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From Transaction to Transformation: Three Ways Foundations Can Invest in Black-Led Nonprofits for Lasting Change
April 6, 2026
This report examines the extent to which private foundations have—or have not—supported Black-led nonprofits over time and explores the nature of funder-grantee relationships through three lenses: financial support, social support, and human-centered support. The study provides new and nuanced evidence that affirms a well-established trend: Black-led nonprofits experience challenges establishing and sustaining relationships with foundations, which in turn perpetuates a racial funding gap. Analyzing grants awarded by private foundations, survey data, interviews with Black nonprofit leaders, and a focus group of foundation representatives, the research demonstrates that, although grant dollars are essential, they are insufficient for funders to build authentic partnerships built on trust with Black-led organizations.
A Science of Policing: How Liberal Philanthropy Transformed American Law Enforcement, 1970-2000
April 17, 2026
This report explores how liberal philanthropy, especially through the Ford Foundation, transformed American policing from 1970 to 2000 by supporting the Police Foundation (PF), a think tank dedicated to police reform through research and experimentation. Founded with a $30 million grant amid rising crime and racial unrest, the PF pioneered "scientific policing" by embedding researchers in police departments across major cities to study and influence law enforcement practices. The report traces the PF's evolution from ambitious efforts to overhaul entire departments, exemplified by the failed Dallas reform project, to a focus on smaller, data-driven experiments. It examines the initial tensions between the progressive, diverse research staff and the more conservative, all-white board of directors. Yet it shows how, under leaders like Patrick Murphy and Hubert Williams, the PF increasingly embraced advocacy and diversity, partnering with groups like the NAACP and founding organizations such as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. The report also details the PF's shifting funding landscape, moving from Ford Foundation support to federal and corporate grants. A key focus is the PF's role in developing "broken windows" policing, grounded in the Newark Foot Patrol Experiment, which emphasized reducing visible disorder to lower fear of crime. Archival evidence from the Rockefeller Archive Center reveals the political choices shaping this influential theory, including a missed opportunity to include the perspectives of marginalized "street people" in the research. Overall, the Police Foundation emerges as a crucial actor in reshaping American policing through a blend of scientific inquiry, political advocacy, and strategic philanthropy.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Pursuit of Religious Unity in Wartime, 1917-1945
April 13, 2026
This report examines the central role that John D. Rockefeller, Jr. played in the origins of the United Service Organizations (USO), and it focuses particularly on the ways he shaped the interfaith nature of the organization. The origins of the USO stretch back to World War I, when Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish organizations cooperated with the War Department to provide recreation and other support to soldiers in military camps. On the eve of US entry into World War II, these organizations came together again to form the USO. From the beginning, Rockefeller was impressed by how Protestants, Catholics, and Jews found ways to work together for the national good. But he and others in the military became frustrated by the infighting and competition that emerged between the groups. During World War I, and later during World War II, Rockefeller, Jr. and the larger Rockefeller Foundation used their funding power to promote and sometimes even force this interfaith cooperation. Their involvement during both wars shaped the fundamental nature of the USO and contributed to, if not assured, its success as an enduring organization.
Mental Health: Primer
April 10, 2026
Climate change intensifies mental health challenges yet remains largely absent from funding priorities. Extreme weather and socioeconomic disruption disproportionately affect vulnerable groups.This primer introduces funders to the interconnectedness of climate change and mental health and highlights first entry points for targeted funding solutions.
In‑between Spaces: Intermediaries rethinking funding practices
April 9, 2026
This learning paper on funding and entrepreneurship support for adaptation and resilience is a collaboration between SILP and the Climate Adaptation Innovation & Learning Initiative project. It brings together real-world insights from a community of 25 practitioners working across intermediary roles in the climate adaptation and resilience sector. Rather than presenting a fixed model, the paper explores how intermediaries operate in the "in-between spaces", navigating tensions between funders and communities, certainty and emergence, delivery and learning. It highlights the practices already being used in these spaces, and what is needed to enable more effective, equitable, and adaptive transformation.
From Transaction to Transformation: Executive Summary
April 6, 2026
This executive summary distills key findings from From Transaction to Transformation: Three Ways Foundations Can Invest in Black-Led Nonprofits for Lasting Change, exploring the extent to which foundations have—or have not—supported Black-led nonprofits over time. Analyzing grants awarded by private foundations, survey data, interviews with Black nonprofit leaders, and a focus group of foundation representatives, the research demonstrates that, although grant dollars are essential, they are insufficient for funders to build authentic partnerships built on trust with Black-led organizations.
