Racial Equity

Special Collection

Racial equity can be defined as "the condition that would be achieved if one's race identity no longer influenced how one fares." (from "Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture" by Equity in the Center). This collection focuses on racial equity and also includes works that explore the larger diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) framework. Our aim is to raise awareness about funding for racial equity efforts as well as activities in the social sector meant to realize racial equity. The collection is part of Candid's Funding for racial equity special issue website.

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Beyond Inclusion: The Critical Role of People of Color in the U.S. Documentary Ecosystem

October 15, 2021

Drawing from a dataset of nearly 200 organizations, Beyond Inclusion details the key functions and activities of these organizations today, which range from supporting the artists (providing equipment and training, resources, and networking opportunities), to distributing the works of filmmakers of color to audiences of color, to funding.The report's recommendations to funders include investing in POC-led organizations with clear plans and commitments to nurture POC authorship, audiences, and careers as well as film production models and practices with a higher standard of ethics and accountability in the creation, funding and distribution of documentaries.The report concludes that a generational investment in POC infrastructure is necessary to both shore up legacy organizations that have worked with minimal resources for decades as well as dynamic new organizations and networks that have emerged in the last ten years. These players constitute a powerful ecosystem that -- if properly resourced -- can be a significant force in transforming the documentary landscape toward one that is more inclusive, ethically grounded and sustainable, and that ultimately is a more powerful force for social change.

Family Surveillance by Algorithm: The Rapidly Spreading Tools Few Have Heard Of

September 29, 2021

The latest reckoning with structural racism in the United States has involved critical reflection on the role of the criminal justice system, education policy, and housing practices in perpetuating racial inequity. But another area long overdue for collective reexamination is the child welfare system and the algorithms working behind the scenes. That's why the ACLU has conducted a nationwide survey to learn more about these tools.This report examines how many jurisdictions across the 50 states, D.C. and U.S. territories are using one category of predictive analytics tools: models that systematically use data collected by jurisdictions' public agencies to attempt to predict the likelihood that a child in a given situation or location will be maltreated.

Incorporating Racial Equity and Inclusion into Communication Strategy

September 23, 2021

Marga Incorporated provides strategic advice and research to philanthropic initiatives and community partnerships. Marga's Race and Equity in Philanthropy Group (REPG), created in 2006, brings together foundations that are committed to improving their ability to effectively promote racial equity and inclusion in their policies, systems, and practices. Through peer learning, member foundations are able to incorporate new ideas and practices into their institutional efforts, which can lead to transformative change. This paper provides concrete examples of how REPG member foundations are strategically communicating their commitment to racial equity and inclusion both internally and externally. Eight foundations from REPG's membership were interviewed to develop the profiles featured in the paper.

From Seed to Harvest: A Toolkit for Collaborative Racial Equity Strategies

September 14, 2021

This tool is meant to guide racial equity practices in the creation and assessment of sustainability and renewable energy policies and programs. It offers a framework and systematic process to build cultures of accountability and work towards racial equity outcomes in decision-making. Lastly, it provides a tangible pathway for an ecosystem approach to operationalizing collective racial equity values.

Connecticut Town Equity Reports

September 9, 2021

This series of reports is designed to inform local-level efforts to improve community well-being and racial equity. These reports disaggregate data from the 2020 Census, American Community Survey microdata files, DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey record-level files, and other federal and state sources to create relevant town-level information that is not typically available from standard public databases.DataHaven has published a town equity report for all 169 towns in Connecticut. We have also created these reports on request for custom-defined geographic regions, such as agency service areas.

Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change

August 25, 2021

The findings of this research demonstrate expanded philanthropic support from individual donors for racial and social justice causes in 2020. The research also found that while donors of color led this growth, they are also beginning to drive a shift in the sources of influence that have historically shaped the charitable community's approach to racial and social justice giving. The report incorporates data from a national survey of 1,535 households, insights from focus groups with diverse donors, and an analysis of case studies on the impact of mutual aid.

Centering Racial Equity in Measurement and Evaluation: Emerging Lessons and Guidance from Human Services Nonprofits

July 21, 2021

Many nonprofit organizations that provide direct human services are exploring how racial equity and inclusion (REI) and performance measurement collectively inform decision-making and strategies that affect their core mission. Human service nonprofits often hold an explicit charge to increase the well-being of people who have been disempowered, disadvantaged, and systematically oppressed. Starting from this mission orientation, organizations can benefit from guidance, outlined in this report, on operationalizing racial equity values within their measurement and evaluation work and acknowledging the systemic barriers that influence client outcomes.

Black Education in the Wake of COVID-19 and Systemic Racism: Toward a Theory of Change and Action

July 20, 2021

This report presents findings from a research study the Black Education Research Collective (BERC) conducted to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism have impacted Black education from the perspectives of Black parents, teachers, students, educators, and community leaders. Findings underscored the historical and systemic nature of trauma in Black communities as a result of racism in U.S. institutions, including schools and school systems. Participants expressed concern over the fact that schools are ill-equipped to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of their children and that COVID-19 and increasing racial violence have revealed further their lack of capacity or willingness to meet the educational needs of Black students or expectations of Black parents.

Moving from Intention to Impact: Funding Racial Equity to Win

July 15, 2021

This joint PolicyLink-Bridgespan analysis says funders are a key part of the racial equity ecosystem: to benefit the entire nation they should both be transparent in reporting where grants go and fund what movement leaders say is needed to achieve enduring change.

The 2021 CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity: What companies can do to advance racial equity and combat systemic racism in the workplace, communities, and society

July 1, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic and our long overdue national reckoning on racial injustice have thrust into sharp relief the results of centuries of economic inequality and systemic racism. While the pandemic and its accompanying economic devastation have hurt so many, people of color and low-income communities have been hit exceptionally hard. More than 100 million people in America—half of all people of color and one-quarter of all White people—struggled to make ends meet even before the pandemic and they continue to bear the heaviest toll, even as the economy bounces back.For corporate leaders, this historic moment presents an opportunity to make lasting progress against stated commitments on racial equity and ensure the billions of dollars pledged to communities of color actually lead to equitable outcomes. Our 2021 CEO Blueprint for Racial Equity will guide you beyond diversity and inclusion commitments to the heart of the business opportunity ahead: addressing the intended and unintended impacts of your products, services, operations, policies, and practices on people of color and low-income communities, with key recommendations across the three domains of corporate influence.

Equity Reset Toolkit: Re-envision Instruction Through Equitable Systems

June 25, 2021

One of the biggest disruptions of the pandemic is to our public education system and the more than 50 million students in it. Our most vulnerable student populations are especially impacted by school closures, where they are often left without access to equitable instruction. Districts can take this moment to respond to the needs resulting from learning disruptions and re-envision how their systems support educational equity. The Equity Reset Toolkit provides resources for district teams to complete a nine-week data collection and analysis process focused on equitable learning recovery in K-12 ELA and math as well as tools to create a data-driven equitable education recovery plan for restructuring or building systems that can be adapted for in-person, remote, or blended learning.

Advancing Well-Being by Transcending the Barriers of Whiteness

June 24, 2021

PolicyLink, in partnership with Well Being Trust, developed Advancing Well-Being by Transcending the Barriers of Whiteness to identify "centering whiteness" as a social and institutional framework that prevents meaningful movement toward racial equity, describe specific social and economic inequities that have been exacerbated by this framework, and make clear new narratives that will be necessary for systemic and policy change. This paper, along with the companion Community Dialogue Guide, serve as the starting point for critical dialogues that deepen and build shared understanding across communities.