In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s majority decision to eliminate race-conscious admissions policies at U.S. colleges and universities, I wrote a response that was driven, in part, by my personal journey and unwavering belief that race-based affirmative...
Anthony Richardson
Foundations, Act on What You Control to Confront Racism
As far back as I can remember, racial constructions have been a part of my reality and lived experience. From my mom telling me that I had to work ten times harder than my white counterparts to be successful, to growing up in under-resourced neighborhoods of color...
Listening, Learning, Reassessing: Translating Potential to Effectiveness
Successful organizations and people have at least one thing in common: they are honest with themselves about their strengths and limitations. As executive director of a mid-sized foundation, I know we do not possess the human capital or spending power to...
Foundations Should Fund What Nonprofits Really Need
A few days ago, a colleague and I had an amazing site visit at a regional organization where staffers — among other things — oozed excitement about their recently implemented case management system. While we were there, the staff also lamented about being...
Ensuring that Our Help Does No Harm
As a program officer at the Nord Family Foundation, I have the privilege of meeting with various nonprofit executive directors, CFOs, development officers, program staff, and board members. Depending on the organization’s staff size and skill capacity, it is not...