Funding women of color-led nonprofits in the South means looking closely at who receives philanthropic investment, and who keeps being overlooked. Carmen James Randolph of the Women’s Foundation of the South shares how funding, leadership support, and regional collaboration can build health, wealth, and power for women, girls, and gender-expansive people of color.
These leaders are holding communities together. Is philanthropy giving them the resources to keep going and grow?
Carmen explores the relationship between Southern generosity and unequal access to funding. Drawing on 28 years in philanthropy, she describes how racism, patriarchy, and judgments about “worthiness” can influence which organizations receive support.
She also shares accounts from nonprofit leaders whose work appeared in funding proposals without resources reaching their organizations. For grantmakers, fundraisers, and boards, that raises a business question: are funding relationships strengthening the organizations doing the work?
WFS approaches that challenge as a regional public foundation that raises and invests money, connecting donors with community organizations across the South.
Leadership support is part of that investment. After opening in August 2021 and encountering Hurricane Ida within 30 days, WFS changed its approach to engaging exhausted nonprofit leaders. Care and connection came before another listening session.
“What would freedom look like for you in your work?” Carmen recalls asking participants at a two-and-a-half-day retreat.
Their responses helped shape WŌC @ Rest and ongoing capacity support. Carmen reports reaching 131 leaders across six states, with support addressing succession planning, effective teams, boards through crisis, messaging, and branding.
“We have to think more collaboratively and understand that we’re all in this together,” she says.
Watch to discover how regional relationships, more inclusive funding decisions, and investment in women of color leaders can strengthen nonprofit operations and community outcomes. Learn more about WFS at https://womensfoundationsouth.org.
Key Takeaways:
– Examine how funding criteria can overlook women of color-led organizations.
– Ask foundation partners whom they fund—and whom they cannot fund.
– Build capacity support around needs identified by nonprofit leaders.
– Treat rest and peer connection as investments in leadership.
– Align personnel policies with the values your organization promotes.
– Connect leaders across states to exchange strategies and resources.