Edward W. Hazen Foundation

"May 2024 marks the end of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation—nearly a century since first opening its doors. Since the Foundation’s Board came together in 2019 and decided to move all our assets into the hands of grassroots organizers across the country, we have accomplished a lot—the publication of “Reevaluating Practice: Reimagining Philanthropy” being among our most recent triumphs. Having learned much in our last five years, we have captured much of our work on our Medium page. There you will find many of our reflections and insights from working with our grantees including strategic plans, opinion pieces, podcast features and much more: https://lnkd.in/exyGkmGf This is our final post. We are proud to have supported the organizing and leadership of young people and communities of color in dismantling structural inequity based on race and class—our hope for a more just world lives on in them. We are hopeful that our peers and partners in the field will use our example and the leadership of grassroots organizers to push #philanthropy to advance a more effective and sustainable movement for social justice. "

Hazen's decision to spend down was but one example of the ways we worked to shift our approach to #philanthropy. By centering our grantees, their needs, and the context of the communities they serve, we better aligned our grantmaking practice with their immediate and long-term goals. As the Foundation prepares to close, we reflect on the ways youth- and parent-led organizers influenced our practice and our commitment to authentic partnership in ways that moved both us and our peers in the field. Lori Bezahler shares her personal reflections and the insights gained from our grantees in a short talk during Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) National Conference this May. Join Lori in Avalon Room B at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21 to hear from her directly. https://lnkd.in/gzxQm_aG

#ICYMI: Edward W. Hazen Foundation Board Chair and President of Community Coalition, Alberto Retana and fellow organizer, Jamila Rice, Membership and Organizing Director at Power California reflect on their years of experience organizing multiracial communities across California. Read about the strategies they use to mobilize and strengthen Black and brown communities on Nonprofit Quarterly: https://lnkd.in/gWP5cUdq

#Leadership transitions are necessary moments in the lifetime of movement and #nonprofit organizations, but they can often destabilize these organizations. Instead of stepping in and offering support, #funders often sit back and wait to see how the transition unfolds. This practice can leave nonprofit leaders, especially Black and Indigenous leaders and leaders of color, to navigate the uncertainty of the transition on their own. But funders can use these moments as opportunities for collaboration, active listening, and true partnership, so that nonprofit organizations are set up for success before, during, and after a leadership transition. On April 30, 2024 at 3 pm ET join Neighborhood Funders Group for the April Member Call: Funding BIPOC-led Organizations in Transition. Liz Sak at Cricket Island Foundation, Shawnda Chapman at Ms. Foundation for Women, Lori Bezahler at Edward W. Hazen Foundation, and Melissa Sines at Leading Forward share the practical strategies they’re using to support BIPOC leadership in the nonprofit sector, and share more about their funder organizing efforts to call for a broader shift in grantmaking practices. Register today: https://lnkd.in/gBZ2Ejkq