Filantropía y Acción Climática: Hoja de Ruta
April 1, 2026
Esta Hoja de Ruta invita a reconocer, visibilizar y potenciar el papel de las organizaciones filantrópicas en la acción climática, integrando la adaptación como un eje transversal en su quehacer. Al mirar su trabajo desde esta óptica, las organizaciones filantrópicas pueden escalar su impacto, fortalecer alianzas y consolidar una respuesta más coherente y sostenible frente a la crisis.Este documento se realizó gracias a la cooperación entre Comunalia, Alternativas y Capacidades, el Centro Mexicano para la Filantropía (Cemefi) y la Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM) en el marco del proyecto WINGS- ELEVATING PHILANTHROPY (#LiftUpPhilanthropy).
Proven Practices in Gender Mainstreaming : Foundations in Conversation
April 1, 2026
Philanthropy has many options when it comes to mainstreaming gender in its operations, programmes, funding and overall strategy. Doing so, regardless of the path taken, can have a real impact on outcomes, not only in the area of gender but also when it comes to the many other challenges philanthropy seeks to address. This publication, produced by the Philea's Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network, explores why gender matters in philanthropy and what it takes to mainstream gender across operations, programmes, funding and overall strategy. Bringing together reflective pieces, practical guidance and real-world examples, it shows how foundations can turn gender commitments into practice and strengthen their impact across the wider challenges they seek to address. The report looks at gender equality in connection with wider questions of power, fairness and systemic inequality. It examines the current context, including the rise of anti-gender movements, and highlights why strategic, collaborative and transformative approaches are needed. Alongside this analysis, the publication shares lessons from foundations already working on gender mainstreaming and sets out principles and practical steps to help others move forward. The result is a practical resource for funders looking to build internal capacity, reflect on their approach and make progress on gender equality in 2026 and beyond.
Creative Potential: Strengthening Arts + Culture Advocacy and Cross-Sector Collaboration
March 31, 2026
Massachusetts has long been a national leader in education, innovation, and civic life. Yet the contributions of arts, culture, and creativity remain under-recognized in public policy and economic development strategies.This resource distills key findings and emerging strategies for a national audience of philanthropic, civic, and arts leaders interested in supporting cross-sector collaboration toward a more durable and responsive arts and culture advocacy infrastructure.
La filantropia dei dati tra definizioni, casi e strumenti operativi
March 31, 2026
In recent years, the growing availability of data and the development of digital technologies have profoundly transformed the ways in which companies, foundations, and various types of organizations contribute to the common good. Within this context, data philanthropy has emerged as a new practice, consisting in the responsible and regulated sharing of data, expertise, and analytical tools to address public-interest challenges and foster social innovation.The report "Data Philanthropy: Definitions, Cases, and Operational Tools. Towards a Responsible Data-Sharing Ecosystem?" - authored by Alessia Borromeo, Eleonora Rossero, and Franca Maino from Percorsi di Secondo Welfare and promoted by Fondazione Lottomatica - explores the potential of data philanthropy as a strategic lever to generate social value, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and support evidence-based decision-making.Through a documentary analysis, an examination of the regulatory context, and an in-depth empirical exploration of case studies, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the opportunities, limitations, and future prospects of a field that remains relatively underexplored in the Italian context. To read the full report, follow this url:https://www.secondowelfare.it/studio/la-filantropia-dei-dati-tra-definizioni-casi-e-strumenti-operativi/.
Harnessing Brilliance: The Portland Gifted Child Program and the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
March 26, 2026
During the Cold War, American educators, psychologists, and philanthropic foundations sought to harness the intellectual potential of "gifted" individuals as a key national resource. Throughout my research conducted at the Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC), I tracked two case studies related to this history. The first was the development of gifted and child programs such as the Portland Gifted Child Program, an early public-school initiative that aimed to identify and develop students with exceptional intellectual, artistic, and social abilities. The second case was the creation of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in the late 1970s—a program designed to liberate creative individuals from institutional constraints through no-strings-attached funding. These two programs, though differing in scope and method, both treated genius as a discoverable and developable trait. I conducted this research as part of my dissertation-in-progress, which tracks public debates about the concept of genius in the United States since the late nineteenth century. It explores how ideas about genius shaped arenas central to the conduct of modern American life, such as the industrial workplace, the university, the high-technology laboratory, the public school, and the home. Together, these two cases reveal how philanthropic foundations shaped public and professional beliefs about intelligence, creativity, and achievement in the United States.
Philanthropy Brief: Carbon Capture and Storage
March 24, 2026
Carbon capture and storage is widely regarded as essential for achieving net zero emissions and limiting global warming. However, it remains controversial, with concerns raised about delaying emissions reductions and strengthening the position of fossil fuel interests.What does this mean for philanthropy? This brief outlines the legitimate role of CCS and how funders can engage strategically in this complex landscape.
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