At the center of the circles is the artist or cultural producer and the change they personally experience, both through the application process and through the artmaking or cultural production process

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2018, Leeway began an impact assessment process to learn more about the impact of their grants on artists and cultural producers in the wider Philadelphia area. In the fall of 2018, Leeway and Dragonfly Partners together designed the impact assessment process as an action research project, with findings being brought regularly to staff and board members for their input through the summer of 2019. The impact assessment looks at what you need to know about Leeway’s approach to philanthropic practice, and the impact it has had on grantees, grantmaking panelists, the ecosystem of social change artists and cultural producers in the wider Philadelphia area, local partners, and national philanthropy.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LEEWAY

“Foundations say, ‘Let’s talk about inclusion and equity,’ but then you won’t change your internal systems to change these systems.” (grantee)

Leeway’s history — Between 2004 and 2007, Leeway went through a multi-year antioppression organizational development process to look at issues of racism and privilege inherent in foundations. Leeway made a commitment to focus on racial equity, and to include trans and gender-nonconforming artists in all their programs. The white, founding family members transitioned out of the foundation’s leadership, and Leeway began to be led by a multiracial community board of directors.

Leeway’s approach to shifting power in philanthropic practice — Leeway’s experience shows that in order to shift power from the funder to grantees, a foundation needs to makes changes at all three levels of the organization: its strategic focus, its leadership and the behaviors of program officers. In Leeway’s case, this meant making several changes described below.

In terms of strategic focus this meant: • Focusing on racial justice • Becoming a trans-affirming organization

In terms of leadership, this meant: • Shifting away from being a white family-led foundation to a multiracial community board-led organization • Having a board committed to enacting its values across the whole organization • Becoming led by women of color (at the board and staff levels)

In terms of program officer behavior, this meant: • Centering building relationships and community-building with grantees at the core of its work • Handing staff’s decision-making power over to independent grantmaking panels made up of artists and cultural producers • Supporting grantees to build power for and in their communities