Equity, Risk, and the Future of Philanthropy
Oct 15, 2026By Surabhi Pandit
Surabhi Pandit is a Visioning Strategist at FutureGood. Connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out to her by email at [email protected]
I have spent a lot of time working on advancing equitable grantmaking strategies which have (hopefully) led to more equitable outcomes in the nonprofit & philanthropic sector. I continue to spend a lot of time thinking about how equity – which for me is both a noun and a verb – can be measured from multiple angles to support a more holistic approach to achieving a more just and equitable future.
The moment I’m asked how an organization I work with thinks about equity, the immediate reaction is to review how and where grants are made, both the process and the outcome. This is probably the most visible and tangible area of measurement but barely scratches the surface of where the money goes. I challenge us to truly think more critically about every single aspect of our work that touches money outside of traditional grantmaking: investment portfolios, staff salaries, employee or board member giving programs, internal and external events, consultants, vendors, retirement and pension plans, etc. If you followed every dollar invested, could you confidently say that the funds are 100% aligned with your organization’s stated mission and values? If you’re not at 100% today, what would it take to get to 50%? 75%?
There is both a technical and philosophical question here: how important is this type of thorough alignment, and what type of risks are we willing to shoulder to get there? I’ve seen funders that have incredibly progressive grant programs but have barely imposed any regulations on how their donor or trustee directed grants move, often resulting in grants from different “sides of the house” moving in conflict. I’ve seen funders serve as a trusted convener and facilitator of timely community conversations, but not always intentional about incorporating and investing into those communities, i.e. supporting local restaurants & vendors. Do these multiple, coexisting truths “cancel” each other out? Can our values show up everywhere? How do we make space for donor intent, board leadership, and community need to coexist equitably? Can they? This is such a nuanced conversation, and honestly, it’s messy.
I don’t believe there is a lack of desire to find alignment across all areas of work, but I do think without intentional and consistent efforts to identify misalignment, recenter equity, and continually reassess risk, we truly aren’t maximizing our impact. For me, positive impact and equitable outcomes are synonymous, and philanthropy has a duty to commit to this…and I’m also aware that every organization cannot “achieve equity” overnight. I invite you to join a conversation on October 26 where we will discuss how each of us, within our own spheres of influence, can identify the smaller, bite-sized steps that can be taken to align all aspects of our work with an equity lens and achieve our maximum impact.
Register for the Webinar here: Equity, Risk and the Future of Philanthropy
Date: Monday, October 26, 2026
Time: 1pm ET / 10am PT
