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

Another foundation might not choose to take all of the actions that Leeway took for a variety of reasons, but in order to generate the same kind of impact in terms of shifting power to grantees, they do need to take action at all three levels of the organization.

Leeway staff and board members also know that this is an ongoing process of enactment, one that requires leadership and vigilance as they interrogate their own power and look for the new edges of their grantmaking. Leeway’s board has ensured that the organization enacts its values across the whole organization. This was clear to some of the national partners working in philanthropy whom we interviewed.

“Leeway’s grantmaking model that is out there in the world — the difference is it goes all the way to the top of the organization. The grantmaking model isn’t as radical if you take it out of its container. I don’t think it’s about those grantmaking practices. Lots of people have panels, like in Advancing Black Arts. But the difference is, the artists are not held by the overall organization in a truly authentic way. The reason people stay for 20 years is because there’s consistency across the whole organization. That was Denise’s point to me. The practices aren’t going to be able to stay past a program officer [leaving] unless the whole organization does all the work.” (national partner)

The impact assessment showed that there are clear benefits to a foundation that makes these changes in terms of building community, shifting power away from the foundation to the grantees, and committing to racial justice and becoming trans-affirming. These benefits include:

Grantees are more likely to be in active relationship with the foundation and be a source of advice and accountability. Grantees are more likely to trust the foundation to act in their interests, to be transparent and to make good decisions. Because of that trust, grantees are more likely to help identify and recruit new applicants from more diverse communities and locations. Grantees are more likely to generate a multiplier effect for the grants, because they would use them to support other artists economically. Foundations are clearer that their actions are contributing to tackling racial injustice and transphobia.