Increasing Disability Grantmaking
According to the Disability & Philanthropy Forum’s report “Foundation Giving for Disability: Priorities and Trends”, only one penny of every 10 dollars of foundation money goes towards disability rights and social justice. As disability cuts across all identities, funders must incorporate disability if they are committed to furthering a thriving, just, equitable society. Grantmaking through a disability-inclusive lens is urgent and essential to investing in systemic change. This curated learning shines a spotlight on how philanthropic organizations can take intentional action to engage with and empower the disability community.
Before diving into this curated learning, hear from two leading voices in philanthropy about how to promote disability justice in foundation work. First, Catherine Hyde Townsend will discuss 3 Ways Philanthropy Can Demonstrate Its Commitment to Disability Inclusion, then Ana Oliveira will talk about How Foundations Can Integrate a Disability Lens in Grantmaking.
In this curated learning, you will continue on your disability justice learning journey by exploring the following concepts:
- Current philanthropic engagement with the disability community
- Applying the disability lens to dismantle barriers
- Ableism and removing barriers in philanthropy
- Participatory grantmaking
Materials
1
Resource: Foundation Giving for Disability: An Overview of Priorities and Trends
This executive summary reviews how U.S. foundations currently support disability communities and gives recommendations on how foundations can expand their support toward disability justice and equity.
Reflection Questions:
- How much grant money has your organization given to the disability community?
- What kind of programming was the grant used for?
- What can your organization do to center disability in all grantmaking decisions?
2
Resource: Foundation Giving for Disability: A Conversation with Dr. Richard Besser and Sandy Ho
This podcast discusses the importance of putting the disability lens on all grantmaking and organizational operations.
Reflection Questions:
- How can using the disability lens help dismantle barriers at your organization?
- Does your organization see disability as a topic for a specific program or something that needs to be looked at throughout the grantmaking process?
- What would participatory grantmaking look like at your organization?
3
Resource: An Ableist Society: How It Shows Up In Our Philanthropic Practices
This conference session discusses how ableism impacts philanthropy and how philanthropy can remove barriers to working toward disability justice. Tune in for the conversation!
Reflection Questions:
- Even if you do not consider yourself disabled, when have you been affected by ableism?
- What systems are in place at your organization to support disability justice?
- What do hiring practices look like at your organization?
4
Resource: Participatory Disability Grantmaking
This webinar addresses disability-inclusive grantmaking processes with a focus on participatory grantmaking.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever participated in the grantmaking process for an organization?
- What does inclusive outreach look like for your organization?
- Does your organization compensate community members involved in the grantmaking process?
5
Resource: Insights Into Inclusive Philanthropy – Northwest Health Foundation
This interview provides two perspectives on disability-inclusive grantmaking.
Reflection Questions:
- Upon reflecting on your organization’s funding priorities, where is disability in importance?
- What is your organization doing to be disability-inclusive?
- What are the steps your organization needs to take to become more inclusive?
Once you have completed this curated learning module, please complete the questionnaire.