|
January 17, 2000
Funding Social Change Brings Charity Beyond Band-Aids
The Funding Exchange puts social, political, and economic justice into the vocabulary of
philanthropy.
SocialFunds.com --
Last year, Americans donated $l50 billion to charity, yet many of these funds barely scratch the
surface of social inequities. The Funding Exchange seeks to reach beyond the symptoms, to change
the underlying causes of lack of opportunity, discrimination, economic exploitation, or other forms
of systemic social dysfunction in the U.S.
 The Funding Exchange is a network of 15 community
foundations across the U.S., public foundations supported almost entirely by individuals, that fund
grassroots organizing for social, political, and economic justice. This network gives grants
totaling approximately $12 million each year to more than 2,200 organizations, including about $3
million from the national office in New York City, part of a vibrant movement toward more
progressive philanthropy.
"We give funding priority to community-based organizations that
address the underlying, or root, causes of poverty and discrimination," said Ellen Gurzinsky,
Executive Director of the Funding Exchange. "Our politics and practices expand democracy in
philanthropy by increasing institutional accountability and representation of people historically
denied power and resources."
Philanthropy is a vehicle for social change at the Funding
Exchange, where the motto is "change, not charity." According to their vision, wealth disparity in
the U.S., the history of exploiting human and natural resources, and the undue influence of wealth
on our political system, perpetuate and strengthen a destructive dynamic within our country. They
believe these conditions must be fundamentally changed in order to have true democracy and economic
justice.
Member funds seek approaches to social problems that actively engage the people
affected by the problem, involving them in the process of identifying and pursuing the solution,
generally called "community organizing." Local activists recommend projects that originate in, and
empower, communities suffering from injustice, including women, people of color, lesbians and gay
men, and the poor, those often outside the social circles of traditional philanthropy
The
members of Funding Exchange stretch from New England to Hawai'i, and from Oregon to Georgia. For
instance, the Appalachian Community Fund provides grants to groups promoting progressive community
change, such as affordable housing, civil rights, and sustainable agriculture, in central
Appalachia. The People's Fund is a public foundation established to make grants to grassroots
community organizing groups in Hawai'i and the Pacific.
"The community foundations who
join the Funding Exchange network are part of a growing movement to expand progressive
philanthropy," said Gurzinsky. "Our network shares technical assistance information and best
practices, political education programs on cutting-edge issues, skill development in every arena,
and solidarity in the support of social justice and human dignity."
In addition to
coordinating activities to strengthen and grow the network of funds, which it hopes one day will
cover all of the U.S., the national office of Funding Exchange administers a $3 million grantmaking
program. They also coordinate project site visits for donors and briefings on political topics of
concern to familiarize them with the issues, including two recent international donor trips: one to
South Africa and another to the Middle East.
The principles of philanthropy for social
change exemplified by Funding Exchange are spelled out in "Robin Hood Was Right," a book published
by the organization and authored by two of its visionaries, Chuck Collins and Pam Rogers. With a
newly revised edition due out in March, "Robin Hood" is an indispensable guide for the socially
conscious giver, with many suggestions for greater generosity toward a more equitable world.
"Given the increased privatization of human services and the far-reaching effects of the global
economy, community foundations will have to play a greater role in meeting human needs in the
future," said Gurzinsky. "The Funding Exchange can bring together individuals and resources with
democratic and collective approaches to problem-solving which are inclusive, fair, and change the
circumstances that make philanthropy necessary."
www.fex.org
©
SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Top
| 
