San Francisco, CA - Three years after its founding in 2020, the Democracy Frontlines Fund (DFF) announced that the initiative’s urgently needed support for racial justice organizing will be extended by three more years. $35.5 million in additional funding has been committed by a group of 14 funders. The $35.5 fund will be disbursed to 11 organizations focused on power-building at the grassroots. DFF continues to be guided by its Brain Trust, which is seven experts in grantmaking who are women of color and trusted allies of the movement. Read the Inside Philanthropy coverage.

Three years after its founding in 2020, the Democracy Frontlines Fund (DFF) announced that the initiative’s urgently needed support for racial justice organizing will be extended by three more years. $35.5 million in additional funding has been committed by a group of 14 funders.

DFF Announces Recommitment to Racial Justice Groups and $35.5 Million More in Funding

“I’ve been doing this work for 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before. The level of crisis and death that people are facing is unprecedented. This grant was absolutely necessary for us.”   – Stephanie Guilloud, Project South

2020 was a year of momentous and heavy challenges, for us and for our grantee partners. We were caught up in an historic moment, trying to grapple with multiple crises affecting the communities we serve. Racial justice uprisings, COVID, the struggle for democracy. Day to day, we tried to figure out how to support them and hear their concerns. We asked our grantee partners: what more could we do to help alleviate these extra burdens?

Don’t Just Listen, Act: Our Journey to Funding Wellness Grants

News

Originally published on May 31, 2023 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Grant Makers Join Together to Learn About - and Fund - Racial Justice, tells the story of Libra Executive Director Crystal Hayling’s deep roots in the movement for racial justice and creation of the Democracy Frontlines Fund, a nationally aligned giving strategy founded by Hayling.

“When the murder of George Floyd in 2020 set off a national outpouring of grief, anger, and demands for change, Hayling saw an opportunity. She created an entity called the Democracy Frontlines Fund and persuaded a dozen grant makers, most of them family foundations, to donate $3 million each for a minimum of three years. The donors gave up not just money but control over how it would be spent, part of an approach sometimes called trust-based philanthropy,” writes Marc Gunther, author of the piece. Read the full article here. 

Thank you to the Chronicle of Philanthropy for their critical reporting on racial justice funding. 

Grant Makers Join Together to Learn About - and Fund - Racial Justice tells the story of Libra Executive Director Crystal Hayling’s deep roots in the movement for racial justice and creation of the Democracy Frontlines Fund.

Grant Makers Join Together to Learn About - and Fund - Racial Justice

“In the face of anti-Black backlash, and a curtailing of racial justice funding by philanthropy in general, DFF is determined to be a beacon of hope,” said Crystal Hayling, Founder of DFF and Libra Foundation Executive Director. “George Floyd was murdered because he was a Black man. We cannot fight racism without addressing race.”

The mission of DFF to fund organizing remains consistent, and DFF’s core support to each grantee will be $1.1 million a year. Returning slate members are: Black Futures Lab, Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, Black Youth Project 100, Communities Transforming Policing Fund, Movement for Black Lives, National Black Food & Justice Alliance, Southern Power Fund, and State Voices. DFF also welcomes a new grantee to the core funding slate: Taproot Earth, an organization focused on advancing climate justice and democracy from Appalachia to the Gulf Coast.  Vision Change Win will be awarded $1.5M over three years for strategy and security support, essential in this environment of rising hate crimes.

“DFF’s commitment to empowering Black voters and advancing social justice is truly commendable,” noted Cliff Albright. His co-founder LaTosha Brown, added, “We are honored to be a DFF grantee and are inspired by the impact we have collectively made. Together, we will continue to fight for a more equitable and inclusive society for all."

While many foundations are retreating from racial justice funding, thirteen foundations have recommitted to funding Black organizing: Crankstart, Hewlett, JPB, Kataly, Libra, MacArthur, Schmidt, Sobrato, Someland, Stardust, Tao Rising, Tides, and an anonymous donor. One new foundation, Heising-Simons, is joining the community.

“We at the MacArthur Foundation have learned so much by being a part of the Democracy Frontlines Fund and are excited to renew our financial commitment,” said John Palfrey, President of the MacArthur Foundation. “Our democracy is in crisis, and DFF provides a powerful way forward, grounded in racial equity, justice, shared learning, and trust."

“These funding amounts are a floor and not a ceiling,” Hayling said. “We don’t all agree on everything but DFF allows us to mobilize resources for critical democracy-strengthening work in our communities.” 

One of the innovative aspects of Democracy Frontlines Fund is the learning journey funders have taken over the past three years, engaging in deep discussion of the historical anti-Black roots of racism, police brutality and voter suppression. Speakers have included Heinz Award winner Colette Pichon Battle, TransLash founder Imara Jones, authors Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates, and civil rights leader Bryan Stevenson. Sessions have addressed wedge issues like intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. Learning journey convenings take place virtually and in-person. The in-person convenings have been multiday learning experiences in Montgomery and Minneapolis, with visits to the sites of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Legacy Museum, and George Floyd Global Memorial, respectively. 

“Their approach of organizing inside of philanthropy mirrors our approach of organizing in our communities – bringing us together inside of one movement that is building power for social and political change," said Alicia Garza, Principal at Black Futures Lab. "DFF is a trailblazer in our movement – providing flexible funds for organizations that are building power at a time when our rights are being eroded,” 

“The support of the Democracy Frontlines Fund has been vital to our work, and DFF’s use of trust-based philanthropic practices has made the process truly collaborative instead of extractive,” said Jeree Thomas, Program Director for the Communities Transforming Policing Fund. “The political backlash following the 2020 racial justice uprisings makes DFF all the more critical to the strength, safety, and sustainability of movements for democracy, safety, and justice for all.” 

Launched after George Floyd’s murder in solidarity with the historic civil rights uprising, DFF was originally designed as a three-year initiative to quickly move resources and coalesce funders around supporting Black organizing. At that time, the expectation was that DFF would sunset this year. Beginning last year, DFF stakeholders initiated a discussion around continuing the grantmaking and DFF’s unique learning journey to understand and confront the roots of racism.

