Practicing Equity in Philanthropy
Evergreen Collective envisions a California where historically underfunded communities have equitable access to the resources they need to thrive. Our mission is to mobilize financial resources by providing accessible, strategic fundraising and leadership development support to impactful, grassroots nonprofits. This 4-part series is meant to provide our thoughts as one of many tools to begin challenging the status quo, and to support funders who are ready to practice equity not only in theory, but in action.
We believe that the barriers outlined in these documents—limited access to networks, biased due diligence processes, burdensome reporting, and narrow definitions of success—are patterns that affect all organizations led by people with marginalized identities, especially those navigating multiple, intersecting forms of oppression.
This includes—but is not limited to—organizations led by LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, working-class leaders, undocumented individuals, women of color, and others whose leadership is shaped by lived experience and systemic exclusion. When these identities intersect—such as being Black and trans, or undocumented and disabled—the barriers to funding are often compounded.
Therefore, while much of the data cited here focuses on racial inequity, the principles and practices in this framework are applicable across all marginalized-identity-led organizations whose proximity to community and systemic injustice should be viewed as an asset, not a risk.
Funders committed to equity must learn to recognize and respond to the complex realities that these leaders navigate—and adapt their practices accordingly.