Equity for all: Building the infrastructure for change through community-first funder collaboratives

Abstract

In recent years, funder collaboratives have become more common as a tool for increasing and coordinating philanthropic investments to address the root causes of inequity, while staying responsive to shifting needs and political priorities. This article describes a "community first" model, which emerged from the experience of a funders collaborative created to advance equity through policy and systems change in California's San Joaquin Valley. Initial findings indicate that the fund has helped to seed a regional movement for change. When philanthropy aims to advance equity, it makes sense to use a model that seeks to create a partnership between funders and community - a model that seeks to act equitably by putting the community first.