Friday Rewind

The Friday Rewind offers a snapshot of PhilanthroNews —  that means news stories, articles, events of note, or information updates — from around our network and throughout the broad world of philanthropy. Whether you take a quick skim of the material or a deep dive through each item we hope to help inform your work and inspire your thinking.

1.  As more grantmakers embark on or deepen journeys to embed values of equity, diversity and inclusion into their work, how can we incorporate a power-building frame to measure meaningful progress on equity? The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has hosted webinars and presentations highlighting philanthropic best practices that help build community power. Those resources, guides, and toolkits can be found here
2. Inequality within arts and culture philanthropy has been a long-standing issue, this funders brief from the Sillerman Center examines how philanthropy can implement more inclusionary grantmaking models. Meaningful community involvement in designing cultural and artistic projects can help counteract biases and inequalities, and several concrete recommendations include the following: Democratizing funding processes and requirements, redefining art,  investing in neighborhood cohorts, and more. Read the rest of the report here
3. Curious about current responses in philanthropy to the controversial citizenship question on the 2020 Census? The importance of census data in determining resource allocation, representation, and demographic information means that grantmakers have a high stake in obtaining an accurate count. This has led to coalitions of funders speaking out against the citizenship question, submission of a joint letter calling for its removal (the window for public comments on the census closed August 7^th), support for public education efforts, and more. Read more concrete ways to get involved in the work here
4. Assessing the capacity of nonprofits with different focuses, geographic locations, approaches, and budgets can be a difficult task. The Hewlett Foundation’s Effective Philanthropy Group commissioned a study to examine which organizational assessment tools are available and constructed a database of the tools and best practices for their implementation. Applicable across many different types of nonprofits, learning which of these tools work best for your organization will help in capacity assessment and more effective grantmaking and support. Learn more and access the database here
5. Rural communities face a significant challenge in accessing safe, affordable housing. This report by the Urban Institute examines how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is typically one of the only ways in which low-income renters can access high-quality, affordable housing, and the challenges that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act poses for the program. Read more about how jeopardizing the LIHTC will potentially affect the affordable housing market and rural communities across America here.

Friday Rewind is published each Friday by NY Funders Alliance staff. To submit a story for the Friday Rewind, please email programs@nyfunders.org.