Highlights from Candid’s most popular philanthropic resources in 2023 

As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” At Candid, we believe that sharing and learning from one another helps empower our sector’s collective success.  

Candid’s Issue Lab is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing social sector knowledge. This vast library contains more than 34,000 freely available philanthropic resources authored by organizations in our sector—including reports, case studies, surveys, toolkits, and more. 

Here we highlight some of the most popular publications from 2023.  

Philanthropy back to the drawing board: Shaping a Future Agenda, by Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea)  

In the face of ever evolving and mounting crises, this book by Rien van Gendt urges philanthropy to stop looking to the past for answers. Instead, it encourages foundations to start fresh by reassessing how they best live up to their responsibility and promises made to invest private resources for the public good. 

Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Implementation Guidebook, by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation  

This guidebook offers a roadmap for those looking to make progress on the path towards racial equity. Containing five years of real-world learnings, this updated edition provides specific guidance for implementing the Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation (TRHT) framework to support communities, organizations, and individuals. 

The Philanthropy Transformation Initiative Report, by WINGS  

This report reminds us that the original meaning of “philanthropy” is a love of humanity. It outlines 10 core principles for philanthropy serving organizations (PSOs) to enhance their impact and contribute to broader systems change. The report also advocates that the sector embraces three main tenets: be an enabler, walk the talk, and think about and create the future. 

Philanthropy and HBCUs: Foundation funding to historically Black colleges and universities, by ABFE and Candid  

For every $100 foundations gave to the average Ivy League, they gave 56 cents to the average historically Black college and university (HBCU). HBCUs have been critical in educating Black people, developing Black leaders, and addressing inequality throughout U.S. history. But there has been little research on private philanthropic support of these institutions. This report looks to fill that gap by examining U.S. foundation funding to HBCUs and exploring these schools’ relationship with institutional philanthropy.  

Community Fund: A Participatory Grantmaking Case Study, by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative  

This case study offers a first-hand look at fostering community collaboration in philanthropy. To build trust and prioritize community voices, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Community Fund adopted a participatory grantmaking practice in 2021 and 2022. This case study illustrates the outcomes they achieved by directly engaging community members in their grant funding decision-making process. 

Safeguarding & participatory grant-making: An essential guide for funders, by Funder Safeguarding Collaborative  

This guide explores ways funders can ensure that those involved in participatory grantmaking are kept safe from harm throughout the planning, delivery, and review processes. It outlines best practices and specific activities that funders can employ to safeguard and support their participatory grantmaking decision makers. 

Winning on Climate Change: How Philanthropy Can Spur Major Progress over the Next Decade, by The Bridgespan Group  

As we look to combat climate change, this report asserts that major progress is entirely possible. It explains why philanthropy plays a vital role in addressing today’s climate crisis. The report also highlights three climate philanthropy practices that will be especially important in the decade ahead: investing in early efforts, collaborating for progress, and prioritizing equity. 

SEED: A diversion program for young adults – An Alternative to Incarceration, by Heartland Alliance’s Social IMPACT Research Center  

Diversion programs have emerged as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system, particularly for non-violent offenses. This evaluation looks at one such program, Supporting Education and Employment Development (SEED). It describes learnings and findings from this diversion program’s aim to serve adults aged 18-26 years in Cook County, Illinois between May 2021 and June 2023.  

In Every County, Across All Budget Lines: White Overrepresentation in New York City’s Nonprofit Leadership, by Nonprofit New York in partnership with Candid, SeaChange Capital Partners, and Thomas Economic Policy and Data Consulting  

This report seeks to inform an understanding of Black, Indigenous and people of color- (BIPOC) led nonprofits representation in the New York City area. To do so, it explores ways to determine BIPOC-led organizations, as defined by BIPOC communities. It also examines the findings from its comprehensive assessment of New York City’s nonprofits’ leadership demographics.  

Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It, by Mississippi First  

Access to education is fundamental to determining the future of individuals and communities alike. Analyzing survey responses from educators in the state, it examines the drivers behind teacher attrition in Mississippi public schools. The report also offers advice for policymakers to address teacher turnover, an issue that many U.S. communities face. 

Find these philanthropic resources—and many others like them—in our main collection. You can also browse our special collections, spanning diverse topics from participatory grantmaking to climate change and more.  

Do you know of a resource Candid’s Issue Lab is missing? We invite you to explore our collection policy and sign up for a free account to contribute to the collection—as we all work together to strengthen our sector’s collective knowledge and impact.