Advocacy for Funders
Funders Together Resources
Advocacy Resources
As part of an ongoing effort to provide support and programming on advocacy, we've compiled resources that can aid you in starting and continuing the conversation in your work to prevent and end homelessness.
The Legal Limitations on Lobbying
Funders can and should be advocates for policies and funding streams that can end and prevent homelessness. Understand the legal restrictions on private foundations’ advocacy efforts with this resource.
Funders Together's Policy Principles
While there are numerous policies that may affect homelessness services and prevention, we stand behind these key policy principles.
From Our Members
Campion Foundation - Advocacy Spectrum and Tools
CASE STUDY: The Campion Foundation’s Journey to Advocacy
Other Resources
Bolder Advocacy: An Initiative of Alliance for Justice
A Foundation’s Guide to Advocacy
Published by Council on Foundations, this report explains “lobbying” versus networking and includes a step-by-step guide to contacting policymakers.
Barr Foundation and MASSCreative's Webinar: Political Advocacy 101
This report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy discusses best practices and the impact of philanthropic dollars devoted to advocacy.
Funders in Action: An Example of Funder Advocacy
Texas education grantmakers knew that they needed to act when the state government cut $5.4 billion from the education budget in 2011. Funders began seeing the impacts quickly; requests for grants increased dramatically from organizations that used to receive support from public schools and public-private partnerships were in danger of falling apart. In response, funders formed the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC) to push back against the massive spending cuts. Because the group was focused on the budget -- and did not get into political ideologies or education reform debates -- it was able to convene and mobilize an unprecedented number of grantmakers throughout Texas. TEGAC also invested $100,000 in research to help shape the public narrative. The programs affected by the budget cuts were the same programs that studies proved to be effective! In May 2013, the Texas legislature reinstated $4 billion out of the $5.4 billion in education funds. Although TEGAC did not take credit for the restoration of funding, the mobilization of funders and the broad support for advocacy had a tangible statewide impact. Read more about this story here.
View blog posts on advocacy
Please contact Amanda Andere if you would like to discuss advocacy issues further.
Racial Inequity in Homelessness Resources
One goal in our Strategic Plan is to engage philanthropy to address racial inequity in homelessness, recognizing that unequal access to housing is the biggest inequity issue. As part of ongoing effort to provide support and programming on equity, we've compiled resources that can aid you in starting and continuing the conversation around this topic in your work to prevent and end homelessness. We will be updating this page with timely resources as they become available, so be sure to check back often!
If you are a funder interested in taking a deeper dive into exploring racial inequities in housing and the systemic issues that perpetuate racism, as well as how to apply a racial equity lens into your grantmaking, consider joining our newest community of practice, Foundations for Racial Equity! From 2019-2020, we will convene philanthropic leaders working at national and local levels to build relationships with other funders, learn together about systemic racism in housing and homelessness, and lead the field in creating a more equitable world. Learn more on our Foundations for Racial Equity page!
You can also check out our Programming page for a list of learning opportunities focused on addressing racial equity.
Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities (SPARC) Phase One Study Findings
New research from SPARC documents that people of color are dramatically more likely than White people to experience homelessness in the US. The message is clear: to end homelessness, we must confront structural racism. The report offers strategies for organizational leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community members.
Putting Racism on the Table
In 2016, WRAG launched Putting Racism on the Table, a learning series for philanthropy. The series, from January - June 2016, convened philanthropic CEOs and trustees to learn from experts on the many aspects of racism, including structural racism, white privilege, implicit bias, mass incarceration, and the racial mosaic of this country.
Resources from the series are available on the WRAG website.
Why We Need to Talk About Racism and Family Homelessness
This Powerpoint from the Center for Social Innovation provides important background and data on the connection between racism and homelessness.
Homelessness, Racism, and Social Justice
Jeff Olivet, Center for Social Innovation, examines the connection between homelessness, racism, and social justice in this Huffington Post blog post.
Center for Social Innovation SPARC Initiative
SPARC is an initiative of the Center for Social Innovation in partnership with The Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children & Youth. With support from the Oak Foundation and others, the SPARC team is launching a multi-city initiative to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, hold public discussions and forums, train providers and activists, and collaborate with leadership in systems of housing, health care, education, and criminal justice.
Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity
The Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity provides publications, resources, and programming that can aid as you look to advance racial equity through your foundation. The goal of the initiative is to "increase the amount and effectiveness of resources aimed at combating institutional and structural racism in communities through capacity building, education, and convening of grantmakers and grantseekers."
Putting Grantees at the Center of Philanthropy
This series from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, focuses on grantee inclusion and provides perspective from both the philanthropic and grantee view on why and how making grantees the center of philanthropy can advance initiatives and help them succeed.
Integrating Racial Equity in Foundations, Governance, Operations, and Program Strategy
This paper from the Consumer Health Foundation provides an excellent overview of framework for organizing racial equity efforts within philanthropy.
Embracing Discomfort
Kathleen Enright, President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations explains why having conversations around racial equity is critical and will require us to be vulnerable if philanthropy is to succeed in addressing race and making positive changes in their communities.
