Philanthropy New York has a long history of supporting programs that seek to increase diversity in our sector and beyond. This work has taken a variety of forms:
- forging coalitions with others in the philanthropic sector;
- undertaking broad-based research;
- bringing young professionals of color into the field; and
- creating a standing board committee on diversity to ensure the organization's proactive engagement with this issue.
Examples of our work include:
Special Committee for Equitable and Inclusive Philanthropy
Formerly known as the Increasing Diversity in Philanthropy Committee (1990-2015), the Committee for Equitable and Inclusive Philanthropy (CEIP) promotes the adoption of more inclusive practices by Philanthropy New York members.
Forging Coalitions
Philanthropy New York is a member of D5, a five-year collabortive effort by foundations, individual donors, regional and national associations, and organizations that focus on diverse communities to advance philanthropy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion. D5 has four main priorities for big sector changes by 2015:
- Recruit diverse leaders for foundations—including CEO, staff, and trustees;
- Identify the best actions we can take in our organizations to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion;
- Increase funding for diverse communities and ensure that foundations offer all constituencies equal opportunity to access the resources they need to thrive;
- Improve data collection and transparency so we can measure progress.
Coalition for New Philanthropy
The Coalition for New Philanthropy was a multi-year initiative formed in New York City to advance sustained, strategic philanthropy in communities of color throughout the New York metropolitan region. The Coalition was established by the Asian American Federation of New York, the Hispanic Federation, the Twenty-First Century Foundation, the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society of the City University of New York, and Philanthropy New York (then known as NYRAG).
Resources from the coalition's work include:
- Developing Resources of the Community for the Community: The Coalition for New Philanthropy
- Building Bridges to Communities of Color: A Toolkit for Engaging Donors of Color
- Pathways for Change: Philanthropy Among African American, Asian American, and Latino Donors in the NY Metropolitan Region
New York Diversity in Philanthropy Project
Philanthropy New York partnered with the Foundation Center and the Diversity in Philanthropy Project to examine issues of diversity in the grantmaking and governance of New York foundations and nonprofit organizations.
The resulting report - Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits - examined the racial, gender, sexuality, and disability staff demographics of participating organizations. It also looked at grantmaking policies and data collection around diversity and inclusion, examined the institutional capacities of nonprofit organizations, and looked at the range of ways that nonprofits define themselves as “minority-led.”