Democracy Frontlines Fund is an initiative of the Libra Foundation.

Executive Director

If the phrase ‘civil rights’ brings to mind 1960’s black-and-white photos, you, like many Americans, are ignoring the present even as you selectively remember the past. Today’s battles – over community safety and policing, over voting rights (which incredibly are again under siege), and over LGBTQ rights, are led by new Black voices speaking out on TikTok and Substacks, more than sermons and pulpits. When it comes to civil rights, we can’t only look back, we need to look around. 

Today, on this anniversary of the March on Washington, I remember the determination of my father, a Florida civil rights activist, and his contemporaries, who led groundbreaking 1960s marches and swim-ins. That history fortifies and informs us which is why authoritarians seek to erase it. That same deep-rooted commitment to freedom I see echoed among extraordinary leaders all around us who bring a fresh approach to pushing justice forward now. We must remember our history and celebrate new faces making history today.

When I think of current civil rights leaders, I’m struck by the brilliant, unstoppable LaTosha Brown, one of those most responsible for the survival of our multi-racial democracy through her voting rights work. LaTosha co-founded Black Voters Matter and is the driving force behind community organizing efforts criss-crossing the South. She challenges us with her passion and moral clarity. Long before the nation paid attention to the South, Brown proclaimed that the path to the multiracial democracy we’re building must be rooted in the Southern states, “We know a thing or two about outwitting authoritarian racists.”

Another powerful Black woman challenging the status quo is Alicia Garza, principal of Black Futures Lab and author of The Purpose of Power. And the originator of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Undaunted by death threats and online doxxing, she reminds us that protesting and Black voting is not enough – we must put policy-making power in Black hands to drive real change. Her Black to the Future Public Policy Institute is training cadres of Black leaders to help create positive change in our communities – whether the issue is community safety and policing, civil rights, health care or economic rights. She has taught us that, “Organizing isn’t just about protesting injustice. It’s about organizing a coalition of the people who believe in a world where we all have freedom and joy.” And she is doing exactly that. 

Sent to law school by her southern bayou community Colette Pichon Battle, founder of the Gulf Coast Center on Law and Poverty and partner at Taproot Earth returned to her community to fight big oil and gas companies’ devastating impacts on the very survival of her coastal community. Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina she witnessed the trauma that comes from loss as well as the economic losses experienced by already depressed and disenfranchised communities. “Climate change isn’t the problem,” she’s been known to say, “the problem is a system that has systematically extracted wealth and agency from the many for the benefit of a few.” Taproot Earth is laying out a strategy for coal mining country in Appalachia to organize alongside gas refining communities in Louisiana. They have laid out a plan for collectively addressing the worst impacts of climate by building a more equitable economy. 

Facing down the twin scourges of racism and transphobia is the brave, brilliant Imara Jones, a Black trans leader on Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023 whose work “loudly and proudly” asserts the civil rights of trans Americans to thrive. At a time when anti-trans attacks are well-funded and increasing, her TransLash media platform provides a powerful explainer. Scrupulous research uncovers the overlap between far-right Christian nationalist funders of anti-trans screeds and legislation turning back women’s rights, curtailing abortion health care, and suppressing voting rights.

The Libra Foundation's work spearheading philanthropic support for today’s civil rights leaders gives me an up-close look at their struggles and their strengths. They are every bit the measure of their own moment, and their vision has profoundly inspired me and the dozen other funders teaming up to make multi-year investments to resource their work.  As Dr. King said, “A true leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.” The civil rights leaders of today are standing on the shoulders of greats, while they bring our generation’s dreams to technicolor life.

If the phrase ‘civil rights’ brings to mind 1960’s black-and-white photos, you, like many Americans, are ignoring the present even as you selectively remember the past.

Don’t Just Look Back for Civil Rights Leaders – Look Around

We listened – with a responsibility to act on what we heard. Grantee partners told us about the deep threats to their core survival, about the burnout, about the funerals that must be attended, and the systems that had to be changed to adapt to lockdowns. We heard the pain and grief, the doubt, and also the determination and strength. Leaders said they needed time for adjusting to and reimagining the “new normal,” updating systems and infrastructure, transformative justice training, healing and wellness, succession planning, and many other things that crises had forced them to put on the back burner.

And then we acted. We didn’t study it forever, or debate it endlessly. We decided to focus our resources on small to mid-sized organizations (with budgets under $5 million) on the frontlines. Within months, we sent these grantee partners a note letting them know that we were giving them each $50,000 in general operating funds over two years “to support organizational sustainability and wellness.” We didn’t require paperwork. We affirmed the centrality of their work: “we all depend on movement leaders for our well-being and safety, and therefore we all depend on the holistic well-being of individuals and organizations.”

We also made a decision to build learning into this journey. At the outset, we shared a brief 3-question survey to find out how grantees intended to use the funds, and throughout our regular touchpoints with them, we asked how they used them. It was a way to enhance and deepen our own understanding of our grantee partners’ needs and challenges at this inflection point in history. It was important to understand as much as we could about how this $3.8 million in special grants had impacted the communities we serve – without being overly burdensome.

What came back to us was great gratitude for these additional resources, for the timing and responsiveness, and for the unfettered support. Our survey data found that the leading focus for organizational use of these funds was health and wellness – exceeding the projected expectations. This included offerings like meditation, retreats, alternative time off, and creative ways to heal from the trauma of the pandemic and other concurrent crises. Grantees felt supported to enhance their own health and wellness. The flexibility of the funds fostered innovation, and some groups took this as a time to step back and reimagine their structure and operations.

We learned that a small amount of money can have a big impact. At Justice for Migrant Women, the grant came at a very crucial time. It allowed them to work with their Board to pass a resolution to create a wellness fund, as well as provide coaching for all members of their team, including additional educational opportunities on things like managing stress and trauma. 

The Center for Story-Based Strategy felt that the unfettered funds created a sense of spaciousness that allowed them to grapple with big questions of organizational capacity and sustainability. Essie Justice Group used their funds to pilot mental health services like weekly subsidized therapy for staff. The program was so successful that they expanded it into what is now a 2-year pilot program across the organization. The creative ways grantees used additional resources are just some examples of what is possible when funders listen to, trust, and fund grantees in more expansive ways. 

