THEMES
EDI
Funding
Our Approach
Civil society organisations are most effective when they are led by the community that they are trying to serve. Because marginalised communities are most underserved by public services, organisations led by and for marginalised communities are particularly important - and invaluable for society. However, the civil society sector isn’t always a place where minority-led organisations can easily thrive: there are many structural barriers and implicit biases in grantmaking - particularly in due diligence process - which make it difficult for minority-led organistions to get funding.
The Project Brief
We were delighted to have been commissioned by NPC (New Philanthropy Capital) - a national think tank and consultancy that supports foundations, philanthropists, impact investors, and other funding bodies - to explore how grantmaking processes can become more inclusive and equitable, to foster a sector that is more diverse. Our brief was to analyse the opportunities and challenges for embedding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in grant-making due diligence, including a review of NPC’s own approach to defining ‘what makes a good charity’.
How can diversity, equity and inclusion be embedded in grantmaking due diligence?
PROCESS
Participatory Research
Facilitation
Our team started by identifying and diagnosing assumptions and cultural biases that are implicit in grantmaking processes, and which present barriers to minority-led organisations. We identified four barriers that organisations led by and for marginalised communities face, outlined in our blog.
We proceeded to identify and explore what grantmakers can do to redress these barriers. NPC has used our report to develop a how'-to’ guide for grantmakers: How to embed DEI in your grantmaking cycle: A practical guide to becomming a diverse, equitable and inclusive funder.
Impact
We have seen first-hand how deserving community organisations that have missed out on funding, because, they do not have the processes in place to pass due diligence, through our work providing free support to minority-led organisations during and in the wake of the pandemic. Our research for NPC was guided by this experience and a racial equity lens, with a keen focus on intersectionality.
We took a participatory approach. After reviewing existing NPC’s existing due diligence processes, the team charted the barriers by interviewing with representatives from 11 funders, six infrastructure organisations, nine grassroots organisations led by and for marginalised communities, and 14 NPC staff members. We then held two rounds of workshops to identify, explore and develop solutions for redressing each barrier.
With all this insight analysed and documented, our team then supported NPC to review its internal processes.