Editor’s note: The following is a Power Moves toolkit Power in Practice example.
“If we had one wish, it would be for philanthropic funders to set aside more resources to invest in the long-term institutional capacity of organizations and far fewer resources on short-term projects or programs. The issues we all care about will not be ‘solved’ in two or three years, and, even after short-term wins, these issues will reemerge in new and unexpected ways.” – Herb Sandler, Co-founder and President, Sandler Foundation
Whether investing in start-up organizations or established nonprofits, the Sandler Foundation makes a long-term commitment to its grant partners. By investing in their core operations, Sandler helps these change organizations deepen their capacities in communications, outreach, research or whatever area the organizations see a need to strengthen.
This approach has helped key organizations make a significant impact. Sandler’s support enabled Faith in Action (formerly PICO), the faith-based community organizing network, to set up a national office and build out its infrastructure. Faith in Action has been able to provide moral leadership in national health care debates and on other critical equity issues.
Lisa Ranghelli is senior director of assessment and special projects at NCRP and primary author of Power Moves: Your essential philanthropy assessment guide for equity and justice. Follow @NCRP and @lisa_rang on Twitter, and join the conversation using #PowerMovesEquity!
This post is part of a series of case examples on building, sharing and wielding power for NCRP’s Power Moves toolkit.