Philanthropy groups are pointing out a big gap in donations toward groups focused on women's and girls' issues during Women's History Month this year.
According to the Women's Philanthropy Institute, less than 2% of philanthropic dollars go to such organizations, but a different model for giving could help fill the gap.
Giving circles are a collective philanthropy model where people pool their resources and decide which causes to support.
Tammy Wilhoite, co-chair of the coordinating council for the Portland-based giving circle Ninety-Nine Girlfriends, said many circles bring women together because they historically have been excluded from philanthropy.
"People who may not have ever seen themselves as somebody who could invest money in their community are being invited to say, 'Hey, come help us figure out where this money should go,' and your money makes a difference," Wilhoite explained.
Wilhoite pointed out her organization is inclusive of all women, including people who are gender nonbinary and gender-nonconforming, and trans women. She said members of the circle contribute $1,100, $1,000 of which goes into a grant pool awarded to a nonprofit each year.
Wilhoite noted Ninety-Nine Girlfriends recently allocated $90,000 to Constructing Hope, a Portland-based organization training women, people of color and formerly incarcerated individuals for jobs in the construction sector.
"It develops a diverse workforce," Wilhoite outlined. "It helps with long-term unemployment, it helps those people that are impacted by that to develop sustainable careers, it's reduced recidivism, and it's provided people to the construction industry, which never has enough participants."
Sara Lomelin, CEO of Philanthropy Together, a group supporting giving circles worldwide, said circles can be flexible with their funds and most groups are making impacts in their local communities.
"Eighty-four percent of giving circles give locally," Lomelin reported. "So we tend to support those small, grassroots, local nonprofits that are invisible to traditional philanthropy."
Lomelin added there are about 2,500 giving circles around the globe.
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An event in Phoenix today will celebrate and highlight the power of collective giving in the Grand Canyon State.
Ilyasah N. Shabazz, senior operations and communications director for the organization Philanthropy Together, said Arizona is among the states with some of the most diverse set of "giving circles" advocating for a wide range of issues that affect local communities.
These groups bring together folks with shared values to decide where they should invest a gift, which Shabazz added isn't always financial.
"It is also about using our voice," said Shabazz, "so when you see that there are people advocating, they're using their voice, they're giving their time and volunteering their talent."
Shabazz called collective giving a "movement" in Arizona.
Circle Up Arizona's free event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchor Centre Building Courtyard.
The event is open to all current giving circle members, collective giving networks, and anyone looking to learn more.
Shabazz said groups in Arizona are coming together around a range of issues - ranging from affordable housing, to helping protect and preserve and responsibly manage Arizona's natural resources, to supporting initiatives and giving circles that are led by leaders that are from communities of color.
She added that giving circles not only help communities, but members themselves.
"That could mean with their professional pursuits, but also a lot of giving circles who are finding belonging by being part of these groups," said Shabazz, "and when you think about the trends in loneliness and isolation, those feelings that individuals are having, a lot of people are happy to join these groups and find community."
Research shows three-fourths of those who participate in collective giving report an increased belief in their social influence and feeling that their voices matter on social issues.
Shabazz added that women have also been an influential force within the movement, with 84% of giving groups reporting more than half of their membership is female.
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Century 21 had raised more than $30 million. The correct amount is more than $3 million. (5:48 p.m. MDT, July 24, 2024)
More than 60 million Americans identify as disabled and many of them turn to nonprofit agencies such as Easterseals for therapy and other assistance.
The organization that became Easterseals was founded more than 100 years ago and has become the largest nonprofit health care agency in the country.
Kendra Davenport, president and CEO of Easterseals, said seeing to the health and wellness of more than 1.5 million people with disabilities is only possible with its team of national corporate sponsors, who collectively raise millions of dollars each year.
"It's critical because, unlike a for-profit, nonprofits have to raise their budget, whether they're raising it through government grants, foundation grants or corporate funding," Davenport pointed out. "And then, of course, there's the funding that comes in through individual donations. That's what sustains nonprofits."
As an example, Davenport cited Century 21 as a partner, raising more than $3 million in 2023 and $138 million during the life of its affiliation.
Easterseals has more than a dozen other corporate partners, including companies like Comcast-NBCUniversal, Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines.
Davenport explained Easterseals got its name in 1934 from the practice of having donors put a stamp or seal on their donation envelopes. She noted the organization and its dozens of local affiliates work to enhance quality of life and expand local access to health care, education, and employment opportunities for children and adults.
"We provide essential services and on-the-ground support to millions of individuals and their families every year, from early childhood to the critical first five years," Davenport emphasized. "These include autism services, transportation, medical rehab and employment programs that target and assist veterans and senior citizens."
She added it is an ongoing challenge to extend the Easterseals brand because, despite more than a century of service, very few people understand the scope of what the organization does.
"Sixty-one million Americans identify as being disabled," Davenport reported. "That's a quarter of the American population. More people need to understand just how many people are disabled so that we can ensure that our world becomes more inclusive, more equitable and more accessible."
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A new report argued many charitable foundations need to examine the origin of their wealth and repair harms done.
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy used publicly available information to examine how historic business fortunes behind some foundations were made. Drawing on historic examples of businesses profiting from systemic racism and discrimination, the report titled "Cracks in the Foundation" stressed the need for philanthropic organizations to do their own research, connect with Black communities, and move charity dollars toward repairs.
Claire Dunning, assistant professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, served on the report's advisory committee and said foundations can seek partnerships including local history centers to help with the process.
"This doesn't have to be a private, or sort of closed-off process," Dunning contended. "It can be one rooted in transparency and inviting people in. And again, that can be uncomfortable. But I would argue that's not an excuse to not begin this important work."
The report presented case studies tracking the economic history of eight foundations in the Washington, D.C., area. The study's authors said they seek to make difficult conversations easier and are presenting the case studies as educational guides for an accountability and healing journey.
In looking at historic harms, the report focused on four sectors: media including anti-Black rhetoric; housing including discrimination, segregation and displacement; employment including stolen labor; and health care including mental and physical harm and neglect. The report assessed harm using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Dunning stressed in looking to the historical record to find evidence of past harm, researchers must take a broad view.
"We need to think about how newspaper accounts or advertisements for a particular neighborhood that talk about restrictive covenants. That's a form of evidence," Dunning pointed out. "We can think about oral histories of people who are displaced from certain neighborhoods or who were denied equal wages in an employment situation, that's a form of evidence."
The Federal government requires private foundations to use their assets to benefit society. Each year they must distribute at least 5% of the market value of their endowment to charitable purposes.
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