Borealis Philanthropy has announced that it will wind down its Racial Equity in Philanthropy Fund (REP) in 2025, awarding all 25 grantees an unrestricted sunset grant with the closing of the fund.

As a social justice intermediary committed to resourcing grassroots movements through values-aligned donor collaboratives, REP made its decision by way of grappling with three tough questions: What value does it bring to REP grantee partners? What role do philanthropic intermediaries have in sharing and distributing power? And does REP’s continued existence provide its partners with unique and necessary resources and/or opportunities needed to meet and grow through the current moment? 

According to Borealis, the organization has always intended for the fund’s offerings to serve as necessary additional resources and relational opportunities to enable its grantee partners to deepen and amplify the impact of their work. For some grantees, however, that intention has not always matched its impact.

“As funders committed to liberation, it is essential that we hold ourselves accountable to communities,” said Borealis Philanthropy president Amoretta Morris. “Part of this work requires a critical assessment of evolving landscapes and a careful interrogation of our role as a philanthropic intermediary. It is through this lens that we have arrived at the difficult but necessary decision to wind down the REP Fund.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Bhodana Tkachuk)