A New Chapter for the TBP Movement

By: Shaady Salehi & Pia Infante

9/12/2024

The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project is embarking on a new chapter. As we approach our 5-year anniversary, we are poised to realize our once-radical dream: making trust-based philanthropy the standard of practice for effective, equitable philanthropy. Over time, this means building and realizing a future where trust-based philanthropy doesn’t need a name, because it will just be the way things are done.

The two of us will co-lead this new phase as co-founders and chief executives, working in collaboration with other power-shifting movements. We will focus on embedding trust-based philanthropy within existing efforts, so that a highly principled, consistent understanding and adoption permeates the sector, including the internal cultural and structural work required for advancing a more just and equitable society. We will also demonstrate the power of community-driven social change and the real tangible impact that is possible when trust-based philanthropy is fully embraced as a strategy. Most importantly, we will work to ensure that trust-based philanthropy expertise doesn’t just live within our organization, so that it can be collectively held and carried forward by all of us.

We are excited to pursue our shared north star together with other like-minded movements working to transform the sector. Over the last five years, our collective advancements have added up to a larger sea change in philanthropy – with a growing number of movement leaders, foundations, and nonprofits taking action to undo past harms and rebalance power toward achieving a more just and equitable world. 

Our sector is in a very different place from where we were just a few years ago. And yet, even with transformation afoot, there are still competing forces inhibiting our ability to realize the future that so many of us are working toward. Donor-centric mindsets continue to permeate the sector, giving way to unfounded critiques about trust-based philanthropy and other aligned movements. And even among those who are embracing of and curious about trust-based philanthropy, there is still inconsistency in how it is being defined and understood. All of this, along with the rise of trustwashing and misinformation – among some funders, philanthropy advisors, and beyond – makes this a critical time for us to stay in the game.

The trust-based future we’re building will be mutually created, through experiments and core collaborations that are responsive to the needs of the field. One exciting partnership is already underway with The Giving Practice at Philanthropy Northwest (TGP), whose team – with over 20 years of experience consulting with foundations on organizational change – is now poised to meet the growing demand for trust-based philanthropy consulting. In July, we led TGP’s senior advisors in a multi-day intensive to strengthen and coordinate our offerings on the “how” of guiding trust-based organizational change. For us, this is grounded in a trust-based presence and ethos, combined with lived experiences of leading systems change and a learning-centered approach to organizational development. We are thrilled that this partnership will allow a range of foundations to access high-quality consulting to support their trust-based aspirations.

This is just one example of how we are evolving our work toward a future where a holistic, principled, fully-embodied trust-based philanthropy is the standard of practice for all philanthropies committed to a just and equitable society. We are committed to this vision and also know we can’t get there without the energy and involvement of our growing community of trust-based advocates. We hope you will join us – by contributing funds to our work, continuing to access and share our tools and resources, joining one of our peer exchanges, or deepening your organization’s trust-based commitment.

We look forward to sharing our learnings and progress in the coming months. In the meantime, subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates. If you have questions about our evolution, please check out our FAQs about our new chapter for more information. 

Shaady Salehi is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project.

Pia Infante is Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project.