12 Years, 20 Community Philanthropy Organizations, 1 Powerful Guide
From 2012 to 2024, Philanthropy Northwest had the privilege of designing and facilitating the Building Community Philanthropy Initiative, a cohort of 20 community foundations, identity funds and United Ways coming together to advance community-centered philanthropy.
As a cohort, we learned from each other, non-profit partners, community leaders and experts in the field. Our 12-year journey allowed us to stumble and grow together, leading to profound shifts in how we engage with and show up for our communities.
Today we’re excited to share our guide: Toward Transformation: A collection of lessons from 20 community philanthropies working to advance equitable philanthropy.
Through stories and data, Toward Transformation offers a transparent account of our cohort’s collective experiences and critical lessons that we’ve learned along the way.
While the guide shares a birds-eye-view of our equity journeys, the nuances of our experiences lie in our stories, which is why we’re excited to announce that Season 3 of our podcast, Can we talk about…?, will offer a space to bring these stories to life.
In the face of increasing attacks on DEI, there is no better time than now to stand with our communities and deepen our commitments to them.
As this moment brings countless challenges and barriers for our nonprofit partners, we in philanthropy must step into our values, not away from them.
We hope both the guide and our forthcoming podcast episodes serve as valuable resources along your journey to advance equitable philanthropy and support your communities.
Mares Asfaha
Associate Director, Programs
Aya Tsuruta
Associate Director, Marketing & Communications
Emily Daman
Senior Analyst