Philanthropy Reading List Part 2 – UK

In this blogpost I have listed some of the resources I have found useful when thinking about how we might specifically progress issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the trust and foundation sector in the UK – with a particular emphasis on race.  Many are from UK sources and those from the US are ones which I think are particularly “transferable” to the UK context.

This post is inspired by Deborah Elizabeth Finn’s (@Deborah909) recently published reading list on some of the key current issues in philanthropy in the USA.  In an earlier blogpost I listed the resources of Deborah’s list that appeared to me to have a particular relevance to some of the issues we’re facing in the UK – where we’re still far away from the progressive revolution in philanthropy that Deborah describes as taking off in the US:  Philanthropy Reading List Part 1 – USA

Included below are some of the toolkits and other resources that I think can help us to be better funders and to make Diversity, Equity & Inclusion a fundamental operating principle in everything we do.

I aim to add to this list if I find new material that I think might be useful in the UK, and I’d also welcome other people’s suggestions for additions.

As with any reading list, I have to remind myself:  “Reading should inform action – not be a substitute for it”.

Overview:

• Giving Thought Blog  &  Giving Thought Podcast  – Blog and podcast from Rhodri Davies – the Head of Policy at the UK’s Charities Aid Foundation.  Also really worth following on Twitter as both @Rhodri_H_Davies and as @Philliteracy where he tweets about the history and development of UK philanthropy.

DEI:

• Calls to Action – Charity So White
• Just Cause – with Derek A Bardowell  –  Podcasts by author of “No Win Race”
• Why We Need to Stop Talking About Equality – Fozia Irfan (Chief Executive – Beds and Luton Community Foundation and creator of a new funder coalition looking to develop approaches to advancing DI practices amongst trusts and foundations in the UK)
• The Diversity Forum Toolkit – Diversity Forum
• Equality and Human Rights Framework for the Voluntary Sector – Equality and Diversity Forum
• Let’s Talk About Race: civil society and race equality – Civil Society Futures/Brap
• A Primer on Intersectionality (including “What Kind of Ally Are You?”) – African American Policy Forum / Kimberlé Crenshaw
• The “business case” for inclusion is bankrupt. Let’s disinvest – Hanna Naima McCloskey (Fearless Futures)

 Power and Privilege:

• Privilege and Prejudice – Whitney Iles
• Us White Charity CEOs Need to Talk About Race – Thomas Lawson
• Power & Trust – Grant Givers Movement
• Power and Privilege – NEON (New Economy Organisers Network)

Grantmaking/Funding Practices:

• Racial Justice in the Funding Sector – Future Foundations UK
• Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector – Voice4Change England and ACEVO
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:  the pillars of stronger foundation practice – Association of Charitable Foundations
• From Words to Action: a practical philanthropic guide to diversity, equity and inclusion – Barbara Chow (Grantcraft)
• Power Moves – National Centre for Responsive Philanthropy
• Courage in Practice: 5 Principles for Peak Grantmaking – Peak Grantmakers
• Toolkit for Grantmakers Who Want to Invest Equitably in the Non-profit Workforce  – Fund the People
• The Philanthropy Framework – Rockerfeller Philanthropy Advisors
• What It Really Takes to Influence Funder Practice – Ford Foundation

UK organisations working on DEI in and around the voluntary and not-for-profit funding sector:

• ACEVO
• Association of Charitable Foundations
• Diversity Forum
• Institute of Fundraising
• New Philanthropy Capital

People and organisations to follow on Twitter:

UK:

• Fozia Irfan
• Rhodri Davies
• Derek Bardowell
• #CharitySoWhite
• Future Foundations UK
• Beyond Suffrage
• Action for Trustee Racial Diversity UK
• Grant Givers Movement
• Voice4Change England

Elsewhere:

• Vu Le – Nonprofit AF
• Lori Villarosa – Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity
• Jennifer Lentfer – How Matters

Other Reports, Toolkits and Articles I Have Found Useful:

• Awake to Woke to Work: building a race equity culture – Equity in the Center/ProInspire
• Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens – Philanthropic Initative for Racial Equity
• How to think about power (especially if you have some) – National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
• Philanthropy at its Best – National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
• White Privilege and Male Privilege – A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies – Peggy McIntosh
• The Diversity Paradox – capturing the value of difference by looking beyond the numbers – The B Team
• 10 Ways for Independent Foundations to Consider Diversity and Inclusive Practices – Council on Foundations
• Equitable Evaluation Framing Paper – Equitable Evaluation Initiative
• Grantmaking Practices Self-Assessment – Justice Funders

I’ve written elsewhere that toolkits aren’t enough to create change on their own: https://newreciprocity.com/2019/09/15/15-people-in-a-room/

But they do have a role to play in helping to make change happen.  We just have to want to use them.