We wanted to share some key takeaways for the funding community from this experience:

When grantees face new challenges, don’t just stick to business as usual. Stop and listen – with a bias toward action.

Make grants that are significant enough to support real wellness and sustainability efforts, and make them multi-year.

While we make core support grants to all of these grantees, we recognized that this moment required an extra intervention. These grants told them that a funder saw their challenges and wanted to bolster the importance of caring for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Take the time to learn how your grant-making impacted your grantee partners. Be open to their feedback and honest reflection.

We are so grateful for our grantee partners, for their resilience and strength, and for the opportunity to provide this support to them. They inspire and guide us. They are on the frontlines of change, and we are here to support their leadership. The challenges of this year and next year may be different, but the values that steer our choices remain constant.

Jennie Agmi and maisha quint are Senior Program Officers for the Gender Justice and Community Safety & Justice portfolios at the Libra Foundation. Artwork ‘Uncle Betty’ by Emaan Faith Azim of Faith Fetish.

San Francisco, CA - Libra announced today that Director of Programs, Angie Chen, will be leaving the foundation for a new and exciting opportunity as Executive Director of Yellow Chair Foundation!

“It is a fantastic opportunity for Angie to continue to demonstrate her leadership in our field and help shape an evolving philanthropic institution,” said Libra’s Executive Director, Crystal Hayling. “Angie’s extensive philanthropic experience and her deep knowledge of climate justice will be particularly powerful as she moves into this new role.”

During her five years at Libra, Angie has made immeasurable contributions to the foundation, initially spearheading environmental and climate justice work for the Foundation, and most recently helping to grow and develop the team in her role as Director of Programs. Angie has been an inspiring leader, bringing great knowledge and strategy, but also care and commitment to building Libra’s current values and approach to grantmaking.

“It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to help grow Libra alongside this amazing team and community of partners,” Angie said. “I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned at Libra to continue shifting philanthropy toward trust-based practices and community leadership.”

Angie’s presence will be greatly missed, but all at Libra wish her nothing but the best, knowing that she will continue to lead, innovate, and organize in our sector. 

Angie Chen Leaves Libra For Exciting New Role

Knowledge & Grants Manager

The Libra Foundation is guided by a trust-based approach that centers relationships, shares power, removes barriers, and eliminates unnecessary requirements. We can learn if we are meeting these aims by receiving and reflecting on honest grantee feedback.

In 2021, we turned to the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP) Grantee Perception Report (GPR) to help us with this task. We sought feedback from 171 grantee organizations and received 105 responses, attaining a 61% response rate. The results are compared to Libra’s 2018 findings, as well as results from other foundations in the CEP dataset. To read the full report, click here.

Here’s what we heard, and the ways we plan to remain accountable to this feedback.

Grantees told us that Libra has had a positive impact on their organization and field. Based on open-ended comments shared by grantees, Libra’s general operating support has been instrumental for building and facilitating grassroots leadership. The board’s decision to push greater decision making to staff in our grantmaking process has expedited resourcing grantees, which have allowed grantees to “directly influence the landscape.” As one grantee put it, “the support from the foundation has allowed us to lead and power the movement and has been critical and influential…which translates to influence in the field and community.” Our findings were much lower for local community impact, which may be attributed to our focus on aspects of movement ecosystems that are less localized, such as network infrastructure and movement sustainability.

The survey results confirmed we are deepening our relationships. Relationships are at the heart of social movements and are guided by honest dialogues. A key marker of trust is feeling comfortable talking about difficult situations. In philanthropy, this can be particularly challenging given the unequal power dynamics. The GPR results showed trust-based relationship building is one of Libra’s core strengths. Grantees said they felt comfortable reaching out when an issue arises and that Libra staff is aware of the challenges their organizations face. They also noted Libra staff exhibit high levels of transparency, openness to ideas about program strategy, compassion, and trust. For example, one grantee shared: “[our program officer] is so well connected in this space and really understands our ecosystem. [They are] willing to take risks on new ideas and fosters an honest, trust-based relationship with me and our team.” While another voiced that there is “care and collaboration” from the Libra team. Grantees also reported feeling no pressure to change their organizations’ priorities to receive funding.

Grantees praised Libra’s renewal and reporting process, and told us that the lack of bureaucracy allowed them to focus on their work. The Libra Foundation has come a long way. In 2018, the Foundation’s grantmaking processes were typical: lengthy applications comprised of questions that could be answered by visiting the grantee’s website or public platforms, such as Guidestar. Since then, with the support of the board, Libra staff has worked to eliminate these onerous requirements. For example, instead of written reports, program officers periodically connect with grantees through phone calls. These calls also allow the opportunity for program officers to provide an update on the foundation’s activities, so there is reciprocal sharing. According to a grantee partner, this process “lends itself to a much richer conversation about the work and feels more collaborative and like a partnership.” Speaking to our process, a grantee expressed:“Libra’s process is straightforward and non-bureaucratic. They seem to focus on getting the funds to us rather than focusing on applications and reporting” which therefore, “allows us as a smaller grassroots organization to focus on the work we are doing rather than the grant process.”

While we are encouraged by this positive feedback, grantees also told us about areas in which we can improve.

For example, grantees voiced wanting more consistent communication from the Libra Foundation and more touchpoints with program officers. Although survey results showed improved ratings for how Libra communicates its goals and strategies, grantees still mentioned they were unfamiliar with Libra’s work and impact. We received feedback that described Libra’s communication as clear and responsive, yet other comments asked for more touchpoints. This tension is best stated by one respondent who said, “We appreciate that there are not a lot of demands for communication from the funder. But we also want to have relationships with our funders and leverage their knowledge to grow relationships in philanthropy. I say this knowing that we are all pressed for time and are still in a pandemic.” 

