How Grants Managers Can Show Up in Times of Crisis This Year, and Always

In an election year, as with other current event flashpoints, philanthropy can get swept up in the changing winds of strategies and issue areas, instead of intentionally building out infrastructures to serve grantees holistically and for the long haul. As the Libra grants management team, it is our duty to implement systems and processes that support our grantee partners amid the fluctuations in the political climate. As grantees both resist oppressive forces and build towards a more liberated future for all of us, we must create grantmaking practices that can be used both during and beyond election years.

The All by April Campaign

Earlier this year, we joined a chorus of funders and signed on to the All by April campaign, launched by the Democracy Fund. The goal of the campaign was to catalyze funders to release capital as early as possible to grantees engaged in democracy work in this pivotal election year. Our participation in All by April reminded us that our existing streamlined processes, grantmaking infrastructures, and trust-based practices allowed our team to meet this moment with swift action, bypassing the need to create entirely new procedures to accommodate an accelerated giving timeline. 

Through this collaborative effort, All by April mobilized $140M with almost 200 funders to organizations fighting for a multi-racial democracy. This philanthropic intervention helped mitigate a far too often practice found in election years: funds arriving too late. Libra accelerated the disbursement of almost nine million dollars to more than 50 grantees within the span of two months. Additionally, the Democracy Frontlines Fund (DFF) initiative, a project of Libra, accelerated $11.5 million to its slate of 11 Black-led movement and power-building grantee partners. From the moment we pledged our participation in late January, to sending funds electronically to grantees’ accounts in mid-March, our existing grantmaking and due diligence processes, rooted in trust-based principles such as listening to grantees, providing unrestricted multi-year funding, and working internally to minimize burdens, allowed us to move these funds quickly. 

Leaning on Our Existing Infrastructure

Libra’s funding strategy centers BIPOC-led, grassroots, frontline organizations that are building movements for justice. To meet the call to action of the All by April campaign, we looked within our own portfolio: many of our existing grantees are already at the forefront of pushing democracy forward. We were aware of their pro-democracy efforts given our intentional investment in relationship-building throughout the years. For example, The Afiya Center, a Black womxn-led reproductive justice organization, is not only providing birth justice care and sexual healthcare education, but also mobilizing voters through the I Am A Reproductive Voter campaign. 

Additionally, movement-accountable intermediaries can further resource civic engagement efforts and advance policies by reaching across geographics. Organizations like The Climate + Clean Energy Equity Fund resource people-powered solutions for the climate crisis year-round and regrant to organizations in BIPOC communities. In 2023, the fund awarded $24.6M to grantee partners for initiatives including Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and nonpartisan voter education efforts.

Our approach requires fostering and refining internal structures as a continual practice, not just in election years or during a crisis. For this reason, it is imperative that our streamlined processes remain rooted in trust, flexibility, and responsiveness. 

Breaking Down the Silos

Traditional structures found in philanthropy, such as operating in silos, do not facilitate the partnership needed to be in service to grantees. To support grantees and partner with funders on campaigns, we need internal practices that facilitate collaboration. At Libra, we engage in a constant cross pollination between our grants management and our programs team that makes possible strategic coordination, co-creation, and information sharing between both departments. This bridge between our departments needs to be established before an election year (or another crisis), standing as a foundational pillar of an organizational structure.

As grants managers, we can go beyond solely upholding compliance and due-diligence policies. When programmatic visions and initiatives arise, we can problem solve and voice critical operational logistics to ensure funds go to where they need to go. For this reason, we encourage grants managers to implement change from where they sit in their organizations by reaching across departments and asking what’s possible. 

Building Resilient, Respectful, and Nimble Processes for Every Year

As holders of the grantmaking process we are dedicated to making an evergreen streamlined process that honors grantees’ expertise, time, and labor. For example, we provide multi-year general operating support grants to foster organizational health and financial sustainability. 

We have an invitation-only process, eliminating the need for grantees to write long burdensome proposals justifying funding for their work. We do not require traditional applications or reports, although grantees are welcome to submit reports written for other funders. We also ask ourselves, “what information can we collect on behalf of the grantees?” and do the homework.

Looking Forward

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many foundations came together to streamline grantmaking processes and get rid of onerous paperwork. We’ve heard from grantees that such practices are needed for sustainability and organizational resilience, but unfortunately, many funders are returning to burdensome applications, reports, and administrative-heavy requests. 

We urge funders to embed practices that will support grantees before, during, and after an election. Too often, philanthropy abides by self-imposed structures and practices that mostly reinforce existing inequities that we claim to want to dismantle. Our job as funders is to turn inward, test our assumptions, question our practices, and always listen to grantees about how we can better serve them and their communities. They have the answers; our job is to listen and act on what we learn. Rinse and repeat. 
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Jenny Hererra is Libra’s Grants and Knowledge Manager, and Lilia Granillo is our Grants Associate.