Why Are We Still Talking About Trust-Based Philanthropy?
By Chantias Ford
11/16/2023
Philanthropy is full of trends. We oversaturate the field with programming, resources, and think-pieces responding to the latest buzz. We write reports, host roundtables, and do interviews elevating the “hot topics” funders are grappling with. We talk and talk and talk, and after a set amount of time, we shift our focus to new trends. It’s a tale as old as time. And perhaps you think trust-based philanthropy falls in that same category: a dated philanthropy trend that has oversaturated the market.
I get it. Prior to joining the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project team, I had various run-ins with trust-based philanthropy. I understood the gist – that it was about shifting the power imbalance and centering equity – and it seemed like an amazing way to reframe conventional philanthropy. I was excited to see where it could go. But I have to admit, I also saw it as another potentially fleeting trend. Some of these trends were great- many born from the tragedies of social injustices and inefficient harmful practices. But unfortunately, I was unsure (and frankly, a bit skeptical), about the lasting power and sector-wide adoption of trust-based philanthropy.
As I’ve gotten more intimately involved in the trust-based movement, it has been wonderful to see how widely the approach is being discussed and adopted among funders around the world. And if you, like me, find yourself in spaces where sector influencers have been discussing this repeatedly, you may be wondering “why are we still talking about this?”. Maybe you’re tired of hearing about it, maybe you don’t believe the hype, maybe it feels like it has enough momentum, maybe you don’t feel any personal power to make change, or maybe you just have critiques or questions that you have yet to find answers to.
Wherever you may fall, and whatever position you may have in the philanthropic sector, I encourage you to consider the following reasons why we need to keep this conversation alive.
So why are we still talking about trust-based philanthropy?
Because many funders still haven’t heard about it. Although the phrase seems to have saturated the field, there are still plenty of philanthropy professionals who are not familiar with it. In our programs and conversations, we continually encounter people that are completely new to the concept and what it means. This includes new philanthropy professionals, next-gen donors, and others who may be relatively new to the sector. If we want to make this approach the norm, it will require ongoing conversation and education.
Because the majority of the sector is still operating in the conventional way. Trust-based philanthropy was born out of the harmful practices funders were perpetuating to their grantee partners, and those harmful practices are still the overwhelming norm for most funders. Although there is promising evidence of funder shift, (as has been illustrated in nonprofit research as well as our recent grantmaker survey) the vast majority of the sector is still operating in conventional ways, and shifts such as multiyear unrestricted funding are still not the norm. People may be talking about trust-based philanthropy and implementing aspects of it, but there is still more work to be done to normalize it holistically.
Because there is a difference between awareness and action. Many that have been introduced to trust-based philanthropy get the general concept and are beginning to shift some practices, but that’s just an initial step. In order to deepen the knowledge and the practice, we have to go beyond the “trustwashing” we’ve seen, and towards deeply living and embodying trust-based values at the deeper level of culture, structures, and leadership. Transforming at this deeper level requires time, patience, collaboration, and constant self-reflection. The more we can collectively discuss, demonstrate, and embody this ethos, the more we can inspire action and eventual transformation.
Because we’re continually evolving how we think about and operationalize this work. Trust-based philanthropy is very nuanced. As we respond to questions and curiosities from the field, we are constantly developing new language and tools to support practitioners trying to implement change. We’re spending more intellectual capital building on the framework and contributing new insights and recommendations. For example, we’ve recently put out novel thinking on trust-based evaluation and learning, the correlation between racial equity and trust-based philanthropy, and a trust-based analysis of MacKenzie Scott's funding approach.
Because the majority of nonprofits have not yet experienced the benefits of trust-based philanthropy. Nonprofits deserve mutually accountable, trust-based, equitable, transparent relationships. They deserve relationships that are not compliance-based or rooted in fear and distrust. If nothing else, it is beneficial to keep lifting up trust-based philanthropy so that nonprofits of all shapes and sizes can experience this sort of transformative funder relationship, and so that funders will feel more emboldened to not only shift practices, but to make their trust-based priorities visible to nonprofit partners seeking these sorts of transformative relationships.
In an ideal philanthropic world, trust-based philanthropy would be the standard, but there is clearly much more work to be done to get us there.
So perhaps the next time you hear about trust-based philanthropy and are inclined to click away or to offer a dismissive retort, I warmly encourage you to see it as an opportunity for you to be reflective and think through opportunities to elevate and implement what you’re hearing.
See it as an opportunity to reflect on why this approach resonates with you, how you can improve your practice, and how you can be an advocate. Transforming philanthropy is a collective journey, and it’s going to take commitment and collaboration from many of us to actualize the deep change this sector truly needs.