The Road to Achieving Equity: Findings and Lessons from a Field Scan of Foundations That Are Embracing Equity as a Primary Focus
This report from Putnam-Consulting Group and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides a look at some of the efforts leading foundations are making, as well as the challenges they face. Based on interviews with 30 foundation leaders, this report explores the ways in which foundations are applying principles of equity within their own operations - from grantmaking, to investments, to human resources.
Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide
One way to achieve social change in an organization is to incorporate race equity and inclusion at every stage of work. The seven steps in this guide, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provide a clear framework for undertaking this important work. This tool adds to the resources already created by partners who have been working in the field.
Unite4Equity
Unite4Equity is a Change Philanthropy campaign focused on promoting equity in philanthropy as an investment of social and financial resources in policies, practices, and actions that produce equitable access, power, and outcomes for all communities.
Bolder grantmaking: Integrating Racial Equity Impact Assessments in requests for proposals
This blog from the Consumer Health Foundation focuses on the Foundation's revisiting of grantmaking protocols and a new practice to ensure that its investments are truly impacting communities of color.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations Equity Statement
Raikes Foundation: Color-Blindness is a Cop-Out
Meyer Memorial Trust: A Commitment to Equity Starts With Training
How Philanthropy Can Work to Give All Black Men an Opportunity to Succeed
The Role of Senior Leaders in Building a Race Equity Culture
King County Youth of Color Needs Assessment
LAHSA Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness
Annie E. Casey Foundation: Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide
New Resources Help Organizations Advance Race Equity at Every Step
Effective Grantmaking to End Homelessness
Effective grantmaking is the critical role that philanthropic organizations—large and small; family, community, corporate, or private; focused on homelessness or on a variety of social services—can and must play in ending homelessness. Whether you give $5,000 to a flexible fund that provides rent and utility subsidies to at-risk families or $25,000 to help a transitional housing provider become a permanent supportive housing provider or make a $100,000 program-related investment toward affordable housing expansion, your funding organization can help to end homelessness.
Funders Together Resources
Building a Funders Network 101: How You Can Catalyze Change in Your Community
Funders networks have been critical to bringing together all kinds of grantmakers within a community and forging commitments to a systems approach. What are the key elements in building an effective funders network in your own community?
Sample PowerPoint Slides: Building a Funders Network
Giving a presentation and want to talk about building a funders network? Look no further for slides to educate your audience on the key elements of a successful funders network. This resource can serve as a stand-alone presentation.
Other Resources
In addition to the resources below, we reviewed multiple resources geared toward helping funders make more effective grants and developed a list of 10 general steps grantmakers should consider. This list was adapted from Philanthropy Northwest's Ending Homelessness: A Guide for Northwest Grantmakers.
- Have a vision and establish clear goals
- Understand the problem
- Identify your funding priorities
- Communicate with all potential partners and with your community
- Fund what works
- Advocate for what works
- Collaborate with partners to inform your work and leverage your investments
- Evaluate progress through data and outcomes measures
- Commit for the long term
- Share what you learn with peers, policymakers, providers, and the public
The Age Structure of Contemporary Homelessness: Evidence and Implications for Public Policy
The Age Structure of Contemporary Homelessness: Risk Period or Cohort Effect?
Costs Associated with First-time Homelessness for Families and Individuals
National Alliance to End Homelessness's Front Door Strategies
Social Impact Investing: Overview and Application to Permanent Supportive Housing
Tools for Identifying High-Cost, High Needs Homeless Persons
WEBINAR: Connecting Employment and Homelessness Systems
WEBINAR: Housing-based Solutions to Homelessness
WEBINAR: Social Impact Investing
View blog posts on effective grantmaking
Still looking for more information? Let us know what you're interested in and we'll try to help.
Systems Change
At Funders Together, we are seeing an encouraging trend: thought leaders working to end homelessness are focusing not on the successes of individual programs, but rather on a systemic approach that addresses the underlying causes of homelessness. A systems approach integrates theory, analysis, stakeholder participation, systems mapping, and identification of high-leverage interventions to help communities uncover the dynamics that can get them stuck.
What does this mean in practice? Communities are convening in unprecedented ways. Federal government agencies are working to break down the silos that can get them stuck. Funders are setting aside short-term successes to prioritize sustainable results. And everyone is working together.
Funders Together Resources
Sample PowerPoint Slides: Systems Change
While bringing together diverse stakeholders is a necessary step towards ending homelessness, it is not sufficient. Thinking and acting systemically are required to end homelessness.
From Our Members
Calgary Homeless Foundation - System Planning Framework
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation - Los Angeles Chronic Homelessness Initiative Strategy Summary
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation - Mobilizing Los Angeles County to End Chronic Homelessness
Raikes Foundation - A Place to Call Home: Our Strategy for Solving Youth Homelessness
Other Resources
Systems Change Accomplishments of Corporation for Supportive Housing's Returning Home Initiative
CSH Toolkit for Advancing Systems Change
WEBINAR: Connecting Employment and Homelessness Systems
WEBINAR: Social Impact Investing
View blog posts on systems change
Still looking for more information? Let us know what you're interested in and we'll try to help.