Grantees voiced appreciation for our two-year funding, but challenged us to go further.  Besides the GPR, Libra Foundation gathers anonymous feedback after each cycle through a short, online survey and we have heard a consistent request: extend grant terms beyond two-year commitments. This feedback was echoed again by a grantee who shared the following: “One of the greatest things about Libra is that you understand the importance of unrestricted, multi-year funding. We’d love to see you take this even further, increasing average grant periods to 3-5 years. This is especially important as many nonprofits are still reeling from loss of income and need stability and certainty.”

This feedback identified areas of our grantmaking process that we could improve, and solidified the changes we were already beginning to implement. Here’s how we’re addressing these areas for improvement and deepening our commitment.  

 To improve communications and increase touchpoints, we’ve expanded our communications team and program officers have implemented office hours.  From the GPR, we learned that Libra program officer portfolios are almost twice the size of portfolios at other foundations in the dataset. We recognize it’s been a challenge to simultaneously provide updates from the Libra Foundation, learn about grantees’ work, and deepen relationships. By implementing office hours, grantees have the opportunity to connect on an ongoing basis if they choose to. With the expansion of our communications team, we have increased capacity to strategize and deliver additional ways to engage our grantee partners. 

We will also be piloting extending grant terms. We know that multi-year funding allows for movement sustainability, flexibility, and financial resilience. We also know that the uncertainty of the pandemic has made it challenging to plan ahead, especially with only two-year commitments. This year, we will be piloting extended multi-year funding grant terms for grantees that most closely align with the strategy of each program area. 

The results provided us with clear and useful information to better serve grantees. We aim to create an environment where grantees can set the tone of their engagement with the Libra Foundation. The engagement can range from a close collaboration where Libra connects grantees to other funders or movement leaders, resources, provides references, or serves as spokesperson to uplift their work. If a grantee prefers, receiving funds can be the extent of the engagement. 

That being said, we recognize that the GPR is very long and time consuming. While it is conducted every three years, we know it is a heavy lift for smaller grassroots organizations that already have limited capacity. Many grantees could not participate because of this barrier. We also know that many grantees are filling out multiple surveys from different funders using this tool, among several others. Through the GPR and the time invested in filling out the survey, we heard grantees’ priorities and needs, and how we better meet them.

We are grateful for respondents’ time, expertise, and thoughtfulness. We acknowledge this was yet another request for their time and we are deeply grateful for the appreciation, candor, and reflections. We are listening, and we are committed to being responsive to their needs. It is an honor to fund grantees’ work, as we all bear witness to the heightened attacks on our sacred earth, freedoms, bodily autonomy, and human rights.

Why Grantee Feedback is so Important  The Libra Foundation is guided by a trust-based approach that centers relationships, shares power, removes barriers, and eliminates unnecessary requirements. We can learn if

Feedback Powers Trust: Learnings from the Grantee Perception Report

We are living through cataclysmic shifts: a global pandemic causing more than six million deaths; fires, famines, freezes, and floods; far-right gangs threatening poll workers and public-health officials; and threats to democracy everywhere. The world order appears to be unraveling. Click here to read the full article.

The Future of Social Innovation: SSIR's Special 20th Anniversary Series

A Vision for the Future of Philanthropy

Senior Program Officer

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate and support the global struggle for women’s rights, which are now under attack everywhere we look. We feel these  threats deeply, because we have both worked alongside our sisters in this movement. And we believe that it is now time to broaden this fight to gender justice. This wider path will lead to victory for all of us – all races, all genders, all communities. 

How did we get here? We have been on a long and deep learning journey in what was initially labeled our “women’s rights” work at the Libra Foundation. Over the past few years, we have listened to grantee partners tell us about their work and their funding struggles. 

We heard from reproductive justice leaders about how the erosion of reproductive rights is a symptom of other forms of oppression – racism, sexism, classism, transphobia, ableism, and others. We listened as they told us that even when we had Roe, it was never enough for Black, Brown, undocumented, and poor communities that never had access in the first place. We spoke with trans leaders who connected the tactics used to ban abortion rights over the last five decades to the anti-trans bills that are rapidly sweeping this country now. Black and Indigenous women and queer folks of color told us that the movement to end gendered violence was inextricably linked to the movement for racial, economic, reproductive, queer, and trans justice. 

As we listened, the connections became impossible to unsee, and we realized that we needed to chart a new path towards funding that allows movements to bring their full selves to the issues we care about.

That journey has now taken us to an exciting new place. We invite other funders to join us in refocusing their women’s rights work on the broader fight for gender justice. As we have learned, taking this path will bring you many beautiful new opportunities and gifts, removing artificial barriers and inviting in fresh synergies. No, it does not mean losing focus on women’s rights. Instead it widens the frame for our work, enabling us to effectively address overlapping crises that include the fall of Roe, the struggle for racial justice, and escalating attacks on trans people.

If our mid-sized family foundation can make this bold evolution, your organization can too. We are lucky to have a board that is curious about the field and open to change that will advance the foundation’s mission. We had a strong starting point, as the Libra Foundation was grounded in years of funding for women’s rights organizations. Our evolution was a product of authentic listening to communities we serve – not a sudden or top-down decision. Our new approach is intersectional – because we know that gender justice needs a racial, queer, and trans justice lens to reach the most marginalized and oppressed.  

So, what exactly do we mean when we talk about Gender Justice? What does this kind of philanthropy look like? We invite you to check out our whole funding portfolio. But we want to highlight a few examples of the grantee partners who inspire us:

Spark Reproductive Justice builds leaders to engage and educate communities in shifting power, shifting culture, and uplifting Black Women and Queer and Trans Young People of Color.

Third Wave Fund  resources youth-led, intersectional, gender justice movements to advance the community power, well-being, and self-determination of young Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color.

Trans Justice Funding Project is a community-led funding initiative that supports grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people organizing around their experiences with racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, incarceration, and other intersecting oppressions.

Black Trans Fund seeks to address the lack of funding for Black trans communities in the U.S. through direct grantmaking, capacity building support, and funder organizing to transform philanthropy.

Justice for Migrant Women aims to ensure that all migrant women are guaranteed human and civil rights, including the freedom of mobility, the ability to live and work with dignity, and the right to be free of threats of violence against them and their families.

