PRE recognizes that there are a broad range of effective programs and practices to address racial inequities. There is an increasing level of sophistication within the racial justice field and much more awareness of which approaches meet which needs best.

Whether we are talking about ways to engage communities or ways to engage foundation staff and boards, PRE understands the importance of meeting people where they are on their own continua of learning and comfort level in addressing what can often be difficult and controversial issues.  We also recognize that peer learning and support can be critical when facing these challenges, and we work to provide the space and tools that will allow this to happen. 

PRE seeks to build both financial and programmatic resources to combat racism through the following strategies:

1. Providing opportunities for grantmakers to learn and strategize about cutting-edge racial equity issues and how they apply to their work within various fields;
   


2. Increasing grantmakers' understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different racial equity efforts, and assisting them in assessing their own grantmaking;
   


3. Engaging in internal assessments of foundations' institutional needs around racial equity and diversity, and coordinating or adapting tools to most effectively meet them;



4. Consulting with cornerstone nonprofits that explicitly address issues of racism to strengthen their capacity, increase coordination and impact; and



5. Assisting local community leaders and funders identify and sustain effective approaches to achieve racial equity.

1. Guide to Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens

PRE has partnered with GrantCraft to develop a publication to assist grantmakers deepen their understanding and actions regarding race, ethnicity and racial equity. Grantmakers and grantseekers describe the ways they incorporate a racial/ethnic analysis into a range of issue areas, as well as within dedicated racial justice programs.  It distinguishes between diversity and justice, address internal and external dynamics, and recognize challenges and opportunities. The guide is supported by the Ford and Mott Foundations. PRE is available to conduct workshops for grantmakers using the guide, as well as other related resources.

2. Racial Justice Grantmaking Toolkit

In partnership with the Applied Research Center (ARC), PRE is piloting a toolkit designed to help select foundations, with an explicit commitment to racial justice, measure and assess the impact of their commitment to funding racial equity.  Upon completion of the pilot, PRE and ARC plan to further refine the tool as necessary, develop self-facilitation guidelines, and then widely disseminate the lessons learned. 

3. African-American and Latino Coalition-Building: Challenges and Opportunities
   
   PRE is working with regional and national representatives of Hispanics in Philanthropy, Association of Black Foundation Executives as they conduct a series of regional gatherings among nonprofits and grantmakers to surface effective practices, explore current challenges and opportunities, and provide clear recommendations about ways grantmakers can increase and strengthen multiracial coalitions, particularly among the two largest communities of color in the U.S.  Initial sites are Atlanta, Chicago and Denver.



4. Regional Associations of Grantmakers

PRE is working in various ways with a number of regional associations of grantmakers to assist their members in addressing racial equity more directly, including Washington Grantmakers, New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, Philanthropy Northwest, Northern California Grantmakers, and Associated Grant Makers.   In many cases, this work is part of a larger emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness. PRE’s efforts range from consultation to presentations to partnering.

5. Structural Racism Caucus

 Through the Structural Racism Caucus, PRE is continuing to work with Kirwan Institute for Race and Ethnicity, Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, Applied Research Center, Center for Social Inclusion, Institute on Poverty and Race, and other research, advocacy and community organizing racial justice groups to increase their coordination and effectiveness to ensure that resources have greater impact.  They will be planning for a national conference within the coming year.

6. Trans-Atlantic Learning: Applying an Explicit Racial Justice Lens to Funding in Europe

PRE plans to embark on a preliminary exploration of international cross-learning,  given the increasing need and potential opportunity for European funders to address significant racial and ethnic disparities and exclusion in an era of increasing tension and awareness.  Recognizing that this could be the beginning of constructive and creative action leading to greater justice, it is a rich opportunity to share some lessons learned through success as well as failure in the U.S., and also to draw upon innovations occurring among European funders and the communities that they serve.       

7. Issue-based Affinity Groups

 PRE convened a strategy/learning circle among staff and board chairs of affinity groups that may be less explicit about racial equity to allow them to share challenges and lessons in responding to members that are seeking a stronger level of racial analysis and inclusion, while maintaining their “big tent” approach. We will continue to seek ways to partner with these groups bilaterally, as well as in different appropriate groupings.

1. Youth and Racial Equity Project (YRE)
   
   The Youth and Racial Equity Project (YRE) was funded by the Ford Foundation, to examine the ways racial equity is understood and addressed in the fields of youth development and youth organizing.  Conducted in collaboration with Mosaic Consulting, the project included: a literature review and field research; regional convenings of practitioners, intermediaries and funders; site visits to document issues and promising practices; a briefing for funders; and a final report of findings and recommendations entitled Changing the Rules of the Game: Youth Development and Structural Racism. Click here to download the report.
   
   
2. Network of Alliances Bridging Race and Ethnicity (NABRE) Interdependence Project
   
   PRE partnered with the NABRE (National Alliance for Bridging Race and Ethnicity) project of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to help community-based foundations improve their race relations and racial justice initiatives at the local level, with an emphasis on how different organizations working at the individual, group or institutional levels could collaborate more effectively.  The project worked with local foundations and community organizations in the following four cites:  Boston, St. Paul, Santa Barbara, and Knoxville (representing the Appalachian region).  This work culminated in the report, Cultivating Interdependence: Guide for Race Relations and Racial Justice Organizations, authored by Maggie Potapchuk, with a chapter on the role of foundations by Lori Villarosa.  Click here to download the report.