Funders for Justice cultivates a culture of accountability in philanthropy, in which we hold ourselves, each other, and our institutions to a high standard. We fortify our members to stand strong when they are confronted for their bold and necessary grant-making. Philanthropy must step up to share in the risk that movements and communities bear. FFJ urges our members to take responsibility to spend it all. We also hold space for funders to listen to feedback, and own when we make mistakes as grant-makers.

FFJ is rooted in a core set of principles: serve movement, move money to movement, and build a funder community that is politically aligned and accountable to each other – a funder community willing to break the philanthropic rules that don’t serve our movements.

“As funders we can do more together, and only when we follow the lead of movements. We have a moral imperative to collaborate and robustly support frontline organizations advancing racial justice. Black leaders, undocumented families, LGBT and Trans trailblazers, BIPOC young people – our communities have warriors that have been paving the way for all of us to enjoy freedom and justice. As they fight harder in even more uncertain times – we need to fund smarter, bigger, better, and with unequivocal political clarity that the time is now and we stand behind them! FFJ is a space for us to learn, convene and catapult into joint action.”

– Manuela Arciniegas, Andrus Family Fund, and Co-Chair of Funders for Justice

Gratitude to Neighborhood Funders Group

NFG is a place for innovation and a platform for growth. We are grateful to NFG for their partnership and the home that they have provided for six years. Together, FFJ and NFG have built a culture that centers and nurtures relationships. NFG provided the container and the roots FFJ needed while we collectively built our work. We are delighted to have learned tremendously from working with our co-conspirators at NFG to continue pushing a progressive philanthropy rooted in racial and social justice. We look forward to supporting intersectional movements through partnering with NFG’s Funders for a Just Economy on FFJ’s police unions strategy group, and to working with NFG as part of a growing group of funders interested in deepening their learning and practice with FFJ’s divest/invest work. We need all strategies in order to win, and NFG and FFJ will continue to flank each other. As FFJ co-chair Manuela Arciniegas asked as the MC of the plenary, Accountability & Philanthropy’s Role, at the launch of NFG’s 40 Years Strong virtual convening, “What are we willing to do to move big money to [our movement partners] in this opening, in this unique moment in history?”.

What’s Next for FFJ

Together, with movement, FFJ is the next wave of change. We look forward to the year ahead, which includes a four-part virtual institute on safety and security culture, continuing to be a container for the M4BL Donor organizing committee, the new FFJ Fellowship, and deepening our practice in our working groups. Thank you community for walking alongside us to this next phase of our evolution!

Onwards,

Funders for Justice