Report

Philanthropy is so resource-rich it is hard to acknowledge that the work can be difficult. Whether you are helping to advance equity and inclusion in an organization or field, building a trusting relationship with partners, or finding new ways to engage with grantees or communities, there will be complexity, ambiguity, urgency and conflicts. Even equipped with outsized resources, technical know-how, and a detailed map, you and your partners will experience the sinking sponginess of the territory as you navigate its twists and turns. As part of our Philanthropy’s Reflective Practices project,...

Roadblock Analysis Report In 2017, Open Road conducted an analysis of 102 applications from the past five years to assess trends in its portfolio. The analysis looked at multiple variables, including the size of the organization, project type, sector focus, geographic focus, legal status, and type of original funder. The analysis also coded each application under a taxonomy of “roadblocks” that describe 22 specific challenges that these organizations faced, divided into three broad categories: Organization Misfortune, Acts of God/Market Economics, and Funder-Created...

This report reveals that women of color encounter systemic obstacles to their advancement over and above the barriers faced by white women and men of color. Education and training are not the solution—women of color with high levels of education are more likely to be in administrative roles and are more likely to report frustrations about inadequate and inequitable salaries. BMP’s call to action focuses on systems change, organizational change, and individual support for women of color in the sector.