Due to racist killings documented on video, inequity regarding the nation’s pandemic response, and the resultant protests that occurred in 2020, there has been a heightened focus on transforming institutions and addressing inequity within various public and private sectors and industries. Philanthropy is no different.

An often-perceived source and support for good in society, philanthropy is historically steeped in and presently rife with racism. Through external examination and internal reckonings, examples of racism in philanthropy have made headlines. At the same time, organizations are becoming more intentional with their diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) assessments and activities. Yet, discussions of racism in philanthropic grantmaking are often mired in a limited framework.

That framework is shaped by vocabulary. The two commonly discussed forms of racism are explicit racism, blatant acts such as the use of racial epithets, and institutionalized racism, racially discriminatory practices and policies that are ingrained in how organizations and entities operate. However, as sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva writes in “Racism without Racists,” institutional racism can exist without people committing intentional acts of racism (Bonilla-Silva, 2006).

More recently, racial microaggressions — brief, interpersonal acts of racism that can happen daily and can accumulate into harmful effects — and implicit racial bias — unconscious racial prejudices people hold that influence their interactions and decision-making — have gained heightened attention within philanthropy. These terms have become part of mainstream discussions about racism as many organizations are attempting to address DEIB issues among funding organizations, their employees, nonprofits, and grantees.

This blog post shifts the abovementioned discussion by using a more expansive vocabulary and an exploration of various types of racism I personally experienced or witnessed as a Black woman sociologist who leads a race- and gender-centered donor-advised fund. The Black women leaders I have funded are knowledgeable, resourceful, hard-working, imaginative, authentic, and insightful.

Read the full article about racism in philanthropy by Maria S. Johnson at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center.