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Yuri Gadow

Guessing at racism in charitable grants

The Greenlining Institute posted two YouTube videos summarizing their November, 2006 report “ Investing in a Diverse Democracy: Foundation Giving to Minority-Led Nonprofits.”

…and part two.

What counts as a minority-led nonprofit organization?

A minority-led nonprofit is defined as one whose staff is 50 percent of [sic] more minority; whose board is 50 percent or more is minority; and whose mission statement and charitable programs aim to predominately serve and empower minority communities. The organization must meet all three criteria to be considered minority-led.

Minority-led nonprofit organization implies the same as minority-owned business; predominantly minority nonprofit organizations would be more accurate, or if humor were legal in the nonprofit sector: majority minorities.

How little is going to minority-led organizations?

They document that 14.7% of grant money from philanthropic organizations goes to minority-led organizations, or 3.6% if you choose not to count the largest grant. To learn anything about the granting foundations, we must compare the ratio of spending to the ratio of minority-led capacity.

As with our prior report, information on the number of minority-led nonprofits within the sector as a whole is unknown.

I’ve still a bruise on my jaw and dent in my desk from reading that, but it’s good to see humor in the nonprofit sector, after all.

No conclusion available

If I had to, I’d guess there is inequity in foundation grants to charities with minority leaders and charities focused on minority goals. But, after watching and reading the Greenlining media—that’s all I can do, guess.


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