Philanthropy’s time to shine is coming

As the departing Executive Director of ENAR Foundation, and ENAR association, I have had the honour for the last three years to be in contact with countless organisations. Their profiles are varied; some are large pan-European structures, while others are small grassroots organisations that perhaps work on behalf of specific communities or cultures. What brings them all together is a commitment to make the world a fairer place for the communities they serve but also for others who face marginalisation and exclusion. A fairer world which many, in the philanthropic community, also wish to see realised and have for the last decades steadfastly contributed achieving.

As a foundation, we have seen how invaluable our proximity to the movement can be in understanding the challenges that we as a philanthropic actor need to address. It strengthens our narrative to bring together stakeholders with broader shoulders to come and join the fight against racism and its subsequent consequences that stimy individuals’ potentials and, measurably, our societies. It also makes us better able to understand that the kind of funding most sorely needed is increasingly the kind that keeps organisations alive, let alone thrive.

We thought that with the murder of George Floyd and the sudden outpouring of moral indignation and commitment to stop with performative acts and start with systemic change, that we had turned a corner. More than ever, society was now committed to making steps towards the systemic changes that are needed to effectively address the many root causes and symptoms of a racist system that produces inequitable outcomes. That renewed commitment also came with a perceptible increase in inward funding earmarked to showcase new stakeholders’ commitments to the fight. However, with the rise of populism, especially in the Western world, it seems that the window of opportunity to continue to push ahead the agenda is closing rapidly. Worse than that, the safeguards built into the system are exploding rapidly for a civil society ecosystem that remains extremely fragile.

In all our recent encounters as ENAR Foundation, one thing is coming across loud and clear. As public sector funding becomes increasingly marred by a new political chilling effect, and private sector hesitates, the paths for financial support are drying up fast. The antiracism movement and all its essential building parts are in trouble and more than ever needs our collective mobilisation and support to ensure its survival.

ENAR Foundation and ENAR have been bolstering our ability to provide empowerment and resilience funding to the movement, but we are concerned and troubled by the increasing number of organisations that are facing politically motivated funding cuts, are affected by the retraction of private and philanthropic funding allocated to this cause, and a deeply demoralised volunteer and professional base who are under psychological duress – these are all the symptoms of a shrinking civic space and the extra challenge is that community resilience is especially weak within communities impacted by systemic racism.

So how do we address this gloomy picture, what can the philanthropic community do in this hour of need? I would say that the times are asking for us to be the best of ourselves, the time for philanthropy to shine is now. Now is when we should be looking to see how we come together collectively to create a more comprehensive, multi-stakeholder mobilisation to support communities in dire need.

That means exploring through our existing fora how we can be more innovative at a time of significant constraints, to make sure we are collectively in a position to deploy funds of funds that can be pooled to provide robust, structural support so that these organisations can more confidently build infrastructures in the long-term that will be able to build sustainable ecosystems for change and support. It’s the time to for us to connect the dots rather than address this thematic strand as an isolatable topic, because its impact permeates every walk of life and if we are serious about achieving systemic change in climate, in digital societies, in education, housing, you name it – there is a dimension of the work that should be open to addressing these needs too and thereby achieve true programmatic success. Now is the time that we should bring together multi-stakeholder forums to look more critically at the type of support that the movement needs to ensure that they stress less about keeping the lights on and more about how to reconstruct a federating narrative that places equity, justice, and the fight against racism at the heart of our social contract.

Now is the time to explore how we apply community-led approaches to guide our funding choices and to ensure that we are delivering more than just a financial band-aid. And now, more than ever, is the time for us to show philanthropy not only is committed but can be an important vanguard to protect the frontlines in the fight for our social model. At ENAR Foundation, we’re excited to be engaging in conversations with our peers in the Philea community to explore just how we can meet the moment together. Philanthropy’s time to shine might not only be coming; I think it is right here and right now that we must mobilise and showcase our true and full potential to those most at risk of becoming the victims of intentional scapegoating.