This year, the Foundation has embarked on a journey, working closely with Gita Gulati-Partee and OpenSource Leadership Strategies, to explore how we can do more to help create a more equitable community through philanthropy. We have dedicated a space in our quarterly newsletter to share what we are learning, what we are thinking about, and what questions we still have. We believe transparency is important, so we plan to share what we learn with you regularly, and hope to hear from you as we learn more together about the importance of #equity.

The exploration work has begun! Our What Matters Community Luncheon in April inspired us to think more deeply about how everyone could thrive in our region. A region of opportunity for all. Our mission is to enhance the lives of ALL residents of the Triangle now and for future generations. What are we doing well? And what can we do more or less of? Over the summer, we conducted interviews with many of you to hear your thoughts. We also gathered ideas and best practices from peer foundations that focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity. And we reviewed our own programs, publications and policies. This fall, we will host strategy sessions with our board and staff to review the findings from our equity assessment and determine our priorities for the year ahead. We look forward to sharing as we go and we encourage you to embark on your own journey.

“An equitable society would be one in which there are improved outcomes for all and the distribution of resources, opportunities, and burdens is not determined, predictable, or disproportionate by identity.” – OpenSource Leadership Strategies

The Foundation wants to lift up more stories of giving that celebrate different cultures, races, and passions throughout our community. We are proud sponsors of Black Philanthropy Month in August and the CIN (Community Investment Network) conference in September each year, where you will be inspired by an incredible network of leaders and philanthropists of color who are committed to engaging their communities and moving real change forward. Many of our giving circles are proud members of CIN. In September, Triangle Community Foundation is sponsoring a concurrent session at the NC Center for Nonprofit’s annual conference in September, where we will learn from keynote Farai Chideya about Speaking Across Differences. We are committed to sharing more voices of philanthropy that represent the wonderfully diverse region we live in, and we are excited to make that a priority NOW.

What are you doing? Let us hear your story.