{"id":181,"date":"2011-03-08T12:46:32","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T19:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/luis-davila.com\/?p=181"},"modified":"2011-03-08T12:46:32","modified_gmt":"2011-03-08T19:46:32","slug":"don%e2%80%99t-call-us-we%e2%80%99ll-call-you-what-if-they-dont-have-your-number","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/luis-davila.com\/?p=181","title":{"rendered":"‘Don\u2019t Call Us, We\u2019ll Call You’ – What if they don’t have your number?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since I moved to Germany over a year ago, I have not paid as much attention to philanthropy as I used to when I worked at the Environmental Grantmakers Association<\/a> and at a few US-based non-governmental organizations. However, I just saw a tweet referencing an article by <\/a>on PhilanTopic<\/a> and could not help to share my thoughts, so I posted a comment<\/a> on a blog post titled “Don\u2019t Call Us, We\u2019ll Call You”<\/a> describing the way that the majority of US foundations do not want grant-seekers to send in unsolicited proposals.<\/p>\n

My comment reads:<\/p>\n

I think this is the most important part of this article: “… so if you happen to be part of the process, you’ll most likely get a grant. If not, well, you’re just not part of the in-crowd.” <\/p>\n

How are people coming from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds going to “try to find someone who knows a board member, a staff person, or any other connection that would help get them in the door”? <\/p>\n

This post just reaffirms that organized philanthropy still has a long way to go in order to become a truly progressive force for social good\u2026 Otherwise it is just an avenue for those in “the in-crowd” to push their own agendas and perpetuate their wealth by only giving out 5% of their assets while keeping the other 95% of their money locked up in foundation trusts in perpetuity. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hope that others comment on this blog post, especially those working in the fields of social justice philanthropy <\/a> and mission-related investments<\/a>. This may help address issues of power and exclusivity that are a strong component of how professional philanthropy works in the US. <\/p>\n

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