How Funders Can Help Divert People with Mental Health Disabilities from Contact with the Criminal Legal System
Learn how philanthropy can aid in preventing the overrepresentation of people with mental health conditions in the criminal legal system.
Disability Equity Webinar Series: Disability in Indigenous Communities
Learn why funding the leadership of disabled Indigenous people is vital for advancing justice for Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and everyone who exists at the intersection.
Fact Sheet: Disability & Democracy
Democracy is not just about having the ability to vote and make an informed choice, but it’s also knowing that everyone…deserves that opportunity and that right. Therefore it’s up to [all of us] to ensure that we bring everyone to the table and that everyone has a voice.
Eman Rimawi-Doster: How to Recruit Diverse Disabled Candidates
Learn how to build community in order to recruit diverse disabled candidates.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 15 – Uplifting the LGBTQIA+ Disabled Experience
Gabriel Foster, Co-founder & Executive Director of the Trans Justice Funding Project, shines a spotlight on the importance of centering the leadership of trans people in funding decisions, particularly in relation to intersecting oppressions such as ableism
Cory Lira: Why Philanthropy Needs to Fund Disabled LGBTQIA+ Communities
Learn about the key issues facing disabled LGBTQIA+ communities, and how philanthropic funding can support solutions.
Masen Davis: Why HIV/AIDS is a Disability Justice Issue
Learn why the HIV/AIDS movement requires both LGBTQIA+ rights and disability justice lenses.
Joan Morris: How Labor Discrimination Impacts Disabled Black Women
A Black disabled worker shares the devastating effect that labor discrimination has on Black disabled women.
Amanda Andere: The Importance of Funding Intersectional Housing Justice
Learn why de-siloing funding is crucial for achieving true housing justice.
Allie Cannington: How Philanthropy Can Fund Truly Disability-Inclusive Housing
A call for housing funders to center disabled perspectives.
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Member Workshop Series: Disability Inclusion & Intersectionality
Dive deeper into the intersectionality between race and disability.
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Member Workshop Series: Transformative Mental Health
Learn more about the current challenges and opportunities in the mental health landscape.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 11 – Reflections on Ableism, Anti-Blackness, and Honoring Black Disabled Ancestors
A conversation between Olivia Williams and Dr. Sami Schalk on the connections between ableism and anti-Blackness, shines a spotlight on historical and contemporary Black disabled activism, and uplifts why it's essential to fund the groundbreaking work of Black disabled folks.
Dr. Subini Annamma: How Racism and Ableism Work to Criminalize Disabled Children of Color
A deconstruction of the racist and ableist ideologies that criminalize Black and Brown disabled children.
Candace Coleman: How Funders Can Support Formerly Incarcerated Disabled People
Three ways funders can support community reentry for formerly incarcerated disabled people.
Jamelia Morgan: How Policing Impacts People With Non-Apparent and Psychiatric Disabilities
Learn how over-policing can lead to violence against disabled communities - and what funders can do about it.
Ana Oliveira: How Foundations Can Integrate a Disability Lens in Grantmaking
Learn why a commitment to intersectional disability inclusion funding requires dismantling traditional segmented grantmaking categories.
Disability Equity Webinar Series: Grantmaking for Disability: LGBTQIA+ Funding
Learn why philanthropy cannot ignore funding rights and justice for disabled LGBTQIA+ communities.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 9 – Get to Know the Disability & Philanthropy Forum Team
A fun, insightful conversation with the team members of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 6 – Disability-Inclusive Civic Engagement
A conversation with Dom Kelly, Co-Founder, President & CEO of New Disabled South, and Jalyn Radziminski, Founder of Count US IN; Commissioner and Vice Chair for Indiana Disability Rights’ Protection and Advocacy Services, and Director of Engagement at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, on why it's essential to incorporate disability into all civic and political engagement work.
Jen Bokoff: How Ableism Plays Out in Philanthropy
A look at three examples of systemic ableism in the philanthropic sector – and how philanthropy can counteract it.
Katherine Pérez: What Funders Need to Know About Disabled Communities of Color
Three essential reminders for funding the work of disabled people of color.
