Surdna & Andrus Family Fund Pledge $800,000 to Next-Generation Social Justice Philanthropy

21 national organizations awarded grants, advancing the Foundation’s commitment to social justice values as part of its Centennial grantmaking

NEW YORK – The Surdna Foundation, in partnership with the Andrus Family Fund, announced today an $800,000 commitment to help build the field of next-generation social justice philanthropy. The Foundation, as part of its Centennial grantmaking initiatives, will build the field by sparking a dialogue about philanthropy centered on race, privilege, equity and social justice and by increasing the number of next-generation philanthropists who are engaged in social justice work.

Through the initiative, the Surdna Foundation and Andrus Family Fund are providing resources for family foundations, community foundations and donor-advised funders to pursue next-generation social justice philanthropy. Next-generation social justice philanthropy engages younger generations of philanthropists — whether they are high net worth individuals or trustees of family foundations — to focus their philanthropic efforts on social justice initiatives.

Surdna’s pledge reflects the Foundation’s commitment to its social justice values. The Andrus Family Fund’s role reflects the Fund’s commitment to engaging family members in philanthropy focused on social justice.

“Recognizing the entrenched wealth and racial inequities that exist across the United States today, foundations and donors want to engage future generations of philanthropists around philanthropic models centered on social justice, race and equity — but many lack the resources and relationships to do so,” explains Leticia Peguero, Executive Director of The Andrus Family Fund and Andrus Family Philanthropy Program. “We hope this initiative will usher in a new era of family philanthropy and next-generation engagement — one that engages the next generation of philanthropists to address systemic inequity through social justice philanthropy.”

A key aspect of the commitment is building the field of next-generation social justice philanthropy by promoting best practices, furthering dialogue and building networks to connect and share resources among philanthropists and foundations seeking to address racial inequity and social justice. To achieve these goals, the Foundation will work with existing philanthropic resource organizations to share learnings publicly via reports, blog posts and social media, and collaborate with next-generation philanthropy groups on presentations, events and publications.

Grants are listed below with additional information about the specific work being funded.

• 21/64 – To support 21/64’s engagement of next-generation donors, family foundation trustees, and earners to create a day and half long retreat/training for 10-15 individuals who are next gen donors interested in social change.
• Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) – To support ABFE’s work to build a network of Black Next Gen High Net Worth individuals and/or families to support Black-led social justice organizations and initiatives.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice – To support the Funding Queerly Giving Circle, young donors partnering with Astraea to mobilize resources for grassroots LGBTQI groups.
• Bread and Roses Community Fund – To support Bread & Roses’ multiple Giving Projects, which bring together a cross-class, cross-race, intergenerational group of people who share a vision for social justice and organize resources to support movements for social change.
• Chinook Fund – To support the Chinook Fund’s ability to continue engaging next-generation donors across Colorado.
• Class Action Network – To support Class Action Network’s work to inspire its members to end classism and extreme inequality by providing change-makers with tools, training and inspiration to raise awareness, shift cultural beliefs about social class, build cross-class solidarity, and transform institutions and systems.
• Crossroads Fund – To support the Giving Project at Crossroads Fund, which combines community building among next-generation donors with political education, fundraising, and grantmaking for the benefit of groups organizing for racial, social, and economic justice in Chicago.
• Exponent Philanthropy – To support Exponent Philanthropy’s NextGen Fellows Program.
• Faces of Giving Projects, Inc. – To support Faces of Giving’s second phase of the High Net Worth People of Color Donor Collaborative.
• Giving Project Learning Community – To support a national collaboration of the Giving Project’s model.
• Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) – To support integration of racial and economic justice and resource mobilization frameworks within social justice philanthropy. GIFT will do this by engaging cross-class communities of next-generation family philanthropists, donor organizers and movement leaders.
• Headwaters Foundation for Justice – To support Headwaters’ Giving Project, which is made up of a cross-class, multiracial group of people who are committed to raising money and supporting organizations creating change in Minnesota.
• Justice Funders – To support the Justice Funders’ Movement Commons Fundraising and Power Project, which will partner with philanthropic and field practitioners to design interventions that democratize support for people’s identities as givers and social justice actors.
• Movement Net Lab – To support Movement Net Lab’s “Old Money, New Systems in Philanthropy” retreats.
• NEXUS Global – To support the NEXUS Working Group Toward Equal Justice, which is an on-ramp for members to leverage their influence on innovative solutions to the Criminal Justice System.
• North Star Fund – To support North Star Fund’s donor organizing program through a Giving Project model – a cross-class, multiracial learning cohort that introduces participants to philanthropy through an explicit race and class justice lens.
• Resource Generation – To support Resource Generation’s next-generation family philanthropy leaders, through an annual retreat and training, as well as ongoing leadership development.
• Social Justice Fund Northwest – To support the Social Justice Fund’s Giving Projects in 2018.
• Solidaire – To support Solidaire’s development of a “movement philanthropy” curriculum that will launch at its annual retreat in May 2018.
• Third Wave Fund – To support Third Wave Fund’s work on the development of a cross-class donor leadership pipeline and giving circle model that centers women, queer, and trans people of color under the age of 35.
• Thousand Currents – To support Thousand Currents’ donor organizing initiative, specifically through funding the March 2018 training institute, and the associated next-generation donor organizing.