What will it take to shift power in philanthropy?

Across the world, organizations, groups, and communities working for social change hold power, particularly in the form of knowledge, skills, relationships, and access to community networks.  When funders recognize, value, and elevate the power that communities and grant partners bring, their philanthropy can help ensure solutions have greater impact and lead to more sustainable social change – ultimately, advancing equity and justice globally.  

Through research, evaluation and learning, promising practices, and leadership development, REALize Power works to improve philanthropic funders’ understanding of the possible power imbalances they can create when working with communities – and how to shift that power back to the communities for improved results and effectiveness. We engage with nonprofit and grassroots leaders to strengthen capacity around building equitable partnerships with funders including culturally responsive and racially equitable evaluation practices. REALize Power is an initiative of Lift Every Voice Evaluation, Research, and Strategy.