Jennifer Lee: How Disabled and Asian American Communities Form “Parallel Narratives of Resistance”
An exploration of how systemic oppression and persistent anti-Asian violence marginalize disabled Asian Americans.
Heather Watkins: Disabled Black Women and the “Strong Black Woman” Stereotype
An example of how the “Strong Black Woman” stereotype particularly burdens disabled Black women.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 4 – Disability Identity and Pride
A conversation on disability pride with Ryan Easterly, Executive Director of WITH Foundation, and Justice Shorter, a Disability Justice advocate and international advisor for disability inclusive humanitarian and disaster assistance.
Rasheera Dopson: Why Diverse Disabled Leadership is Important
Learn how the presence of openly disabled leadership mobilizes other disabled people to become leaders.
Disability Inclusion: Required – Episode 2 – Disability 101
A conversation with Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, that shines a light on disability and offers insights for wherever you may be on your learning journey.
A Victory for Reproductive Rights for Indonesian Women and Girls with Disabilities
Supported by funding from the Disability Rights Fund and its sister fund, the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, women in Indonesia fought to protect their reproductive rights.
Bringing a Disability Lens to Criminal Legal Reform in Baltimore
Seed funding from Open Society Institute (OSI)-Baltimore supported policy change and organizing to address unjust arrests of unhoused people with disabilities.
Disability & Philanthropy Webinar Series: Disability, Policing, and Mass Incarceration
We must dismantle the systemic racism and ableism that criminalizes disabled people.
Disability & Philanthropy Webinar Series: Disability and Housing
A dialogue about the economic disparities that disabled people encounter when trying to find a place to call home.
Disability & Philanthropy Webinar Series: Disability and Lived Experiences of Communities of Color
Applying disability-explicit and race-explicit lenses to philanthropic work is critical to achieving equity and justice.
Tolu Adegbite Highlights the Connections Between Race, Website Design, and Accessibility
Insight on how and why website designers should recognize the connections between race and accessibility.
Tolu Adegbite Emphasizes the Need to Work on Technology Accessibility Through an Intersectional Lens
A reminder of why we must recognize how identities overlap when working on making technology truly accessible to all.
Rebecca Vallas Urges Philanthropy to Address the Widespread Economic Crisis Among Disabled Americans
A reflection on economic inequities that disabled people disproportionately experience.
Mia Ives-Rublee Explains Why Poverty is a Policy Choice
A spotlight on what actions can mitigate the poverty that disabled people experience.
Keith Jones Reflects on How Philanthropy Can Support Disability Economic Justice
A reflection on opportunities philanthropy has to direct funding toward systemic issues impacting the disability community.
Fact Sheet: Disability 101
Learn more about the disability community, frameworks to understand disability, and key disability terminology.
Black and Disabled: I Have Lived in the Shadows
Learn more about Gail Fuller, the Forum's Program and Communications Director, in this blog post about her experiences as a Black woman with a non-apparent disability.
A Letter to the Americans with Disabilities Act on Its 32nd Birthday
Sandy Ho reflects on the ADA as a first step for disability rights and looks ahead to the future.
Lydia X.Z. Brown Powerfully Addresses Philanthropy’s Ableist Practices
A deeply honest spotlight on the multitude of ways ableism continues to show up across the philanthropic sector.
Rebecca Cokley Unpacks Philanthropy’s Ableist History
A call to use the mechanisms of philanthropy to address inequities, first by acknowledging its roots in ableism.
Understanding Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking in a Broader Social Justice Context
A conversation with Ingrid Tischer about what funders need to know about disability-inclusive grantmaking.
Centering Disability Rights and Justice in Philanthropic Practice – Unity Summit 2021 Fire Session
Emily Ladau and Sandy Ho share perspectives on disability rights and justice frameworks as ways for philanthropy to move equality and equity forward.
Marq Mitchell Offers Guidance on How Funders Can Support Justice for Marginalized Communities
Insights on what funders must be aware of to truly advance justice through their grantmaking work.
