The latest perspectives, news, reports, and resources from around the Foundation.
A letter from Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation: In recent months, the nonprofit sector has faced unprecedented challenges, particularly the loss of funding from government agencies, fear rippling through communities and the…
The Surdna Foundation is pleased to announce its hire of Robert Smith III as Program Officer of the Thriving Cultures program. Robert will help guide the implementation of the Thriving Cultures’ refined strategy, Radical Imagination for Racial…
Don Chen joined Surdna as president in November 2018, but he is no stranger to the Foundation. He has collaborated with Surdna for more than 20 years – first as a grantee, then as an ally and partner. In that time, Don has established himself as…
During the period of October-December 2018, 23 grants totaling $5,360,000 were approved by the Surdna Foundation staff and board to further the Foundation’s mission of fostering just and sustainable communities in the United States –…
Can the money that is at the heart of the foundation business model be responsive to a foundation’s important values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? The answer is yes. This report includes interviews with executives at eight large…
Helen Chin has just led the Surdna Foundation’s Sustainable Environments Program through a strategy refinement process. “Now,” she says, with satisfaction, “We are able to connect more robustly with what’s bubbling from the ground…
When we talk about “building the capacity” of frontline and grassroots leaders who are changing structures, policies, and systems, what does that really mean for funders? Many funders use antiquated and static systems of inquiry to identify and…
During the period of July-September 2018, 15 grants totaling $3,035,000 were approved by the Surdna Foundation staff and board to further the Foundation’s mission of fostering just and sustainable communities in the United States – communities…
The Surdna Foundation announced today refined strategies for its grantmaking programs, intended to reflect the Foundation’s belief that racial justice must underpin social justice. These refined strategies are the culmination of a yearlong…
Shuaib A. Siddiqui is the Surdna Foundation’s director of impact investing. For the past two years he has led the Foundation’s efforts to go beyond its mission-aligned investing strategy to also build up the field of impact investing. “The…