Will Philanthropy Meet the Moment?

One year ago today, George Floyd was murdered.

This was a family tragedy. The loss of a father, a partner, a brother, a cousin. I send my heartfelt condolences to George’s family.  Their private grief was also a touchtone for so many people, those who have experienced police violence or loved someone who has, those for whom the horror confirmed things already known, and those for whom this was a catalyzing moment, moving them to join the protests in cities and towns across the country, demanding change. 

As I join the millions around the world who mourn for George today, I feel compelled to ask whether philanthropy has lived up to the promises it made in the aftermath of that outrageous murder. The outpouring of statements and pledges was remarkable. Some foundations hired senior level staff to lead internal diversity efforts. There was even a momentary surge in support for racial justice organizations, but very little of that money flowed to the communities most deeply affected and even less to organizations that are building the power among Black people to challenge the social structures that have enabled state sanctioned violence. 

But while this tragedy opened up important conversations, I fear that a year later we are dangerously close to a return to the status quo. We in philanthropy think of ourselves as “the good guys”, without recognizing the myriad ways that we reify white supremacy and oppression. I worry that the performative nature of the support, often accompanied by big public announcements, is the end point, not the beginning of the real work to be done: considering how we make ourselves unavailable to grassroots communities, organizing groups challenging elites, and others who may not have the tools or education to complete an online application requiring multiple essays; or placing people in our own organizations as gatekeepers and decision makers who have no real experience of the everyday effects of racism, oppression, and poverty. Certainly there are notable examples to the contrary – but can we say that truly transformative change has occurred? I certainly do not think so. 

We’re seeing regression elsewhere already. Corporations have already shifted back to political donations to elected officials pushing voter suppression and racist business practices, even more so now that vaccinations are widely available and consumer appetite is revived. Take the example of Barclays Bank and others, who had promised not to finance prisons following intense investor pressure, who are already signing up to sell bonds for jail-building (though, thankfully, renewed investor activism held Barclays accountable for their promises and they withdrew the offering). 

Unfortunately, I foresee a reversion to the norm in philanthropy. True transformation will take discomfort and will upend our assumptions about the meritocracy, about who creates knowledge and how it is communicated, what information is of value and what is discounted, what the people on our staffs and boards look like and the experiences they bring. We have been called upon to rise to the challenge of this moment. Now is the time to get serious, to demand more of our colleagues and ourselves or we can be assured that not much will truly change. 

George Floyd’s murder was not an isolated event. Our response cannot be isolated either. We must commit, together, to moving all of our collective resources and energy into the work of building a just world.