On November 1, 2022, Dr. Lourdes J. Rodríguez became chief executive officer of the New York City-based David Rockefeller Fund.Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Rodríguez moved to the continental U.S. in 1996. She received her doctorate in public … [Read more...] about Nine Questions for Lourdes J. Rodríguez, the David Rockefeller Fund’s New CEO
Criminal Justice
With a Broad Agenda and A-List Backers, Sandy Hook Promise Is a Fundraising Powerhouse
Nearly 500 guests gathered in the swanky, Art Deco-inspired Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. As Secret Service clad in dark glasses surrounded the event, it was clear the leading man of the night was none other than President Barack Obama. He’d be … [Read more...] about With a Broad Agenda and A-List Backers, Sandy Hook Promise Is a Fundraising Powerhouse
Philanthropy Needs a New Normal: Here Are 3 Ways We’re Reimagining Our Grantmaking
As the director of programs at the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, I see the work that our grantee partners put in each day. They are advocating for people directly impacted by gun violence and/or the criminal legal system and offering … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Needs a New Normal: Here Are 3 Ways We’re Reimagining Our Grantmaking
With Backing from Kresge, Operation Restoration Gives Formerly Incarcerated Women a Leg Up
Syrita Steib was released from prison to a New Orleans that had been transformed. In the almost 10 years she spent incarcerated, technology had advanced, social norms had changed, and Hurricane Katrina had swept away so many of the things that would … [Read more...] about With Backing from Kresge, Operation Restoration Gives Formerly Incarcerated Women a Leg Up
A Criminal Justice Reform Funder Expands its Footprint, State by State
When most people think about U.S. states that are on the forefront of battles for criminal justice reform, New York certainly comes to mind. So does California, where reform-minded candidates are doing well despite the recent San Francisco recall. … [Read more...] about A Criminal Justice Reform Funder Expands its Footprint, State by State
What We Learned from Five Years of Funding Community Safety and Transforming Policing
Too often, those of us committed to equity-driven philanthropy wait to respond to unimaginable trauma instead of funding community organizers working to build safety up front. The horrendous killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — followed by a … [Read more...] about What We Learned from Five Years of Funding Community Safety and Transforming Policing
This Major Funder Hopes to Break the Link Between Homelessness and Incarceration
As communities across the country deploy a variety of strategies to address the difficult issue of homelessness, a new initiative launched by the MacArthur Foundation and the Urban Institute is focused on the often overlooked connection between … [Read more...] about This Major Funder Hopes to Break the Link Between Homelessness and Incarceration
How Public Health Funders Are Taking on the Epidemic of Gun Violence
Gun violence is often viewed as a matter of law enforcement, product regulation, or perhaps social work. But given the enormous human toll it’s taking in the United States, gun violence has clearly become a public health crisis, as well. In a country … [Read more...] about How Public Health Funders Are Taking on the Epidemic of Gun Violence
“Avenues for Hope” in Gun Violence Prevention — and a Major Role for Philanthropy
A recent New York Times piece captured the grinding hopelessness many Americans feel after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas left 19 children and two teachers dead. “We witness the horrors of the present in which these massacres seem to happen every … [Read more...] about “Avenues for Hope” in Gun Violence Prevention — and a Major Role for Philanthropy
How This Star-Studded Justice Reform Outfit Rakes in Big-Donor Support
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley to Hollywood, the backgrounds of leaders in philanthropy and the nonprofit world can be diverse. But criminal justice reform organization REFORM Alliance might take the cake for the sheer variety of big-name … [Read more...] about How This Star-Studded Justice Reform Outfit Rakes in Big-Donor Support
Why Philanthropy Has Made Little Progress on Gun Violence — and a Few Reasons for Hope
Thinking back to a piece I wrote on gun violence prevention philanthropy last spring after the two grisly mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, it’s saddening but unsurprising that another two horrific gun massacres have taken place within a short … [Read more...] about Why Philanthropy Has Made Little Progress on Gun Violence — and a Few Reasons for Hope
“An Epidemic Within the Pandemic.” How Eight Funders Back Gun Violence Prevention
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran March 29, 2021. We are republishing today in response to another devastating school shooting yesterday, in Uvalde, Texas.Two March mass shootings—the first in Atlanta, the second in Boulder—served as grisly … [Read more...] about “An Epidemic Within the Pandemic.” How Eight Funders Back Gun Violence Prevention
“All But Ignored by Philanthropy.” A New Fund Addresses Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
Nationwide, an alarming number of Indigenous people are murdered every year; many simply disappear, their whereabouts unknown. The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people has its own acronym (MMIP) and its own day of awareness (May 5), but … [Read more...] about “All But Ignored by Philanthropy.” A New Fund Addresses Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
How a Public-Private Collaboration in L.A. Is Looking Beyond Punishment to Curb Youth Incarceration
Los Angeles is known for many things: ubiquitous sunshine, the film industry, and several popular sports teams, to name a few. It also, however, boasts an alarming distinction: L.A. County has one of the highest youth incarceration rates in the … [Read more...] about How a Public-Private Collaboration in L.A. Is Looking Beyond Punishment to Curb Youth Incarceration
IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Violence Prevention?
In a sentence: Violence is a massive problem in the United States, and though philanthropy supporting efforts to prevent it has long been scant, funding in this area is growing and evolving. What’s Going On “Whether we’re talking about gender-based … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Violence Prevention?
