Resources

External Resources

Evaluation & Learning

Capturing General Operating Support Effectiveness: An Evaluation Framework for Funders and Evaluators, TCC Group
This report provides general operating support related resources oriented to evaluation learning. Report includes Foundation readiness and decision tree tools.

Doing Evaluation in Service of Racial Equity Guides, W.K.Kellogg Foundation
These guides are intended to help evaluators integrate racial equity principles into evaluation practice. Guides include debunking myths about evaluation, diagnosing biases and systems, and deepening community engagement.

How to Embed a Racial and Ethnic Equity Perspective in Research Practical Guidance for the Research Process, Child Trends
This report aims to equip researchers with tools and resources to apply when developing research questions, collecting, and analyzing data, and reporting findings that consider racial and ethnic equity.

Why am I always being Researched, Chicago Beyond
This resource provides guidance on how to shift the power dynamics among the community organizations, researchers, and funders involved in research. It details how to conduct equity-oriented research from the viewpoint of each partner.

Equitable Partnerships

Reimagining Capacity Building, GEO
This report outlines principles that can help funders engage in capacity-building with a racial equity lens, describes what racially equitable capacity building looks like in practice, and provides guidance on what funders and consultants can do to advance racial equity. The report features profiles of several funders around their lessons learned in using capacity building to advance racial equity.

Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources through Participatory Grantmaking
This article looks at why and how funders are engaging in participatory grantmaking and shifting decision making power to communities most impacted. Through examples and insight from a diverse range of participatory grantmakers, this article explores the benefits, challenges, and models of participatory grantmaking.

Power Moves, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
This toolkit explores three dimensions of power including building power. Funders can use this resource to assess where they are in building power and strategize on how to change your programs and operations to be more equitable.

How Philanthropy Support Organizations Understand and Advance Community Power Building
This report features Philanthropy Support Organizations (PSOs) understanding of what it means to build community power, perceived strengths, and challenges of supporting this work, and how they support their foundation members in advancing power building. The report also features relevant resources and tools that may be helpful to funders.

Hewlett Good Funder Practices
This brief explores lessons learned promoting equitable partnerships and describes power-sharing practices to use in partnerships with civil society-organizations (CSOs). These practices are applicable to a range of contexts involving funding under-resourced organizations including intermediaries in ways that support equitable partnerships.

Native Voices Rising: A Case for Funding Native-Led Change, Common Counsel Foundation &  Native Americans in Philanthropy
This report summarizes a study that included 146 Native organizations to deepen public understanding of Native organizing and advocacy practices and challenges, as well as to call for greater philanthropic support for this work.

Time to Decolonise Aid: Insights and lessons from a global consultation, Peace Direct
Describes how structural racism manifests in the aid system, presents guidance on ways to decolonize aid, and provides recommendations for donors, INGOs, and policy makers on a pathway to shifting power.

Trust-Based Philanthropy Resources, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project
This webpage provides general resources related to Trust-Based Philanthropy including MYGO practices. Examples of resources include:

The Weight of Power Report is now available!

This report explores the possibilities of greater equity and progress in social impact by shifting power from philanthropic funders to social innovators and the communities they serve. Find the report here.

Limitless Possibilities Report

    Sign-up now and access the Limitless Possibilities Report!



    Through research, evaluation and learning, promising practices, and leadership development, we work 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.


    This new contribution to the field supports learning about power shifting approaches and efforts to ensure that learning feeds into strategy and grantmaking practices. The report aims are to better understand:

    • The range of power shifting approaches, including key features, core practices, benefits, practice examples, and considerations for effective implementation.
    • The changes in mindset, policies, processes, skills, and resources needed to use different power shifting approaches.
    • The capacities needed to focus on equity, particularly racial equity, in the implementation of power shifting.

    The report is informed by a scan of the literature and 25 interviews of peer donors/foundations, grant partners, and field experts. Information about the methods is provided in the Appendices. The report equips leaders and staff in the philanthropic sector with information and resources that will help establish and strengthen shared practices for power shifting. While this report is focused on the philanthropic audience, we hope that grant partners, community members, and other constituencies will also find the guidance in this report helpful for their efforts to amplify power shifting.

    If you would like to schedule a briefing or learning conversation for you or your organization, please contact us.