Kataly Foundation

It’s time to tell the truth about women of color and social justice. From the streets, to the ballot box, to elected office, no other demographic group stands up more consistently and unequivocally for human rights, democracy, and the planet. Yet when they are in leadership positions, women of color face persistent and unfair obstacles. For them, too often, the game is rigged. We are so excited for Vanessa Priya Daniel's new book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning (Random House, March 4, 2025), which draws on interviews with 45 of the most powerful women of color movement leaders of our time, as well as Vanessa’s own experience as a leader, organizer, and funder. The Kataly team has learned so much from Vanessa's brilliance through the Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective, and in many other movement and philanthropy spaces. We are eager for this book—in this critical moment with so much at stake, it will offer a playbook for unrigging the game so we can all win. Pre-order the book today: https://lnkd.in/gcct_DAx #UnrigTheGame #Equity #LeadershipDevelopment #SocialJustice

How can funders navigate the complexities of sunsetting and deploying their endowments with intentionality? Join Grantmakers in the Arts on Thursday, November 14 at 2pm EST/ 11am PST for an in-depth discussion on ways that arts funders can democratize power within gratmaking, and maximize their long-term impact by supporting the needs of today’s cultural ecosystem. Featuring Malila Becton-Consuegra from Stupski Foundation, Tony Grant and Caroline Grant at Sustainable Arts Foundation, and Kataly's Director of Capacity Building, Jocelyn Wong. Learn more about the webinar and register here: https://bit.ly/4dZO8qQ

What is the role of philanthropy when democracy is at risk? Our hope is for funders to stand in solidarity with communities, and take direction from people who have been on the ground and in the fight for liberation. We can move resources in a way that follows the lead of the people most impacted, and leverage our institutional power to support the narratives, policies, and demands of grassroots groups. Kataly is in the process of moving $2.4 million in rapid response grantmaking to support the needs we have heard expressed by our grantee partners: social movement defense, safety, and security for organizations and community leaders, climate disaster relief following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and U.S.-based Jewish and Arab organizing for land and liberation in solidarity with Palestine. At this moment, we want to ask funders to step into our full potential and embrace our role in preserving and protecting democracy. We can do this by opening the coffers: this is not the time to scale back or retreat out of fear. Every institution should increase its grantmaking in the coming years to ensure impacted communities can build beyond one election cycle and into the future. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gk2zrdk4

We are excited to share Kataly's investment strategy for our unrestricted reserve: $235 million in values-aligned investments. Divesting from Wall Street and aligning our investments with our mission and values was a complex process with lots of twists and turns along the way. We had to hone in on our priorities, develop new relationships, rigorously screen for justice-alignment, thoroughly vet partners, and more. Read our announcement to learn who we are partnering with and how: https://lnkd.in/gufxgqkX

???? Ask Us Anything ???? What questions have you asked a funder, but never gotten a clear answer to? Last week, Kataly launched its bi-monthly newsletter, After Philanthropy. The goal of this newsletter is to tell the story of our spend out, and along the way, make philanthropy more accessible and transparent. The decisions funders make do not have to be cloaked in mystery. To that end, we want to hear your hard questions! Ask us, and we'll do our best to be as candid as we can. Submit your question for our future newsletters here: https://lnkd.in/gGi92pHh

"Collaboration can create a broader movement that sees culture and community ownership as essential to economic restoration. Embracing this cultural approach to economics is not just about artmaking; it’s about creating a new possibility based on a shared set of values, which can guide policy changes and inspire community initiatives." -- anasa troutman An excellent read by anasa troutman in Nonprofit Quarterly, interrogating how we can invest in story and culture as a catalyst for economic development, in a way that centers community. Read for a glimpse of the powerful ways storytelling is embedded in the work of the Historic Clayborn Temple and many other projects throughout the South: https://lnkd.in/g8SA8vvf

"I think what has been so transformative for me, and the gift, I hope, that the Kataly Foundation project has to offer to the field of philanthropy, is that by spending out in ways that actually create the opportunity for experimenting in new forms of ownership, stewardship, solidarity-economy projects, that we can show that philanthropy can spend out and should, in service of this new system. You just have to do it in ways that are responsive to what is being asked for from the organizers on the ground who are building out these experiments in solidarity economy." -- Regan Pritzker Listen to this excellent, thought-provoking conversation hosted by John Biewen and Ellen McGirt for Scene on the Radio with partners at Justice Funders, Sogorea Te Land Trust, Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project, and others about reimagined economies: https://lnkd.in/g2t6GMYu

?? More hiring updates from Kataly! We are hiring for a Managing Director of Programs to support and amplify efforts across programmatic areas and within the organization broadly. The Managing Director will serve as a critical connector and advocate for opportunities to collaborate across program teams in alignment with organization-wide strategic goals. Read more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gRvww-dy

Our team is expanding ???? . Read more about our new Capacity Building Program Officer role below.