How to Foster Meaningful Connections with Disability Advocates and Organizations
This resource offer suggested starting points for forging meaningful connections and partnerships with the disability community.
How to Evaluate a DEI Trainer on Disability Knowledge
The Disability Inclusion Pledge calls upon philanthropy to include education about disability in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for...
Supporting Mental Health in Philanthropy
Insights on incorporating a mental health focus within both internal operations and grantmaking practices.
Disability & Philanthropy Webinar Series: Disability and Economic Justice
Click here for a transcript of this webinar. In the United States, full and equal participation in society is a...
How Can We Foster Psychologically Safe Workplaces?
Learn how to create a psychologically safe workplace for people both with and without disabilities.
Dr. Subini Annamma Urges Philanthropy to Center BIPOC Disabled People
Dr. Subini Annamma urges philanthropy to stop centering whiteness and shift toward centering BIPOC disabled people. Click here for a...
Dr. Subini Annamma Addresses the Connection Between Mass Incarceration and Eugenics
Dr. Subini Annamma shares the ways in which mass incarceration is connected to eugenics. She addresses both the disproportionate incarceration...
Lydia X. Z. Brown Calls On Philanthropy to Center Multi-Marginalized Disabled People
Lydia X. Z. Brown calls on philanthropy to center multi-marginalized disabled people within their work and equitably redistribute resources. Click...
Victoria Rodriguez-Roldán Addresses the Connections Between LGBTQIA+ and Disability Identities
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum's webinar on gender, sexuality, and disability, Victoria Rodriguez-Roldán calls upon the...
Robin Wilson-Beattie Addresses Ableism and Racism in Reproductive Healthcare
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum's webinar on gender, sexuality, and disability, Robin Wilson-Beattie addresses how ableism...
Journey to Inclusion Series: Learning from Disability-Led Organizations
Click here for a transcript of this webinar. “Nothing about us without us,” is a guiding principle of the disability...
Disability & Philanthropy Webinar Series: Racial Equity and Disability
Click here for a transcript of this webinar. Disability cuts across all identities, but the impacts of systemic disability discrimination...
How Philanthropy Can Support Disabled Parents
by Robin Wilson-Beattie Having spent almost 17 years as a parent who has chronic, physical, and mental health disabilities, I’ve...
Eugenics and Disability
Many of the earliest philanthropists in the U.S. were significant ideological and financial supporters of the eugenics movement. According to...
Connections Between Gender, Sexuality, and Disability
One in five women ages 18 and older are disabled. The United Nations, through their work toward full gender equality,...
Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar Addresses the Need for Disabled Leadership in Research Funding Efforts
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum’s webinar on health equity and disability, Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar speaks to...
Anti-Black Racism and Ableism in the Workplace
by D'Arcee NealApril 2021 When I went for a job interview in the summer of 2015 for a high-powered federal...
Taryn Williams Addresses the Need to Work Toward Economic Justice with a Disability-Explicit Lens
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum's webinar on racial equity and disability, Taryn Williams discusses the critical...
Conchita Hernández Legorreta Addresses How Ableism and Racism Affects Disabled Immigrants
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum's webinar on racial equity and disability, Conchita Hernández Legorreta speaks to...
D’Arcee Neal Addresses Intersections Between Ableism and Anti-Black Racism
In this excerpt from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum's webinar on racial equity and disability, D’Arcee Neal speaks to the...
What Funders Need to Know About Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking: Al Otro Lado
This interview is a Q&A with Nora Phillips, Legal Director, Al Otro Lado. As the alarming impact of COVID-19 on...
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What does self-disclosing a disability mean?
This blog post was written collectively by the Ford Foundation's Disability Employee Resource Group. While few Ford staff members have...
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Chicago Community Trust Webinar on Race and Disability
As part of their "Conversations With..." speaker series, which explores high-profile topics with some of today’s most strategic thinkers in...
Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy: A Working Paper for Grantmakers and the Consultants Who Support Their Work
The National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) working paper is a starting place of learning for the Disability Inclusion...
Disability Inclusion Toolkit
Commissioned by the Ford Foundation's Civic Engagement & Government program, the Disability Inclusion Toolkit is written and designed by disability community leaders...
