
Washington Progress Fund* WA
Women's Funding Alliance* WA
Wisconsin Community Fund* WI
* Grantmakers that joined after Philanthropy’s Promise launched in June 2011.
SOURCE National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
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