In early 2019, the Roundtable fielded a survey of funders to explore children and family policy priorities and strategies.  The results provide insight into some of the ideas most on the minds of funders.  We are releasing survey results in a periodic blog post.

Policy Opportunities Survey Results — Race and Gender Equity

Of the more than 30 funders completing the survey, race and gender equity are prominent foci of their work:

  • Gender Equity — 23% of respondents have a gender focus to grantmaking. An additional 19% are considering ways to add gender equity to their work.

Some insights from survey respondents:

    • We are publishing a landscape study and community needs assessment this year (June 2019) which will guide future grantmaking.
    • We look at all of our grant making through the lens of serving the underserved or creating opportunity for those who do not have it. Sometimes that involves a gender lens, which can vary by program area/initiative.
  • Race Equity –86% of respondents have a race equity focus to grantmaking. An additional 10% are considering ways to add race equity to their work.

Some insights from survey respondents:

    • We apply a racial equity lens in all our grants, as we have for a while. We collect disaggregated demographic data from all grantees of staff, board and population(s) served, which helps prompt conversations. We’ve supported race equity trainings, and participated and supported the state to engage in the creation of a race equity dashboard and infusing R/E approach in state policymaking.
    • Our community is prioritizing structural racism, which we through support cultural competency and racial equity.
    • The Foundation utilizes a racial equity framework, on top of our gender equity framework via the questions we ask in our applications and how we make funding decisions. We also offer racial equity training to our grantee partners for free.
    • We use a racial equity screening tool to understand impacts (positive or negative) of all of the policy issues we take on. Our grantmaking process has a strategic focus on communities of color/organizations and strategies that can most effectively serve them. In our grantmaking we ask specific racial equity questions and have tailored the process to be accessible to organizations that are community-based and serve people of color. We have a specific racial equity early learning fund (a couple of small grants) as well.