Funding Nonprofit Endowments as an Equity Strategy: Perspectives from Funders and Nonprofits

Funding nonprofit endowments can be a tool to ensure the stability of an organization, as well as to advance equity and shift power to frontline organizations. However, according to new Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) research, endowment giving remains relatively rare and represents a very small fraction of foundation giving.

CEP’s research also reveals that, among those foundations that fund endowments, advancing equity has not been a primary consideration. A new report from The Bridgespan Group offers an example of how one foundation — the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — is using endowment grantmaking as a tool to advance equity, however, and its impact on nonprofits.

In this webinar, we’ll explore the how and why of endowment funding from both funder and nonprofit perspectives, including:

• U.S. foundation practices in endowment giving
• How funding endowments can foster nonprofit sustainability and advance equitable social change
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s approach to endowment funding as a tool to advance equity.

Drawing on both new CEP and new Bridgespan research, this webinar will bring fresh data to bear on an old, yet rarely deployed, tool in the grantmaker’s toolkit.

Panelists:

• Maisha E. Simmons, Assistant Vice President, Equity and Culture, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (moderator)
• Darren Isom, Partner, The Bridgespan Group
• Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Vice President of Research, Center for Effective Philanthropy
• John Jackson, President and CEO, Schott Foundation for Public Education