GRANTMAKING APPROACH AND EVOLUTION
We stand with movements working to build a world where gender, economic, and racial justice are realized for all.
Current and past grantees work at the intersections of reproductive health, birth justice, workplace equity, and corporate engagement.
As we transition from active grantmaking, this work lives primarily through our anchor organizations, which will carry forward our commitment to gender, economic, and racial justice long after we close our doors.
Our Approach
Deepening relationships with our partners taught us that our approach matters as much as our focus areas. Through our journey toward relationship-centered philanthropy, a set of guiding principles emerged for HOW we fund. As we conclude our active grantmaking, these principles continue to shape our philanthropic organizing work:
Centering BIPOC Leadership
We now prioritize funding Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations, recognizing their expertise and leadership as essential to achieving lasting change.
Addressing Root Causes
We focus on initiatives that tackle systemic racism and other forms of oppression as fundamental drivers of inequity.
Building
Power
We support efforts that build economic and political power within marginalized communities, rather than reinforcing dependency.
Cross-Movement Collaboration
We encourage work that bridges traditional movement silos, recognizing that the most effective solutions emerge at these intersections.
Trust-Based Philanthropy
We provide flexible, unrestricted funding that trusts leaders to determine how resources can best advance their mission.
OUR EVOLUTION
Traditional philanthropy operates from a fundamental power imbalance: those with wealth decide which organizations deserve funding and how that money should be used.
This setup, no matter how well-intentioned, reinforces the same systems of concentrated power that stand in the way of shared abundance and collective thriving.
As we deepened our commitment to racial equity, our approach transformed: we shifted grantmaking power from board to staff working alongside community advisors, embraced participatory decision-making, and adopted trust-based funding practices.
Our transformation from traditional, transactional, top-down grantmaking to a relationship-centered approach has been humbling, messy, and ongoing. We've made plenty of mistakes along the way: clinging to control when we should have let go, moving with urgency when care and intention was needed, centering our pursuit of "goodness" over the needs of our partners.
But the struggle has proven itself worthwhile. We share our story as part of an honest conversation about what transformation requires.
What we’re learning: Abundance requires democratizing power and resources, justice demands redistribution, and transformation comes through authentic relationships.
Movement areas: interconnected pathways to justice
At the heart of our work are four inextricably intertwined movement areas that collectively advance gender, economic, and racial justice:
Reproductive Health
We support the reproductive health movement's shift toward a multi-issue, intersectional approach to reproductive freedom. We prioritize supporting Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) women, trans, and gender-nonconforming leaders and communities who have historically been excluded from reproductive health leadership, who hold the knowledge needed for transformative change. Our work centers reproductive justice, racial justice, and gender justice values as inseparable elements in the work of achieving true reproductive freedom.
Birth Justice
We fund the ecosystem of direct service, coalition-building, and relationship development necessary for the transformation of maternal health outcomes. Our work prioritizes and elevates BIPOC leadership and voices, while building economic power, sustainability, and sovereignty for BIPOC leaders, organizations, and birthing people. We recognize that disparate outcomes in maternal healthcare are rooted in racism and that culturally relevant care is essential to reducing inequities.
Explore Orchid Capital Collective's approach to birth justice →
Corporate Engagement
We identify and address opportunities to advance corporate behavior change toward gender and racial equity. Our strategy focuses on catalytic gaps, including identifying effective messengers and allies, activating workers, and holding companies accountable for their political giving and influence. We recognize that private sector support plays a crucial role in social movements, and that when government is unable or unwilling to act, business leadership can help mainstream the norms and values essential for a just society.
Workplace Equity
Our workplace equity focus centers the needs and voices of BIPOC women working in low and hourly-wage jobs. We support efforts that recognize racism as a key factor in inequitable workplace outcomes and aim to build economic power for these communities. By advancing workers' voices and their ability to collectively organize for their needs, we help create more equitable workplaces where everyone can thrive.
Carrying forward:
our Anchor Organizations
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Rhia Ventures
Reproductive Health
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Orchid Capital Collective
Birth Justice
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Oasis Institute
Workplace Equity
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Center for Inclusive Business at BSR
corporate engagement
Each operates independently with significant multi-year unrestricted grants, building upon the relationships and knowledge developed throughout our journey.
By transferring both financial resources and decision-making authority to these anchor organizations, we're working to create a sustainable ecosystem of movement builders who will continue advancing gender, economic, and racial justice in the years ahead.
