Amplifying a Cultural Community: Leeways Impact

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LEEWAY’S APPROACH TO SHIFTING POWER IN PHILANTHROPIC PRACTICE “Foundations say, ‘Let’s talk about inclusion and equity,’ but then you won’t change your internal systems to change these systems.” (grantee) Leeway is committed to challenging power imbalances, in grantmaking and in the world. The white family members who originally established the foundation gave up their power and transferred leadership of the foundation to a community-led board of directors. Leeway’s grantmaking processes shift power away from the funder to the grantees. It supports grantees to build power for and in their communities. Challenging structural power imbalances is in Leeway’s DNA in a way that is noticeably different from most foundations. What came across clearly from the impact assessment is the insight that in order to transform how a foundation does its philanthropy so that power shifts from the funder to the grantees, a foundation needs to make 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 the following changes: In terms of strategic focus •• Focusing on racial justice

•• Becoming a trans-affirming organization In terms of leadership •• 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 •• 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

•• Providing feedback to all applicants so decision-making is transparent •• Ensuring expansive outreach — stepping out into the neighborhood

Amplifying a cultural community: Leeway’s impact | What you need to know about Leeway

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