This month, we’re celebrating Black History Month by lifting up reading that brings an equity analysis to philanthropy.

• Building Movement Project marked Black History Month with a resource list for non-Black co-conspirators to use to take action in support of Black leaders and leadership, while PEAK Grantmaking made the Black Voices in Grants Management issue of the PEAK Grantmaking Journal freely open to the public.
• Nick Tilsen of NDN Collective wrote in SSIR about the importance of investing in Indigenous self-determination and building Indigenous power by centering community-driven solutions.
• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) decried the recent rise in anti-Asian violence, repudiating violence against Asian American communities and calling on grantmakers to include AAPI organizations in their grantmaking profiles.

We’re also getting actionable advice from leaders in the sector…

• Eight experts in philanthropy shared their insights on the changes in philanthropy in 2020 and what they hope for and expect from the sector in 2021. 
• Melissa Sines of PEAK Grantmaking suggested ways for grantmakers to courageously change the way they practice philanthropy, with suggestions ranging from being more explicit about risk to increasing payouts.
• Deepa Iyer of Building Movement Project shared four ways to begin moving from resistance to rebuilding in the wake of a new administration, including making space for reckoning and repair, demonstrating solidarity, and nurturing newly formed ecosystems.
• Andy Carroll and Jason Sabo at Exponent Philanthropy gave advice to small funders on how and why to engage in advocacy work, including listening to grantees and the community, and working with broader advocacy coalitions.

...and exploring the resources shared by EPIP chapters across the country.

• EPIP Colorado’s February Coffee Chat focused on the recent piece An Open Letter to Community Foundations from a Concerned Executive Director from Jami Duffy, which asks foundations to be “part of the solution.”
• EPIP DC recently shared Beyond the box: Bringing a team together on Zoom, a practical resource on how to build meaningful meetings during remote work.
• And EPIP LA expanded our reading and listening lists with the recommendation of The Warmth of Other Suns, a book chronicling the migration of Black southerners to the north and west, and The Land That Never Has Been Yet, a podcast series about democracy and American history.