Arcus Foundation Releases Social Justice Program Strategy Evaluation Report: 2021

Monday, January 23, 2023

Arcus Foundation Releases Social Justice Program Strategy Evaluation Report: 2021

Arcus Social Justice Program’s 2021 evaluation report provides updates on implementing strategies for grantmaking to movements and organizations working toward LGBTQ rights in East and Southern Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and the southern United States. By analyzing data and information acquired throughout 2021, this report details advancements toward each of the program’s overarching goal areas, with a particular focus on work supporting increased safety for LGBTQ people across the Global South and the southern United States. The report also breaks down the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As in previous annual evaluations, the data and information included in the report come from grant reports submitted by our grantees; our ongoing engagement with grantees, colleague funders, and others with relevant experience in our geographic regions; research reports; and media sources. In addition, Arcus analyzes its own grantmaking data to ensure that funding reflects the foundation’s priorities and values.

Among the key takeaways of the report are:

  • The disruptive nature of the COVID-19 pandemic often provided both opportunity and necessity for grantees to try new strategies and launch new initiatives that might not have been conceived of in pre-pandemic times.
  • Arcus grantees’ service delivery programs in the Global South are not only successfully enhancing safety for their communities, but providing data used to advance policy through advocacy.
  • The advancement of safety for LGBTQ people in the United States must include both expansion of access to services that support those most impacted by inequities and efforts to keep LGBTQ people out of incarceration.
  • Arcus funding to initiatives and organizations specifically dedicated to trans issues has increased by more than 50% since 2018, representing nearly a third of all Social Justice grant dollars disbursed in 2021.

The 2021 report marks the third in an annual series. We began fully implementing our current Social Justice Program strategy in 2019 and released a summary of our first assessment report, followed by an updated evaluation including data and learnings gleaned from work performed in 2020. Explore more Social Justice Program learning and evaluation reports here.

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