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

"You don’t get thwarted by differences because you know who the real villain is, and who the real allies are. Differences build unity. Coming together is an acknowledgment of those differences," explains Edward W. Hazen Foundation Board Chair and President of Community Coalition, Alberto Retana. He shares how he's has managed to build solidarity among multiracial communities in South LA for over 20 years now. Alberto and fellow organizer, Jamila Rice, Membership and Organizing Director at Power California, reflect on their years of organizing to strengthen collective power across #California. Jamila explains what fuels her work in the Central Valley: "Organizing and activism is not something you can do without getting involved. It’s a trade that you learn. I get to teach my people this trade—and win policy, build power, and bring resources to my community." Read about the strategies they employ to empower and mobilize their communities on Nonprofit Quarterly: https://lnkd.in/gWP5cUdq

Out now: The Hazen Foundation’s final report, “Reevaluating Practice: Reimagining Philanthropy,” is available on the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)’ website! We are honored that GEO has offered to give it a home beyond the life of the Foundation. The report is a final offering from Hazen and our #nonprofit partners to #philanthropy. In it, grantees offer recommendations that will help our peers and partners to develop partnerships that advance a more effective and sustainable movement for social justice: “It helps to know what their constraints are—it humanizes them. When funders are open about their work, their approach to funding, and what they are up against, then we can come to a place of mutual understanding,” recommends Cathy Dang-Santa Anna, national co-director of Grassroots Asians Rising. The Foundation also shares some of the lessons we’ve learned throughout our five-year spend down, through a strategy defined by grantee input and collaboration. We know many of our peers in the field have long been working to implement strategies and practices that develop authentic relationships with nonprofit leaders and that center justice. We hope this report adds to your work and is a catalyst for pushing us all to go further in the pursuit of a just society. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/g6C9V69Y #ReimaginingPhilanthropy

When the Foundation decided to put itself out of business by moving all our assets into the hands of grassroots organizers and communities of color, we proudly went all in. To ensure our efforts aligned with the work of our grantees, we asked for their input and guidance to define our spend down strategy. We gathered information through surveys and one-on-one check-ins and developed activities based on what grantees wanted. In that time, our partnership has enabled community leaders to think long-term about their base-building strategies and sustainability, and supported their ability to be nimble when emergencies arise. Resources included funding to access training and consulting, communications support, improve staff compensation, and create HR policies that reflect organizational values. We also provided grants for activities that went beyond an organization’s regular scope of work such as mutual aid, rapid response during a crisis, and increased outreach when an unexpected opportunity for action occurred. "These initiatives helped strengthen the groups’ organizing work by enabling them to build deeper relationships with partners," shared Lori Bezahler on a recent conversation with Gabe Oatley for Future of Good. https://lnkd.in/dEJzGaA4

Five years ago, our board decided to meet the "movement moment" our nation was in by prioritizing the longevity of our grantees over the lifetime of the Foundation. We committed to going all in for a youth and parent-led movement for #education and #RacialJustice. This year, we have fulfilled that promise—moving $3.75 million to 43 nonprofit organizations. Grantee feedback defined our spend down plan. With their input and feedback, the Foundation agreed to a five-year plan that included $2.8 million in emergency grants made at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since announcing our spend down in 2019, our collaboration with grantees has enabled the Foundation to be a responsive partner and effectively allocate resources—an example we hope more leaders in #philanthropy follow. We close our doors this May, nearly 100 years since we first opened them. Our grantees are our legacy and deserve our full support. https://lnkd.in/gAKuYGZC

ICYMI: Our president Lori Bezahler, and Marquetta Atkins-Woods, executive director of Destination Innovation, connected on the Race to Social Justice Podcast. On the episode, "Equipping Youth for Success," Lori and Marquetta describe their partnership as funder and grantee to empower brilliant youth in Wichita, Kansas, as leaders in building a safer and more equitable future. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gApt5qcm

Thank you to our grantees, allies, and philanthropic partners who gathered in New York earlier this year to celebrate the amazing organizations building a youth and parent-centered movement for racial justice. Together, we #PowerAMovement! Relive the night on our Medium page: https://lnkd.in/gDS2sRx7