May 22, 2008
New report analyzes diversity in U.S. foundations
By MAGGIE I. JARUZEL
A peek behind the doors of the nation’s foundations today, compared with the foundations of 25 years ago, reveals that the field has become more diverse in nearly all aspects. Yet, there is still much that can be done to make U.S.foundations more reflective of the country’s overall diversity, says a newly released report by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA).
“The good news is that there has been much progress over the 25 years, but it has not been consistent with the greatest gains seen in the first half of that period,” said Melissa Berman, president and CEO of RPA, an independent nonprofit organization with offices in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“We hope that this report will help colleagues find new ways to accelerate diversity in the field.”
The report, Philanthropy in a Changing Society: Achieving Effectiveness through Diversity, is the first of three publications to be released by RPA that explore the subject of diversity in philanthropy. According to the report’s authors, it is the most comprehensive study of diversity in foundations for this time period.
Key findings include:
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From 1982 to 2006, diversity in overall foundation staff grew from 12. 6 percent to 23.2 percent, and board diversity rose from 4.3 percent to 13.0 percent.
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Most advances in diversity were made in the first half of the 25 years studied, resulting in a tripling of CEO and board diversity for the entire period, although only 41.5 percent and 32.7 percent of the respective change occurred between 1994 and 2006.
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Diversity within foundations varies greatly, evidenced by minorities representing 35 percent of program officers in 2006, when compared with only 15.4 percent years earlier. The percentage of minority CEOs grew from 1.6 percent to 5.8.
As a result of its findings, RPA made several recommendations to the field, including:
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Increase advocacy and outreach by networks of foundation leaders and philanthropic affinity groups;
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Improve and expand existing internships/fellowship and community foundation programs; and
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Increase research on trends in diversity staffing, board composition and grantmaking.
The report was funded by two Mott grants totaling $112,250 that were earmarked for collecting the data and sharing it broadly within the field of philanthropy and also with media outlets.
“We hope our colleagues will join us in exploring and implementing models that will promote greater inclusiveness within the field, and, in turn, better help society’s underserved communities,” said Maureen Smyth, Mott’s senior vice president of programs and communications.
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