I was excited to support and attend NCRP’s 2015 Impact Awards ceremony in San Francisco on May 19, 2015, following the Center for Effective Philanthropy conference’s opening reception. I was inspired because I highly value the critical role that NCRP plays as this country’s only independent watchdog of foundations. I am grateful for the steadfast commitment NCRP has demonstrated and the impact it has had on creating a just and more transparent philanthropic sector. That night, I was energized to be in a room of grantmakers and nonprofit leaders committed to impact and philanthropy’s power to support positive change.
Working with NCRP throughout the process of planning for this year’s NCRP Impact Awards – from nominations to the event itself – got me thinking concretely about how we measure impact in the context of social justice grantmaking and organizing. NCRP received many nominations of worthy foundations, and such decisions are always hard to make. The thoughtful criteria NCRP uses to identify potential awardees includes:
Exemplary Grantmaking: The foundation allocates a relatively high percentage of annual discretionary giving to social justice, marginalized communities, general operating support and multi-year grants. Its grantees have a visible effect on promoting systems change and empowering underserved communities.
Leadership in Philanthropy: Foundation executives publicly demonstrate a commitment to systems change strategies, including public speaking or writing about funding marginalized groups, serving on committees or other initiatives that promote social justice and making public commitments for social change (such as signing on to NCRP’s Philanthropy’s Promise initiative).
Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: The foundation shows a demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity, especially along lines of race and gender, regarding foundation staff and trustees.
After all is said and done, impact answers the question, “what difference is this work making?” NCRP has explored this question over the years through its Grantmaking for Community Impact Project report series, which documents work throughout various communities in the U.S.
This series makes the following observations about achieving impact:
- It is hard to generalize the definition of impact, and thus impacts are highly specific to a community or region.
- While some advocacy work is quantifiable, cultural impacts are harder to measure.
- Long-term impact requires long-term funder commitments and community engagement.
These lessons were reflected throughout the thoughtful acceptance speeches of this year’s Impact Award recipients. For example, Maria Mottola of the New York Foundation described how the foundation’s grantees are achieving impact, saying, “Groups like Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) make sure that the impact of community organizing is not only transactional in some abstract way but is also transformative in the lives of real people in neighborhoods.” While tenant turnout at a Bronx Housing Court is easily quantifiable, CASA organizers instead measure their success through the number of people who have been changed by being part of these campaigns. More than anything, they value how the energy and tenacity of community members fuel the success of their work.
Dr. Peter Long, executive director of the Blue Shield of California Foundation, described the foundation’s strategy to bridge the divide between healthcare providers and domestic violence prevention by facilitating partnerships between these two types of organizations. What difference has this made? Now, healthcare providers ask women coming in for annual checkups the simple question, “Are you safe in your relationship?” If the answer is no, the patient is immediately referred to a local domestic violence organization.
Long-term commitment plays a critical role in assuring long-term impact. Deeply committed and experienced grantmakers like the Needmor Fund’s Frank Sanchez focus on how grantees create impact, not funders. Frank explained, “Over the past 20 years, Needmor has invested in over 450 community organizations across the country. It has always been clear, it is the community organizations it funds that create the impact and make the change.”
Through my professional experience, I’ve seen the impact of these three foundations first-hand. Our other two awardees, Open Societies Foundation and Brooklyn Community Foundation, are also doing important work in their communities.
Each of these examples is unique to the funders’ goals and the organizations and communities they support. And that is one of the key takeaways from the Impact Awards – there is no one right way to create or measure impact. While, as a community of funders, we can be inspired by and learn from the great work of our peers, the awards ceremony reminded me that to be most impactful, each funder, in partnership with its grantees, needs to define the social change it seeks for itself. I am grateful to NCRP for lifting up and honoring the many different ways that grantmakers can support positive, long-term community change.
Leticia Alcantar is a principal partner at Lighthouse Philanthropy Advisors.
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