Philanthropy needs to help transform inequitable practices that contribute to a crisis of burnout among women and nonbinary leaders of color, a report from the Ms. Foundation for Women finds.

The report, Living with Pocket Change: What It Means To Do More With Less (148 pages, PDF), comprises 15 interviews with current Ms. Foundation grantee partners to examine the impact and real-life experiences of chronic philanthropic underinvestment and disinvestment on the leadership of women and nonbinary people of color, as well as underfunding of the organizations they lead, and highlights their needs, experiences, and the toll it takes. It is a continuation of Pocket Change: How Women and Girls of Color Do More with Less, a study conducted in 2020 that revealed philanthropic giving by foundations to women and girls of color is just 0.5 percent of the total $66.9 billion awarded by foundations. According to the new report, a burnout crisis is impacting the sustainability of social justice organizations, weakening the infrastructure and ecosystems of movement building for racial and gender equity across the country. In this light, the report’s authors are calling on philanthropy not only to fully invest in the leadership of women and nonbinary leaders of color and their organizations, but also transform inequitable practices contributing to the burnout.

Recommendations and calls to action identified by the report include: developing authentic relationships with women and nonbinary leaders of color, including proactively offering support and earmarking resources for additional, unplanned, and necessary requests; continuing to implement trust-based philanthropy practices and add an ethic of care, including minimizing emotional labor, making intentional efforts to shift power imbalances, and integrating healing justice approaches in funding; breaking down silos in philanthropy such as by funding multi-issue, multi-strategy work and aligning funding opportunities with the work on the ground; supporting the long game, including bolstering cross-movement solidarity work, transparency, and openness to failure; funding self-directed capacity building for women and nonbinary leaders of color and organizations; investing in the wellness, power, and influence of women and nonbinary leaders of color, including asking for and working from a needs-based budget; and building the evidence base and strengthening accountability.

“Women and nonbinary leaders of color are our most valuable resource in the fight for democracy, yet remain severely underfunded as they simultaneously deal with significant burnout, systemic oppression, and continuous attacks on human and civil rights,” said Ms. Foundation for Women director of innovative grantmaking and research Shawnda Chapman. “By listening and honoring our partners’ experiences, we know that centering care is essential. Philanthropy must continue to challenge the status quo and interrogate their role in contributing to inequities, so we can begin to heal wounds and truly provide the radical care, support, and resources grassroots leaders need to propel progressive movements forward.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Delmaine Donson)