Harnessing the power of leaders of color to effect change Robin Hood’s Power Fund is set to influence philanthropic grant-making.
— James Baldwin American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist (1924 – 1987) changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” “Not everything that is faced can be
Amid a global pandemic, racial injustice took center stage in 2020, sparking a public reawakening on systemic issues of race and fresh demands for change. As a poverty-fighting organization in a city where 80% of those in poverty are people of color, we know that poverty and race are inextricably linked. The myriad of research on poverty underscores that race is one
of the strongest predictors of most life outcomes. Poverty fighting solutions that do not account for the conflating impacts of economic and racial injustice consistently fall short. The resurgence of New York City’s vitality required our response to this historic moment to be bold, proximate, and enduring.
Robin Hood launched its Power Fund, a new initiative investing in organizations on the frontlines of impact, funding leaders of color who are reflective of the communities they serve, while catalyzing a shift in long-term grant-making priorities both within our own organization and across the field of philanthropy. Seeded with an initial $10 million investment from Robin Hood donors, the fund elevates nonprofit leaders of color who share our mission of increasing economic mobility, while addressing the interplay of racial and economic injustice through their work. Over the last two decades, only around 10% of philanthropic dollars have gone to organizations led by people of color, despite giving increasing nearly 400% over the same period. This affects
the organizations and the people they seek to help. Driven by research on the barriers leaders of color consistently face in accessing, securing, and sustaining philanthropic funding, the Power Fund is grounded in three pillars of support: a meaningful investment in the organization; targeted capacity-building and technical assistance support for the organization; and self- directed investment in each leader’s own development and elevation. Early supporters, like the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), helped to launch the Power Fund, and now your contribution can sustain that momentum and make funding the work of leaders of color a hallmark in our fight against poverty.
How does the Power Fund further Robin Hood’s mission of increasing mobility from poverty, and help address systemic racial justice? •Funding leaders of color is critical because they bring strategies that understand and address the unique experiences of communities of color. People who are closest to the problems of disadvantaged communities have the clearest solutions. •Often, leaders of color are some of the most creative and innovative in their approach to the challenges facing disadvantaged communities because they offer a keen understanding of the needs and assets of the communities they serve. The solution-based approaches they employ reflect the lived, racialized experiences of people of color. •Within philanthropy, leaders of color face consistent barriers to capital, including interpersonal bias, cultural illiteracy on the part of funders, and lack of access to social networks.
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