What Funders Need to Know About Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking: National Council on Independent Living
This interview is a Q&A with Cara Liebowitz, Former Development Coordinator at the National Council on Independent Living. As the...
What Funders Need to Know About Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking: Disability Rights Fund
This interview is a Q&A with Jen Bokoff, Director of Development at the Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights...
What Funders Need to Know About Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking: Detroit Disability Power
This interview is a Q&A with Dessa Cosma, Executive Director at Detroit Disability Power. As the alarming impact of COVID-19...
What Funders Need to Know About Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking: CDPAANYS
This interview is a Q&A with Bryan O’Malley, Executive Director at CDPAANYS. As the alarming impact of COVID-19 on people...
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Disability Inclusion Fund Landscape Analysis
The Disability Inclusion Fund, housed at Borealis Philanthropy, hired Sandy Ho, a Research Associate at The Lurie Institute for Disability...
My Experiences as a Filipino/Black Woman with a Disability in Philanthropy
by Nikki Brown-Booker, August 2020 I am a Filipino/Black woman with a disability who works in philanthropy. When I enter...
Four Ways We Can Work Towards Creating Inclusive Workspaces
By Sarah Napoli, Project Officer, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Open Society Foundations, July 2020 When the pandemic hit the globe...
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Disability Inclusion 101: Getting Started and Tips/Tools for the Journey
In this webinar, hosted on July 14, 2020 by the Presidents' Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, Adela Ruiz from...
Disability History: An Introduction
Go on a journey with disability rights activist Lawrence Carter-Long as your guide in this video overview of the rich history...
Alice Sheppard: Disability as an Art
Meet Alice Sheppard, a dancer and choreographer who uses a wheelchair. In this video, she encourages us to rethink our...
Claudia Gordon: Barriers to Inclusion
Meet Claudia Gordon, the first Black Deaf female lawyer in the United States. In this video, she encourages a perspective...
Disability Inclusion & Philanthropy: What Funders Need to Know
This extended video combines our Introduction and Message to Funders videos for streamlined viewing purposes. It features the perspectives of...
Disability Inclusion & Philanthropy: A Message to Funders
Listen up, funders! The time is now to ensure that disability is no longer relegated to a niche grantmaking area...
Disability Inclusion & Philanthropy: An Introduction
Throughout your disability inclusion learning journey, it's vital to listen to the wisdom and insights of the disability community. This...
What is Disability?
This introductory resource explains how disability is defined and the "models of disability," or frameworks, that are used to understand...
Webinar – COVID-19 and Disability: A Call to Action for Philanthropy
COVID-19 demonstrates that disability inclusion in philanthropy is more crucial than ever. In this webinar, hosted on April 22, 2020...
Catalyze Disability Inclusion in Your Grantmaking
There are many steps to take to catalyze disability-inclusive grantmaking. This guide offer fives key strategies to start. 1. Ask...
Road Map for Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in Media
This resource addresses the gaps in disability representation in mainstream media and addresses ways to fill these gaps. Road Map...
Intersections Between Racism and Ableism
This resource offers insights and resources to better understand the strong connections between racism and ableism. For our work to...
What is Disability Justice?
In this resource, you'll learn about the origin and definition of disability justice as a movement and framework. Disability Justice...
Insights Into Inclusive Philanthropy – WITH Foundation
This interview with Ryan Easterly, Executive Director of the WITH Foundation, is part of a series about disability-inclusive grantmaking. The...
Insights Into Inclusive Philanthropy – Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
This interview with Myroslava Tataryn, disability rights program officer for the International Human Rights Program at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, is...
Resources on Disability & COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, philanthropy must further the commitment to ensure the disability community is not left behind.
Insights Into Inclusive Philanthropy – Northwest Health Foundation
This interview with Northwest Health Foundation's Jen Matheson, Director of Programs, and Laura Nash, Communications Consultant, is part of a...
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Recommended Reading on Disability
Written works on disability have shaped the Disability Rights Movement. These selections are helpful and insightful starting points.