Resourcing global grassroots leaders and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leaders through grants for their systems change leadership
Lifting up frontline and grassroots movement leaders as advisors and experts as we encourage philanthropists to reimagine giving
Inspiring other philanthropists like you to trust the wisdom of community leaders, and participate in transformative, accountable, and collective-action focused giving — unlocking resources for communities around the globe
Experimenting with new ways co-govern and distribute resources, and with democratizing grantmaking in partnership with those who philanthropy has left out
Amplifying the stories of frontline leaders to showcase what justice and equity looks like around the globe and to scale our network approach to reimagine giving
In 2020, SVP International launched the Reimagine Fund as a timely pilot to engage our global network in solidarity with the growing momentum for racial and economic systems change. We catalyzed flexible funding in support of Black- and People of Color-led system change efforts for seven organizations through the first iteration of the Reimagine Fund in 2020.
We are faced with continued crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent and entrenched systemic racism, and economic, environmental, and social challenges around the globe.
For decades, philanthropy has sought to make communities more just, but the events of 2020 further exposed the ways in which too many of our systems are broken. And, too often, historic practices in philanthropy can exacerbate these problems.
In this context, people around the world are giving … and asking, “How else can I be part of the change?”
Large-scale regional, national, or global funders have not moved significant resources to the frontline leaders working to create more equitable communities. In fact, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have been largely excluded from historic philanthropic funding.
We need to direct resources to fill the gaps in where philanthropic dollars have gone.
As donors and social change leaders committed to meeting this moment, we know that none of us can change systems alone. That’s why we’re working collectively to mobilize, share power, and change philanthropy towards more equity and justice.
If you believe in philanthropy that is more accountable, community-centered, and believe in advocating for systems change, make your commitment actionable by donating to the Reimagine Fund — a global network and collective action fund.
Join the movement to reimagine giving today.
We are raising funds now for Round 2. Join us as we fund leaders on the frontlines and develop a long-term strategy and approach for the Reimagine Fund in partnership with movement leaders.
Funds raised in late 2021/early 2022 will be awarded in Spring and Summer 2022. As we did in 2020, the Reimagine Fund will serve to engage our global network and center the decision-making of those who philanthropy has historically left out.
Reimagine Giving is a growing community of donors and movement leaders around the globe committed to lasting systemic change. We are building both a platform for philanthropists and a fund for the movement.
We invite philanthropists around the globe to fund movements for racial, social, and economic justice systemic change in the way that movements most need.
We mobilize engaged philanthropists to work alongside, learn with, and amplify frontline-led efforts transforming communities around the globe.
We set an inspired example of what is possible when those with economic power truly reflect on their places in systems and come together to effectuate lasting and critical change.
Social Venture Partners is a global movement of over 3,500 engaged donors, volunteers, and social change leaders. SVP International inspires our network of social-change advocates, frontline leaders, donors, strategists, and supporters to come together to reimagine giving.
SVP International seeks to enable:
SVP International is led by Chief Executive Officer Sudha Nandagopal, an organizer, facilitator, strategist, and movement builder focused on democratizing systems of power and shifting power outward to those most affected by injustice and oppression. Click here to meet SVP International’s Staff & Board.
SVP works towards our collective impact by intervening in regional, national, & global systems.
We are… SVP. We reimagine giving.
We heard from our Partners that they want to be part of the change with donors around the globe. We have also heard that Partners want ways to participate regionally, nationally, and globally, alongside the work they do locally.
That’s why we’re building on our local strength. As we launch this new community we will build a network of donors and social change leaders joining together across class, race, issues, and geographies, with curiosity, honesty, vulnerability, and accountability.
Reimagine Giving provides a way for SVP Partners to stand up for the values that SVPs have been demonstrating for decades. In this movement, you can build community across the network to jointly create systems change, while enabling SVP International to leverage our national relationships to fund local work.
Reimagine Giving makes visible the people behind the funds. Standing up as a collective group, we can be a force for change within the institution and systems in which we exist.
In SVP, we know that advancing justice requires a whole ecosystem perspective and addressing issues at their root. Our community of philanthropists has long had a commitment to evolving alongside the needs of communities, and this is one such endeavor.
The reimagine giving movement is powered by SVP International.
At SVP International, we work to disrupt philanthropy as usual. As part of that work, we invited awardees of the inaugural Reimagine Fund and other movement leaders to share how and why individual philanthropists can reimagine giving and shape our philanthropy to be a tool that enables solving problems at their root, and changing systems.