With grantee partners like these shining lights as our teachers, we continue to learn, question our own thinking, and evolve our strategy.  We absorb ideas from others in the field doing visionary work, like Aldita Gallardo of the Fund for Trans Generations, who outlined how funders can build authentic relationships with trans and nonbinary communities in a recent article in Stanford Social Innovation Review. We are constantly learning and expanding our field of vision. We read, we discuss, and we adjust as events in our communities challenge us to grow and as new issues arise. 

And we welcome company. If you currently fund in the women’s space, or in reproductive rights, we invite you to join us on this wider, more inclusive path to justice. We realize that the default position of philanthropy is to be siloed. The fear is that if you shift, you lose. Our message is: if you shift, all of us gain. Because our communities, and our struggles, are and will always be interconnected.

Jennie Agmi is Senior Program Officer for Gender Justice at the Libra Foundation. Susan Pritzker is Co-President of the foundation’s Board of Directors. Artwork by Amir Khadar.

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate and support the global struggle for women’s rights, which are now under attack everywhere we look.

A Wider Path to Victory: Centering Gender Justice

NDN Collective and Libra believe in the power of people and community to create a world that is prosperous, safe, equitable, and just for all people and the planet.

In their article in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Angie Chen, senior program officer and community engagement director at Libra, joins Michael Johnson, director of advancement at NDN Collective, and lays out opportunities to transform philanthropy for the better, be in solidarity with Indigenous social and climate justice movements, and be in right relationship with ourselves and each other in the process.

Originally posted on March 11, 2021 NDN Collective and Libra believe in the power of people and community to create a world that is prosperous, safe, equitable, and just for

A Call-In to Grow Indigenous Power: Telling the truth about philanthropy is the first step to transforming it for generations to come.

Over the last few months, we have experienced tragedy upon tragedy. A nesting doll of death at the hands of white supremacy and patriarchy. It’s been hard to keep track and appropriately process and respond to each heartbreaking event. And now we must add yet another tragedy – the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade resulting in the loss of a fundamental constitutional protection over our bodies. Following the leak of the Supreme Court opinion, hundreds of articles have been penned expressing justified outrage about what a post Roe country looks like. We want to add to the chorus and urge funders who have traditionally watched from the sidelines, to take heed of this moment and join the fight. 

Abortion bans have always been a symptom, rather than the end goal of white supremacy, patriarchy, classism, and racism. It has been part of a larger fight to ultimately control the bodies of women, girls, trans, and gender non-conforming communities (TGNC) – with an intentional focus on keeping power away from communities of color. It is why Libra’s Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)-led reproductive justice grantees have told us that Roe was always the floor and never the ceiling– that abortion bans are inextricably linked to anti-trans legislation, voter suppression, lack of medicaid expansion, and economic insecurity. It is why Black, Brown, and Indigenous women, youth and TGNC leaders organize to fight not only for the right to have an abortion, but for the right to have access to abortions and the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, accurate sex education in schools, voting rights in local, state, and federal elections. They have been a part of the racial justice and defund the police movement, fiercely connecting that the dismantling of Roe also means increased criminalization, surveillance and policing that will disproportionately impact poor communities of color.  

As we sit with the devastating news of Friday’s SCOTUS decision, we must reflect on how the philanthropic sector can move differently and meet the needs of this moment. Too often, the funding world has brushed off the reproductive justice movement as simply a women’s issue. Traditionally women’s rights funders have over prioritized abortion litigation strategies while under-investing in organizing efforts that grow the base and build long-term power. The consequences have been a grossly underfunded RJ movement, leaving leaders of color with intersectional strategies receiving little to no funding.

It’s time to think and fund differently and collectively for the world we want rather than defaulting to statements of solidarity followed by little action. It’s time to create accountability structures for ourselves and our colleagues that actually track where our funding dollars go. If funders begin to think more comprehensively about the variety of issue areas they support and recognize the interconnected nature of the systems of oppression we’re facing, we would move in alignment with affected communities and truly support their vision of liberation. 

Health funders treated abortion access restrictions as a public health crisis? 

Reproductive Rights funders saw that adopting a reproductive justice framework can repair the structural and systemic failures that Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have endured under the majority white-led reproductive rights movement? 

Democracy funders realized that BIPOC-led RJ leaders have been fighting voter suppression laws and integrating civic engagement strategies throughout all of their base-building work? 

Criminal Justice & Safety funders saw that overturning Roe will lead to increased police violence and the criminalization of birthing people- disproportionately impacting poor communities of color? 

Economic security funders connected access to abortion as a critical factor for economic well-being? 

Education funders understood that supporting comprehensive sex education is not only supporting abortion rights, but also improving youth mental health? 

Youth development funders supported a robust young people’s movement that centers their leadership and vision on reproductive liberation and self-determination? 

Gender Equity and Justice funders saw that the fight for reproductive liberation is also the fight for LGBTQ rights and trans liberation? 

Immigrant Rights funders explored how abortion restrictions and the threat of criminalization further isolates undocumented folks? 

National funders remembered that the fight for abortion access has always started at the state and local level and that power-building organizations closest to the ground are the ones to fund to lead this work?

If you’re wondering where to begin, read Women’s Funding Network’s letter that outlines five immediate actions as a start. While this is in no way an exhaustive list of the many organizations working at the forefront of this movement, these are some of Libra’s cross-cutting partners in this work: 

SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective 

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity 

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda 

Join us in breaking down the self-imposed silos of philanthropy. If your foundation operates in service of disenfranchised and historically marginalized communities in this country; if you care about the wellbeing of BIPOC communities – then this is an issue you must respond to, because it is ultimately the most economically vulnerable and politically disempowered communities in this country who are most intensely effected by abortion restrictions. 

Make no mistake –overturning Roe is part of the backlash against the racial reckoning and the multiracial, feminist democracy so many of us in philanthropy are supporting through our grantmaking, partnerships, and trust in our movement leaders.

When I think of all of the organizers in the movement that got up this morning to continue the fight, I am struck by their courage, resilience and enduring commitment to our collective liberation. As funders, we too must rise to meet this latest challenge and commit to funding this movement like our freedom depends on it, because that is exactly what’s at stake.   

