By Rachelle A. Matthews (RAM), Director of Membership and Programs

At Funders Together for Housing Justice, we know that advancing housing justice requires both courage and clarity. We are living in a political moment where attacks on racial justice, equity, and democracy are constant—and where philanthropy must decide not only what to fund, but also what to fight. 

That’s why we’ve embraced the Block & Build framework, first shared in Convergence Magazine as an advocacy and grantmaking strategy  The framework challenges us to block harmful systems, narratives, and policies that perpetuate injustices, while simultaneously building new structures, practices, and pathways toward liberation, justice, and thriving communities. 

Why Block & Build? 

This framework resonates deeply with our mission because philanthropy must do the both/and of investing in “building” solutions, while being honest and realistic about the urgent need to interrupt harm. Housing justice is about creating new models of community ownership, affordability, and equity. At the same time, it’s also about dismantling the harmful narratives, practices, and policies that criminalize people experiencing homelessness, uphold racial segregation, and undermine multiracial democracy. 

Introducing Block & Build to the Philanthropic Sector 

We unveiled this framework during our 2025 Funders Institute, where members reflected on how philanthropy can wield its power to both defend and create. Together, we explored how funders can: 

• Block: harmful criminalization efforts, disinvestment in communities of color, austerity narratives, and policy proposals that deepen inequity. 

• Build: community power, racial justice, new models of housing and land stewardship, and narratives that affirm housing as a human right. 

Our reflections from the Institute capture how this dual strategy is not only about resisting what harms us, but also about resourcing what sustains us. 

Putting Block & Build into Practice 

To support our members and partners in turning reflection into action, we created a Block & Build Action Planning Template. This tool helps funders, staff, and grantee partners identify specific practices, policies, and narratives they can block and new practices and investments they can build across immediate, intermediate, and long-term timeframes. 

The template invites us to ask ourselves: 

• What harmful narratives or practices must we block in the next 3 months? 

• What long-term commitments must we make to build new systems rooted in justice and belonging? 

• How do we hold ourselves accountable for acting across all three spheres: our self, our teams, and our grantee partners? 

A Call to Philanthropy 

The Block & Build framework is not just a planning tool—it’s a call to action. In this moment of heightened political attacks and deepening inequities, philanthropy cannot afford to be neutral. It must be bold and stand with communities at the frontlines of harm while also investing in the long-term infrastructure for liberation. 

At Funders Together for Housing Justice, we believe that when philanthropy embraces its role in both blocking and building, we move closer to a future where housing justice is not just a vision, but a lived reality. 

Block & Build: A Framework for Housing Justice 

At Funders Together for Housing Justice, we know that philanthropy must both defend and create. In this political moment—where racial justice, equity, and democracy are under constant attack—we can’t simply fund new solutions without also disrupting the harm being done. 

That’s why we’ve embraced the Block & Build framework, first introduced in Convergence Magazine as a strategy for navigating the MAGA era. The framework challenges us to: 

• Block harmful systems, policies, and narratives that perpetuate inequity. 

• Build community power, new models, and liberatory practices rooted in justice. 

We introduced this approach at the 2025 Funders Institute, where funders reflected on their role in both blocking criminalization and disinvestment, and building pathways toward housing as a human right (read more here). 

To move from reflection to action, we also created a Block & Build Action Planning Template. This tool helps members identify specific practices and policies to block—and new commitments to build—across immediate, intermediate, and long-term timelines. 

The takeaway is simple but urgent: philanthropy cannot be neutral. By embracing the dual strategies of blocking harm and building power, funders can align resources with communities on the frontlines and contribute to long-term systemic change. 

Housing justice is not only about reimagining what’s possible—it’s also about refusing to accept what’s harmful. When philanthropy commits to both, we get closer to a future where everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home.

This blog post and Block & Build Action Planning Template were authored and created by Rachelle A. Matthews, Director of Membership and Programs.