Creating more equitable partnerships and outcomes in communities requires relationship building, honest communication and commitment to authentic partnership. Philanthropy is embracing this need, but some are still struggling with what authentic engagement looks like with those we seek to support.

In 2020, Funders for Family Leadership (FFL), in partnership with VIVA Social Impact Partners (VIVA) which provides backbone support for the FFL, partnered with the United Parent Leadership Action Network (UPLAN) to conduct interviews with parent leaders and funders to understand the ways in which foundations have both effectively and not effectively partnered with parent leaders.

The Philanthropic Self-Reflection Tool for Equitable Parent Partnership is a result of that partnership, and includes many of the stories, quotes, and lessons learned as told to UPLAN by funders and parents themselves. The tool is not a formal assessment, rather it is intended to serve as a catalyst for reflection about shifting philanthropic mindsets and practices to enable equitable cpartnerships in the service of stronger outcomes.

Authors/Contributors:  Funders for Family Leadership, VIVA Social Impact Partners, United Parent Leadership Action Network

ECFC Member Contributions: ECFC member foundations participating in the Funders for Family Leadership Advisory Committee during development of this tool included: W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, and Robert Wood Johnson