Over the last few months, we have experienced tragedy upon tragedy. A nesting doll of death at the hands of white supremacy and patriarchy.

Reflecting on the SCOTUS Decision and What’s at Stake

Director of Operations

Originally posted on November 8, 2021 as a part of Trust-Based Philanthropy Project’s series on Mapping The Movement to Redistribute Power.

“We’re still deepening our understanding about what trust feels like on both sides of the equation and how to keep building it with each and every interaction.  We see ourselves as on a learning journey with our grantee partners, and it’s unfolding as we go.” – Ashley Clark, Director of Operations, The Libra Foundation

In We’re About Building Relationships, Not Creating Barriers, Ashley Clark shares how Libra’s focus on centering relationships impacts everything we do, from hiring to the way we approach grantmaking.

Thank you Trust-Based Philanthropy Project for including us in your critical work.

Originally posted on November 8, 2021 as a part of Trust-Based Philanthropy Project's series on Mapping The Movement to Redistribute Power.

Mapping the Movement to Redistribute Power

On January 31st in Oakland, I joined a remarkable lineup of social justice leaders at Justice Funders’ State of the Movement. The event convened philanthropic and movement leaders who are committed to reimagining communities and building economies focused on care, cooperation, regeneration, and social well-being.

Crystal speaking at Justice Funders’ State of the Movement

In my brief address, I shared my vision for The Libra Foundation and the many ways we are attempting to redefine the way we do philanthropy. I’d like to share some of those thoughts here on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

The Libra Foundation was founded in 2002 with an endowment of $33 million by a progressive, Chicago-based family.  In 2017, the family decided to build an in-house team to help bring forth the next chapter of The Libra Foundation.

From left to right: Angie Chen (Senior Program Officer), Crystal Hayling (Executive Director), Ashley Clark (Knowledge & Grants Manager), Jennifer Agmi (Senior Program Officer)

Fast forward to today. This is the founding team of Libra 2.0. When I was hired in 2017 as their first in-house Executive Director, I knew we had to boldly support movement strategies that build collective power, hire brilliant, heart-driven humans with a longing to do philanthropy differently, and be brave enough to show up as our authentic selves with wealthy people. Here’s how we’re turning our principles into practice:

The Libra team’s guiding principle is that those who are closest to the issues understand those issues the best. They are not only the most equipped to build solutions, they are the most effective at implementing those solutions. This means low-income communities of color building power from the ground up, inspiring big local change that creates influence on the national level and national/transnational coalitions that are working with partners around the country and globe. This means focusing on key areas where human rights are ignored – criminal justice reform, gender justice, and environmental justice. We fund, when possible, at the intersections of these issue areas. No one issue solely affects a human being. We are not single-issue people; we are whole beings.

This also means funding people like Gina Clayton who founded Essie Justice Group, a network of women who have incarcerated family members. Each woman in the network is nominated by her incarcerated family member. Together, as Black and Latinx women, formerly and currently incarcerated women, transwomen, and gender non-conforming people, as sisters, they are driving fierce change to fight the injustices created by mass incarceration.

That means funding groups like Southerners On New Ground (SONG), which has been organizing LGBTQ communities across the South for 25 years. In their annual report, they write:

“How, with the boot of the state on our necks, do we build with a base of badasses in these grim political times? How do we embody the vision we hold while dealing with the stark reality of our context and conditions? We have one answer: US. Together we have been able to not just do more, but to leverage the capacity of our Kinship Network to tackle these questions.”

SONG pushes us to more deeply understand that supporting racial, economic, and environmental justice means a greater investment in Queer Liberation, especially in the South.

Photo Credit: http://southernersonnewground.org/2018/12/freedom-birthright-songs-2018-end-year-report/

At the end of 2018, we moved millions to new projects with greater mission alignment to each other than ever before, such as Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Project South, Business Alliance for Living Local Economies (BALLE), and We Got Us Now.

If we don’t know by now, then we really haven’t been listening – it’s not only about what you fund, it’s how you fund. We’re saying goodbye to stale bureaucratic habits – never-ending paperwork, low trust, and restricted funding (to name just a few). Hello general operating support grants, multi-year support, real conversations, and streamlined proposals and reports. If we want to make philanthropy more equitable, effective, and empathetic, these shifts are imperative first steps.

Privilege feels great, but privilege narrows our vision. It is actually impossible, when one has abundance, to completely remember what deprivation feels like. If one has never felt systemic oppression, it can be difficult to even see it, much less support work that addresses it. Our staff team includes two children of immigrants and two African Americans with deep personal Warmth of Other Suns family histories. Yet even those of us who grew up low-income, but now work in philanthropy, can’t claim to see these issues entirely from the perspective of those most impacted.

This is even more true for people who have grown up in wealth and privilege. The family behind the foundation is delving deeply into the question of what it means to be an ally. They are learning how to de-center their privilege and practices around not always being the deciders. They are learning how to organize and activate other people of wealth to support movements and progressive solutions. Our board chair, Regan Pritzker, recently hosted a book club for a group of her white friends to discuss Robin DiAngelo’s White Privilege. This gives us some common language from which to excavate the divides and build trust.

If we’re really committed to the potential of using wealth for good, philanthropic endowments also must align with our mission. The Libra Foundation’s endowment now stands at $420 million, all of which is invested for impact. The vast majority of the endowment is invested in screened funds and equities, with a minimum of 10% allocated for direct investing in companies with non-extractive practices committed to building just and equitable businesses.

When I first proposed to the family that Libra should be close to but not inside of the family office, they thought it was a terrible idea. But they listened. When I started talking about being on the ground floor, not in a hermetically sealed and secure high-rise, they furrowed their brows. I described a place with simple beauty and art. A warm, welcoming space that grantees could use for staff and board retreats, free of charge. A place that does not do what most foundation offices do: demand that those who enter stiffen their spines, switch their language, and chuckle instead of belly laugh.

