Q&A With Our Leadership Team

We asked our leadership team to take on some frequent questions about the coalition.

Won’t D5 drain funding from other competing worthy causes?

Ronna Brown, Philanthropy New York: “We’re mindful of this concern and have talked about it as a group. And as a group we keep coming back to the basic premise: We think the best way to have an impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in philanthropy is through a unified coalition of organizations. We’re better together. We realize past funding has been tight. What’s so encouraging to me about D5 is that it’s getting us past a scarcity, competition mindset in our field. We have 18 organizations working in our coalition–and hope to expand to more. We’re trying to increase the size of the funding pie, not change how it’s sliced up; new funding, not reallocation. A big part of our work is creating a whole new generation of funders committed to diversity work, and we think that will be a benefit to all organizations in the field working on these issues.”

Is D5 just a continuation of the Diversity in Philanthropy Project?

Renee Branch, Council on Foundations: “Diversity in Philanthropy Project (DPP) was a three-year campaign intended to spark CEO and trustee interest and momentum on diversity and move it to the top of the field’s agenda. We see D5 as the next step in the field’s journey on diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Really it’s more like a leap, because the scale and ambitions of D5 are significantly bigger.”

Does D5 oppose legislation like the 2008 A.B. 624 bill in California?

Roger Doughty, Horizons Foundation: “D5 isn’t advocating on legislation–in fact, our coalition contains organizations with very different perspectives on things like this. What we agree on is that A.B. 624 was a sign that it’s imperative for philanthropy to take voluntary action. Legislative threats aren’t going away. We see this bill as a wake-up call to get different parts of the sector focused on diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Many players are more open to making real change than they ever have been, and we can’t afford to miss the moment–on our terms.”

I’m just a small funder. Is there room at the table for me?

Carly Hare, Native Americans in Philanthropy: “Absolutely. Most of our field is made up of smaller foundations. Without you and others like you, we can’t make real progress on these issues. We know D5 won’t work unless we have a big table and extend seats to the broad array of foundations and groups interested in these issues. So we’re planning lots of ways for organizations like yours to get involved.”

Couldn’t some of these organizations make more progress on their own?

Lawrence McGill, Foundation Center: “When you’re trying to help the entire field make a leap, we think the most efficient approach is to break down the silos and work together. We’ve found there’s been a lot of promising work in different pockets of the field that hasn’t yet been connected. And if we don’t pool our resources, it’s hard to make changes that last. That’s not to say organizations won’t continue to tackle these issues individually. I like to think of D5 as more of a star alliance–where organizations maintain their independence but collaborate to serve their key constituents more effectively.”

Why should this work be a priority at a point when funding is being cut across the board?

Vicki Rosenberg, Council of Michigan Foundations: “We think improving philanthropy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion is imperative precisely because it will help us achieve greater impact in a tough time. Voluntary action on these issues will enable foundations to demonstrate relevance and accountability in a time of increasing scrutiny. And what’s more research shows that diverse perspectives within foundations can help build better relationships with grantees, improve problem-solving and lead to better outcomes. This is the right thing to do–at any time.”

How is D5 not more-of-the-same on diversity in the field?

Paul Bachleitner, Joint Affinity Groups: “Maybe the best evidence is the unprecedented size of the effort. We have a coalition with real horsepower–bringing together 18 of the field’s anchor associations and institutions, representing thousands of foundations, with leadership from seven heavyweights in the field as well as ever-broadening support from foundations of all sizes. To me the coalition and its work are promising, substantive, and strategic.”