Q: What kind of philanthropy do you need to achieve this change?
A: Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto, CEO/President and Co-Founder of Higher Ground a Resource Center in Tucson, Ariz. *These comments have been edited for length. Higher Ground was an inaugural Reimagine Fund awardee.*
While philanthropy is often well-intentioned, it is deeply rooted in a “savior” mentality that defines success in the context of individual achievement, adoption of the western culture, and moving away from the “impoverished communities.” This pervasive mindset has created problematic programs that adopt these values to get funded. It often creates dependence on a “superior” entity who will resolve their problems instead of empowering the youth to harness their internal assets mixed with their deep understanding of their community context to stay in their community and be part of long-term change.
Instead of seeing youth in impoverished neighborhoods as “pobre-cito” (poor thing, a term used for feeling sorry for someone else and rescuing them from their situation) who need to be rescued out of their community, we must make a shift to empower them to take charge of their lives using their culture and deep knowledge of context to be the problem-solvers of their community by giving them the proper resources and support to do so.
In addition to the above layers, it’s also important to recognize that, often, emphasis on sustainability of programs, while well-intentioned, is just a mask to excuse the underfunding and lack of opportunity in poor communities. We need philanthropy to shift to more long-term funding and patient measurement of continuous improvement rather than emphasize one-time outputs and outcomes.
We need philanthropy to understand community context and come in with resources but not solutions. We need philanthropists to collaborate with the people working in the field. We need to get rid of favoritism and have a critical analysis of outcomes and long-term impact. We need people who have the resources to understand that this is a marathon, not a sprint. We should not be expected to have quick turnarounds when solving historical issues.
Finally, we need philanthropy to be patient and not risk-averse. In every other sector, innovation is funded even when it is recognized that such innovation may not go anywhere. In other sectors, the risk is married with innovation, and risky ideas are supported. We need philanthropy to fund innovation rather than old solutions that they think will work without understanding the community context.
Answering the Call from Movement Leaders
SVP International, as the leader of the world’s largest network of engaged philanthropists and social changemakers, knows that philanthropy can be a force for important, systemic change.
In 2020, with this in mind, SVP International launched the Reimagine Fund as a timely pilot to engage our global network in solidarity with the growing momentum for racial and economic systems change. We sought to answer the call from movements about what they need from donors right now, and focused on catalyzing funds to communities most impacted by injustices, who are therefore also closest to the solutions. Our funding decision-making process to grant $70,000 that was raised in phase one, also centered the voices and expertise of those who historically have had less power and influence in the flow of capital, and a committee of racial justice and systems change experts informed the selection of our first round of recipients.
In 2021 we continued to catalyze flexible funding opportunities to grassroots leaders around the globe, and engaged Black and People of Color leaders in shaping the future, and sharing their expertise with funders and our network. We grew the presence and impact of the SVP brand through public thought leadership, virtual dialogues, and articles.
We are pleased to open a round two opportunity for donors to participate in the 2022 Fund.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, the Reimagine Fund round 2 might be right for you:
You’re Invited to Be Part of the Pilot Round 2
We are raising funds now for a round 2 pilot. Join us as we fund leaders on the frontlines and develop a long-term strategy and approach for the Reimagine Fund in partnership with movement leaders.
Donors to the Reimagine Fund share in the values of collective action through pooled giving, accountable and transformative philanthropy, and connectedness to the wisdom of those on the frontlines.
2022 Reimagine Fund will support:
Why Now?
We are faced with continued crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent and entrenched systemic racism, and economic, environmental and social challenges around the globe.
For decades, philanthropy has sought to make communities more just, but the events of 2020 further exposed the ways in which too many of our systems are broken. And, too often historic practices in philanthropy can exacerbate these problems.
Why Me?
As donors and social change leaders committed to meeting this moment, we know that none of us can change systems alone. That’s why we’re working collectively to mobilize, share power, and change philanthropy towards more equity and justice.
If you believe in philanthropy that is more accountable, community-centered, and believe in advocating for systems change, make your commitment actionable by donating to the Reimagine Fund — a global network and collective action fund.
Join the movement to reimagine giving today.
Who Is SVP International?
Social Venture Partners is a global movement of over 3500 engaged donors, volunteers, and social change leaders. SVP currently has affiliates in 40 cities and 8 countries across the globe and together, we have invested more than $70 million in more than 900 nonprofits.
SVP International seeks to enable:
We work towards our collective impact by intervening in regional, national, & global systems.
We are… SVP. We reimagine giving.