Small meeting room / Wall of Resistance Posters in Community Conference Room

This is the new Libra Foundation office. We moved in two weeks ago. It is a house and it feels like a home. It has couches and kitchens and creaky doors and lots of color. More loud than hushed. A joyful place for discussing, debating, dreaming, and not just strategic planning. We are planning events that uplift a new vision for philanthropy. A few grantees are already planning on giving it a test run for their own small group gatherings in the coming weeks.

“If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle.”

Our role in philanthropy is to fund the struggle. This is how we will build a shared practice for philanthropic transformation, and that’s our goal for The Libra Foundation.

Crystal Hayling is Executive Director of The Libra Foundation, based in San Francisco, funding organizations working to advance human rights and racial, economic, and social justice.

On January 31st in Oakland, I joined a remarkable lineup of social justice leaders at Justice Funders’ State of the Movement. The event convened philanthropic and movement leaders who are

The Libra Foundation: Where We've Been and Where We're Going

My husband is out of town. My son is at practice. I have a rare moment completely alone.

This catches me off guard. I’m not a crier. I’m a doer. I take action. I’m an activist. I run a California-based national philanthropy, where I try to be a changemaker. 

But truth be told, four years of Trump, an insurrection and two years of a pandemic and I’m not the woman I used to be.  Are any of us? I am shedding tears and losing patience. 

Just as I began to dread the two-year anniversary of the police officer Chauvin’s murder of an unarmed Black man named George Floyd, there was a terrible echo. A white police officer in Grand Rapids turned off his body camera before he shot Patrick Lyoya, a quiet eldest son, another unarmed Black man, in the back of the head. And now the escalation. The unthinkable Buffalo rampage fueled by a massive hate-stoking misinformation media.

As with George Floyd’s video, I have not watched these videos. Never will. At the ripe age of 57, I have been traumatized enough by white people murdering Black people. There are no words.

Patrick will not go home tonight. His family will not hear his voice down the hall, as he announces he’s arrived home from the front doorway. His friends will no longer smile in anticipation when he’s about to deliver the punchline to his joke.

He has been taken. Snatched by the lying white supremacy that convinced that cop that he was owed nothing less than total submission. And even then, stop resisting = stop insisting that you have a right to be.

Pearl Young, a substitute teacher and grandmother of 10 who was murdered while shopping, won’t log on to Zoom to work with her special ed class. They won’t hear her laughter or receive her support and care.

Two years ago, all my friends in philanthropy insisted, this is not who we are. Our country can be better than this. Millions of Americans of all colors crowded into the streets to say Black Lives Matter. Perhaps the pandemic made us feel more similar than different. For a brief time, we were all in the same boat. We all suffered similar consequences for our actions, we all shared the same fears.

Two years ago, I called on forward-thinking colleagues in philanthropy to join me in setting up a fund for frontline racial justice groups – and many responded.  A dozen foundations strong, we launched the Democracy Frontlines Fund quickly, and I felt that things might be shifting at last. The response was fast and heartening, as we aimed to confront anti-Blackness in philanthropy. Together, we felt a great gust of hope.  

But now? Our good work goes on, but the world is changing all around us.  The shortest way to put it is that we are no longer us.  For people who are healthy, employed, immunized, with income and insurance, reality is vastly different than for people with dark skin, frontline or gig jobs, who pay the doctor out of pocket, whose rent just went up, who must produce papers if stopped.

These divisions of race, money and fear are being stoked by the far right in an election year.  On the left, we are seeing a racial backlash, an acrid tide of pre-blame for anticipated losses in the fall election.  Everywhere, we are seeing a national attack on voting rights and the intentional undermining of the pillars of our democratic system. And, there continues the relentless drumbeat of Black deaths by police.

This anniversary, like the moment sparked two years ago, calls for us to stand up. To push for real anti-racism, not corporate sloganeering about “diversity and inclusion” or empty efforts at tokenism.  And most importantly, we must declare that we have been changed and commit ourselves to that change. This means that we will no longer turn a blind eye to unconscionable injustice. That we will not allow more murders of Black men and women to be hushed up and forgotten.

What is important is to break out of the habit of blindness and to declare that what is happening now is not alright. That your comfort is not more important than Black life. And to speak up and bear witness. To accelerate the efforts we all promised two years ago to be advocates for racial justice.  To keep uprooting white supremacy wherever we work or live.  For me, that means the day-to-day work of chipping away at philanthropy’s racist past and building a future that is truly inclusive.

Patrick Lyoya is a young man we will never know. He is a Black man whose murder at the hands of the police was caught on video.  One more person not allowed to be.

So, I ask, two years after George Floyd’s murder: what has changed? The circumstances – or you?  What are we doing for justice now?  

Crystal Hayling is Executive Director of the Libra Foundation and Founder of the Democracy Frontlines Fund.

My husband is out of town. My son is at practice. I have a rare moment completely alone. So I sink down on my couch and sob. This catches me

Who Are We Now? A Black Woman’s Meditation on the Second Anniversary

Movements for justice are inextricably linked. Some in philanthropy tend to put issues in boxes, but doing that can perpetuate false solutions and lift up some while hurting others. For generations, activists across issue areas have worked together in formal and informal networks and coalitions, in solidarity against structural oppression. The message funders are hearing from grantee partners is loud and clear: one, move money to groups led by and for people who are disproportionately harmed (mostly low-income communities of color), two, do so in trusting relationships, and three, cut all the unnecessary red tape, fast. 

The growing role of intermediaries to meet this moment might seem new to many funders, but at its core it’s not new to social movements. Communities in need have always worked together to redistribute resources, share power, and create opportunities for frontline organizations to collaborate. 

That’s why The Libra Foundation is funding an additional $10M to 14 community-accountable intermediaries with unrestricted and multiyear grants that are unsolicited and require no administrative burdens. 

Exactly what is an intermediary? Here’s our definition:

Public foundations that raise the funds they grant/spend;

Nonprofit organizations and formations that either exclusively regrant or regrant a majority of resources raised; and

Pooled funds, initiatives, and alliances that are multi-stakeholder, fiscally sponsored, community-accountable, and/or practice participatory grantmaking 

As funders, we must recognize that institutional philanthropy is too often out of touch with the reality of marginalized peoples’ lives. We need guidance from trusted partners to get money to where it needs to go in ways that work for frontline communities – not the way it works for us.

