Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits

Philanthropy New York is pleased to share a new, watershed report on diversity in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.

Two years ago, we realized that our work on diversity had proceeded ungrounded by any research-based knowledge about the racial and ethnic makeup of New York-area nonprofits and foundations, their institutional data, and their organizational capacities. Partnering with The Foundation Center, we created two surveys, one of which we sent to philanthropic organizations (including all Philanthropy New York members) and the other to nonprofit organizations in the New York metropolitan area. The surveys were mailed and responses collected between September 2008 and April 2009.

Benchmarking Diversity: A First Look at New York City Foundations and Nonprofits is the first study of its kind for the New York philanthropic sector, the first nationally to examine the racial and ethnic demographics of foundations and nonprofit organizations at the same time, and the first to ask nonprofits how they define/describe a minority-led organization. As one of only a few philanthropic membership associations currently involved in this type of research, we have taken on an important leadership role, and we are already sharing our work with other regional associations as well as with other colleague organizations. We are also committed to working with other local and national diversity initiatives and, especially, with our members.

Several Philanthropy New York programs have addressed the specific issues raised by the diversity report and explored related topics. These include:

• the program which introduced and examined the report’s findings, on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009;
• a second introductory program held on Thursday, October 29th, 2009, for both our nonprofit colleagues and funders;
• a briefing in conjunction with Lori Villarosa of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) and Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009; and
• a program on the 2010 Census and its effect on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered families on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009.

In addition, a briefing is being designed with Philanthropy New York Senior Fellow Charles Hamilton on mission-related diversity, and Philanthropy New York’s Increasing Diversity in Philanthropy Committee will create programming in 2010.

In closing, we invite you to:

• read the report as a whole. No one statistic or query tells the entire story, and this issue deserves a thoughtful evaluation;
• engage in in-depth conversations within your organizations and with your peers;
• suggest areas for future education and research;
• participate in our programs and initiatives on diversity and related issues in the coming months and years; and
• examine and consider the resources, mission statements, model policies, and other practices that support a more diverse, inclusive sector.

We aspire to work towards a sector where notions of diversity, inclusiveness, and transparency are seamlessly woven into the fabric of its practices, which will result in stronger, more skillful, and more effective institutions that reflect the communities they serve. We invite everyone in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors to discuss our report and join us in this work.