As funders locally and nationally seek to address racial equity internally and within their communities, Philanthropy Ohio has launched a Racial Equity Capacity Assessment for our members and Ohio foundations. The assessment will evaluate funders’ internal racial equity practices, policies and culture as well as external practices related to grantmaking, convening and nonprofit partners. Funders can sign up now until April 23 to participate in the equity assessment, which is free for Philanthropy Ohio members to participate and closes on May 7.
“We’re excited to launch this equity capacity assessment for our members, which builds on our own racial equity assessment that the United Philanthropy Forum administered in 2019 as well as our 15-year history of work in this area,” said President & CEO Deborah Aubert Thomas. “This is a great opportunity and I encourage all funders – from those just beginning to think about equity work to those already deep into your journey – to sign up for the assessment to get a sense of where you are and benchmark your progress compared to your peers.”
By participating in this comprehensive assessment, you will receive a custom organizational profile that will inform your efforts to advance racial equity internally and externally. The data will be compiled into an anonymized collective report establishing benchmarking for the field, which will be shared with members later this year. To develop this assessment, we collaborated with Kip Holley of K. Holley Consulting, LLC whose expertise includes research, civic engagement and community advocacy. The assessment gathers information on your organization’s demographics; internal racial equity practices, policies and culture; external efforts related to grantmaking and opportunities for nonprofit partners; as well as successes, challenges, future supports and needs. We recommend that three people from each organization complete the assessment as you’ll get a fuller, more accurate snapshot of your racial equity work if multiple staff with different perspectives and lived experiences take the assessment.
In addition to the Racial Equity Capacity Assessment, Philanthropy Ohio will also launch a new Racial Equity Peer Learning Cohort to offer support, leadership and space for members to connect, learn and share in their racial equity work. The Racial Equity Capacity Assessment is a prerequisite for participating in the cohort, which will be fee-based and due to its design, will be limited to 12 participants.
Philanthropy Ohio is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in our organization and in Ohio’s philanthropic sector. While acknowledging the importance of all forms of equity, Philanthropy Ohio chose to lead with racial equity and address its intersectionality with other marginalized identities.
Sign up now to participate in the assessment and gain valuable insight individually and collectively on your journey to promote racial equity. For more information, please visit philanthropyohio.org/philanthropy-ohio-racial-equity-capacity-assessment or reach out to me via email!
Adrienne Wells
Manager, Public Policy
Philanthropy Ohio