We are following the lead of allies, including movement-accountable public foundations and grassroots-centric intermediaries. Here’s our latest thinking on why Libra supports intermediaries and the criteria we prioritize:

Support for frontline communities, across issue areas & geographies

Libra prioritizes intermediaries that work in and alongside communities, have strong ties to organizations that lead local movements, and have the trust and experience to get money where it needs to go. These intermediaries reach people across issue areas and across geographies, building on deep partnership and collaboration. They center those disproportionately affected by oppression and are led by and for BIPOC communities facing adversities due to systemic and institutionalized racism.

Comprising more than 200 organizations across five states, the relationships that make up Gulf South for a Green New Deal (GS4GND) have existed for decades. These bonds were strengthened through community responses to catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill, and voter suppression. Members participated in a collective, bottom-up process to develop a shared platform rooted in the values and priorities of the most impacted, facilitated by Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy. The regional formation uplifts grassroots policies that actualize just transition, by instilling those values into every aspect of its work and prioritizing the frontlines. Reflecting its deep commitment to self-determination, GS4GND’s governance council, representing frontline organizations across all five Gulf South states, allocates resources through a participatory process.

Infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration

Intermediaries can provide necessary financial structures (such as fiscal sponsorship) or even make grants directly to individuals and organizations that don’t have their own nonprofit status. This allows them to be more nimble and responsive to the needs of their community partners. We’re inspired by the ways intermediaries have worked with one another to bring communities together, so that no one is left behind. 

Dedicated to Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and the sovereignty of Native nations, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples is an example of moving resources into the hands of those who come from the community they serve. Through three different funds as well as fiscal sponsorship, Seventh Generation is funding critical projects that are preserving tradition, fostering healing, and fighting corporate power. This summer, the Fund teamed up with Grantmakers for Girls of Color, a Black-led philanthropic serving organization, to launch the New Songs Rising Initiative to support projects led by and for Black, Brown, and Indigenous girls.

It’s not just what you fund, it’s how you do it. Libra is on an ongoing journey to be a better funder ally, and we’ve learned our practices from the nimble funders whose work we admire. The intermediaries we partner with practice trust-based grantmaking, which means fewer administrative burdens, multi-year funding, support beyond the check, mindfulness around power dynamics, and dedication to combating systemic racism and other forms of oppression. Our partners teach us about the importance of non-extractive organizational practices, like compensation, acknowledgement, and respect for movement experts’ wisdom. 

For example, Trans Justice Funding Project (TJFP) makes its grant decisions by convening a panel of trans justice activists who rely on their experiences with “racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, incarceration, and other intersecting oppressions” (see its 2020 annual report). TJFP requires no reporting, provides unrestricted funding, supports projects with budgets less than $250K, and does not take grantees’ time for site visits. Last year, it also instituted something new – the “ReUp” is a no-hassle way for grantees to annually reapply for funding without submitting new materials, leaving more time for grantees to focus on what’s most important – trans liberation. This is trust in action.

Intermediaries are reflecting back to us what’s possible when we come together and prioritize trusting, collaborative relationships. Historically, philanthropy has not made it easy for small organizations to work with one another. Often unconsciously, funders have put groups that ought to be in partnership in competition with each other because of the paternalistic nature of our grantmaking strategies. Thanks to intermediaries’ work to combat these regressive practices, we’re seeing more coordinated donor organizing efforts, accountability initiatives, space for tough conversations, and more loving organizational cultures.

At Libra, we regularly fund many different types of intermediaries whose work shines light on the cascading crises frontline communities are facing, and therefore the solutions put forth are inherently holistic. We’re excited to see a growing interest in intermediaries in social justice philanthropy.

Movements for justice are inextricably linked. Some in philanthropy tend to put issues in boxes, but doing that can perpetuate false solutions and lift up some while hurting others.

How Funding Intermediaries Fuels Social Change

Fellow funders, throw out the playbooks that say we have to meet in the middle and focus instead on bridging with people who are trying to move the middle toward justice. If you are in a room where surface agreement is more important than fighting against racism, standing up for women’s rights, insisting on fair wages for hard work, and demanding truth-telling about our leaders and elections, you need to get up and find another room. Click here to read the full article.

Many foundation leaders believe division and incivility are the biggest problems afflicting democracy. Libra’s Crystal Hayling makes the case that some bridges should not be built and that redressing injustice requires agitation. Read More.

Hey, Philanthropy: Division Isn’t Our Biggest Problem

With so many practices in philanthropy centered on “trying to make ourselves feel better about mitigating a tiny bit of risk,” Libra’s Director of Operations, Ashley Clark, calls on funders to build relationships, not create barriers.”

Originally posted March 22, 2022 With so many practices in philanthropy centered on “trying to make ourselves feel better about mitigating a tiny bit of risk,” Libra's Director of Operations,

We’re About Building Relationships, Not Creating Barriers

“First, foster authentic relationships with leaders and organizations closest to the challenges we aim to address. Such relationships build trust on both sides. They shift the funder-grantee relationship from a transactional one to a mutually supportive one, grounded in learning and shared commitment to action. As Crystal Hayling at The Libra Foundation, a philanthropy that embraces practices that reflect social justice, recently wrote: “If you want to create systemic change, step out of the driver’s seat and strap in as a passenger . . . funders need to give up the wheel and foot the bill for the fuel.”

Originally posted on March 8, 2022 "First, foster authentic relationships with leaders and organizations closest to the challenges we aim to address. Such relationships build trust on both sides.

Reimagining philanthropy’s commitment to racial equity

Thank you Inside Philanthropy for naming Crystal Hayling, the Libra Foundation’s executive director, Foundation Leader of the Year! We are so honored to be on this list with so many of our brilliant colleagues. Read about the winners here.

Thank you Inside Philanthropy for naming Crystal Hayling, the Libra Foundation's executive director, Foundation Leader of the Year! We are so honored to be on this list with so many