Crowdfunding Criminal Justice: Lots of Promise, Lots of Pitfalls
It was 2015, and Detective Sergeant William Carter of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department had already spent several years trying to crack a two-decade-old cold case on his spare time — the 1993 rape and murder of 19-year-old Carmen Hope … [Read more...] about Crowdfunding Criminal Justice: Lots of Promise, Lots of Pitfalls
Five Funder Collaboratives—and a New Public-Private Partnership—Supporting Violence Prevention
Prompted by grassroots movements, funders are shifting from a punitive to a preventive approach to ending violence, looking at root causes and supporting community solutions. Funders are also coming together in collaborative efforts to leverage their … [Read more...] about Five Funder Collaboratives—and a New Public-Private Partnership—Supporting Violence Prevention
Critical Funding Gaps in Criminal Justice Reform Hit the South and Midwest Hardest
If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court. That fact is remarkable, considering just how many people each day are impacted by our criminal legal system. Here are some sobering … [Read more...] about Critical Funding Gaps in Criminal Justice Reform Hit the South and Midwest Hardest
Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
Note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2022.It’s hard to believe that the last time MacKenzie Scott announced the name of a grantee was back in June of 2021, almost nine months ago. She has continued to dominate the philanthropic … [Read more...] about Round Four: Here’s What You Need to Know About MacKenzie Scott’s Latest List of Gifts
How This Fellowship Lets Social Justice Leaders Explore Bold Ideas
Child poverty, racial injustice, economic oppression of trans people and police misconduct. These are just some of the deeply entrenched problems that the current cohort of Rosenberg Foundation Leading Edge fellows plan to tackle. The Leading Edge … [Read more...] about How This Fellowship Lets Social Justice Leaders Explore Bold Ideas
CZI’s Justice Reform Spinoff Has Ambitious Goals. Here’s Where Its First Grants Are Headed
Over the past several years, something fascinating has happened in the field of criminal justice reform. Grassroots movement-building—after a decade of tireless, incremental progress—reached a crescendo during the 2020 racial justice protests. … [Read more...] about CZI’s Justice Reform Spinoff Has Ambitious Goals. Here’s Where Its First Grants Are Headed
Seven Questions for Ellen Alberding, President and CEO of the Joyce Foundation
Ellen Alberding is president and CEO of the Joyce Foundation, the Chicago-based grantmaker that distributes $50 million annually and has assets totaling $1 billion. Under Alberding’s leadership, the foundation, which is active in fields like … [Read more...] about Seven Questions for Ellen Alberding, President and CEO of the Joyce Foundation
What Can Funders Do to Better Support Incarcerated Women and Girls?
There are currently more than 741,000 women in prison worldwide. The past two decades have seen the global female prison population grow at an alarming rate. The number of women in prison is estimated to have increased by about 59% between 2000 and … [Read more...] about What Can Funders Do to Better Support Incarcerated Women and Girls?
What We Learned from a Deep Dive into Violence Prevention Funding
This week, Inside Philanthropy published a report about funding for violence prevention as part of its State of American Philanthropy project that launched last year. Each report explores contemporary giving patterns, opportunities, and trends and … [Read more...] about What We Learned from a Deep Dive into Violence Prevention Funding
IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Criminal Justice Reform?
In a sentence: Giving to organizations working on criminal justice reform has soared in recent years, and fundraisers are wondering how long that will last. What’s going on Criminal justice reform has long been an underfunded sector of philanthropy, … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Criminal Justice Reform?
How Multiple Generations of the Disney Family Come Together to Fund Social Justice in LA and Beyond
It all began at Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in October 1923. Here, bright young cartoonist Walt Disney and his older brother Roy O. Disney established the upstart studio in Hollywood, California. Walt arrived in Los Angeles from the Midwest after … [Read more...] about How Multiple Generations of the Disney Family Come Together to Fund Social Justice in LA and Beyond
What Makes Funder Collaboratives Work? The Fund for a Safer Future Looks Back on Its First Decade
The impact and efficacy of funder collaboratives have received a lot of attention in recent years. CEP’s Phil Buchanan authored a Stanford Social Innovation Review article in 2017 reflecting on the challenges of funder collaboratives. Bridgespan … [Read more...] about What Makes Funder Collaboratives Work? The Fund for a Safer Future Looks Back on Its First Decade
With More Donors on Board, Open Philanthropy Is Spinning Its Criminal Justice Work into a New Fund
In the six years since Open Philanthropy’s criminal justice reform program began, it has become one of the most influential funders in this area of philanthropy, overseeing a wide-ranging grantmaking portfolio and supporting organizations working to … [Read more...] about With More Donors on Board, Open Philanthropy Is Spinning Its Criminal Justice Work into a New Fund
Responding to Inequities Revealed by COVID, Funders Set Out to Repair Workers’ Safety Net
COVID-19 shined a light on the gross inequities in American employment. As nearly half of the country’s lowest-paid workers lost their jobs, cracks in the system locked many out of critical lifelines like unemployment and put a hard stop to the … [Read more...] about Responding to Inequities Revealed by COVID, Funders Set Out to Repair Workers’ Safety Net
This Criminal Justice Reform Funder Is Backing Those Impacted by the System to Lead the Way
Criminal justice reform is an area of philanthropy that has expanded dynamically during the past several years, attracting a wide range of donors funding several approaches. As Inside Philanthropy has reported, bail reform, policing reform and … [Read more...] about This Criminal Justice Reform Funder Is Backing Those Impacted by the System to Lead the Way
