Content/Trigger Warning: This post explores topics of systemic racism in philanthropy including colonialism and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. For culturally safe and accessible resources for Black people, visit Black Mental Health Canada. And for culturally safe and trauma-informed support for Indigenous Peoples, available 24 hours a day, please visit: First Nations Health Authority –Mental Health and Wellness.
Restorative philanthropy is an approach that seeks to repair the harms of the past by directing more resources and power to community, so that funding is more equitable and solutions can be community-led.
This year, VCF celebrated our 35th anniversary while undergoing a year-long strategic planning process to develop a mission and vision that will guide our work in the years ahead. We have taken our time with this process, engaging in deep reflection and working towards the truth-telling that is necessary for us to move forward in a good way (with our heads and our hearts) and from a place of authenticity.
The renewed strategy includes a bold vision for a thriving community where power is distributed, lives are dignified, and nature is in balance. In preparing the new plan, we have recognized that VCF has practiced settler-philanthropy for far too long. And that settler-philanthropy is entangled in and perpetuates the harms of colonialism, with the wealth we redistribute largely made possible through white privilege and extractive practices that harm individuals, families, communities, the waterways and the land.
We also recognize that the devastating impacts of settler-colonialism persist today in many forms including intergenerational trauma, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, structural racism, and white privilege.
Colonialism has that meant Black and Indigenous communities are disproportionally impacted by the dual crises of affordability and climate change – two priority issue areas for us in our new plan.
These communities have been formally calling for restorative and reparative action through:
- The Halifax Declaration for the eradication of racial discrimination
- The TRC Calls to Action
- The Philanthropic Declaration for Action
Yet, reports like the Unfunded Report show community organizations and movements working to address the ongoing impacts of settler-colonialism – to promote healing, economic resilience, cultural connection, language preservation, knowledge keeping, and joy – receive the least amount of funding distributed by funders, foundations, and donors across Canada. In fact, the funding for Black and Indigenous communities and organizations is nearly negligible relative to all other funding redistributed.
This is one of the reasons Black Philanthropy Month was created, to use the month of August to draw attention to his inequity and help shift practices in the philanthropic sector.
At VCF, recognizing and responding to this inequity is called out specifically in our new strategic plan with a commitment to be community led and by prioritizing funding for Black and Indigenous communities in all of our work, including across our main areas of focus: restoring affordability, climate justice and community resilience, and community connection.
VCF will also be working with our portfolio of donor advised funds to raise awareness of Black and Indigenous community organizations and initiatives, with an aim of increasing unrestricted funding for these communities from these sources and to develop new opportunities for donors to shift power and decision making on donor advised funds to communities.
These commitments require VCF to transform itself from the inside out, from a settler-philanthropic organization to an organization that seeks restoration for the communities most impacted by colonialism and wealth accumulation.
By taking a restorative approach, we believe the potential of the philanthropic sector to be a powerful tool for social change can be realized, and in time, healing and repairing the harms of the past is possible, making way for a regenerative economy where the economic, social, and environmental conditions exist for communities to collective thrive.
Further Reading + Reflection
Learn more about the disproportionate impact of the affordability and climate crises for BIPOC communities:
- Lack Of Affordable Housing For Black Communities In Metro Vancouver | The Homeless Hub
Black communities consistently endure a disproportionate burden in securing safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable housing in Canada and are therefore at higher risk of experiencing homelessness. This blog post highlights systemic and interpersonal barriers to affordable housing and offers innovative solutions to securing housing of this nature for Black communities in Metro Vancouver and across Canada
- Trapped in the wage gap - Living Wage for Families Campaign
Living Wage analysis found that 2/3rds of workers who don’t earn a Living Wage in Metro-Vancouver are people of colour and that half of all racialized women in Metro-Vancouver don’t earn a Living Wage.
- 2023 Homeless Count for Greater Vancouver
The 2023 Homeless Count for Greater Vancouver found Indigenous and racialized over-representation continues and that more than 64% of people who identified as Indigenous had lived or generational experience with the residential school system.
- Just Transition | International Institute for Sustainable Development
Energy transitions are about people: the ones who make the decisions and the ones affected by those decisions. A "just transition" approach ensures that the affected people are considered by those making decisions.
Learn more about Black Philanthropy and explore tools that support and inform an equitable, restorative, and reparative approach to philanthropy:
- Unfunded Report
A first of its kind report, this research provides an in-depth examination of the relationship between Canadian Philanthropy and Black communities. Across all community foundations reviewed, grants to Black-serving organizations represented a meagre 0.7 percent of total grants during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years. Grants to Black-led organizations were only 0.07 percent of total grants made in the same period.
- Moving Forward on Racial Justice Philanthropy (Critical Issues Forum)
In this report, the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) presents reflections of activists and funders on a range of racial justice issues, taking lessons from the past two decades and identifying solutions for the future. Topics include funding at the intersection of race and gender, the leadership of people of color in transforming structural racism in the media, and case studies in how foundations are addressing the root causes of racism and disparities through grantmaking.
- The Global Black Funding Equity Initiative
The 10 Global Black Funding Principles will promote racial equity in funding, and post-Covid economic recovery for African-descent people.
- “Community-Powered Philanthropy” - Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC)
Local committees of black Canadians selected over 100 projects for funding through the Foundation for Black Communities’ inaugural Black Ideas Grant (B.I.G.). FFBC received over 2,000 applications, showcasing a diverse range of innovative ideas and the vibrant dedication present within Black-led nonprofits and charities across Canada.
- Justice Funders, Just Transition for Philanthropy
Justice Funders believe that philanthropic institutions, as stewards of wealth that has been accumulated through the extraction of Indigenous lands and the exploitation of communities of color, have a particular responsibility to contribute to the healing of the lands they occupy and to enter into a restorative relationship with their local Indigenous communities.
- Decolonizing Wealth Project
This toolkit is a resource for healing as we consider each of our responsibilities to move money equitably. Money, when used courageously and directed by an Indigenous worldview, can be the medicine we need to heal our wounds and restore balance.
- Trust Based Philanthropy Project
Launched in January 2020, the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project is a five-year, peer-to-peer funder initiative to address the inherent power imbalances between foundations and nonprofits. Understanding that these power imbalances are an expression of the social, political, and economic inequalities that many of our nonprofit partners are working to resolve, the Trust Based Philanthropy Project interrogates and reimagines relationships.
- Social Location and Systems of Oppression
This article from Tanya Rumble shows that understanding our own social location is foundational to understanding how individual and systemic bias/discrimination operate. And it is only when we can recognize these impacts, that we can intervene and take action to address them to create healthier and more equitable relationships, organizations, and systems.
- International Decade for People of African Descent 2014-2024 (United Nations)
In proclaiming this Decade, the international community is recognizing that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected. Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent.
Vancity Community Foundation operates on the lands of many Indigenous Nations. We bring our hearts and minds together and acknowledge the territories of these nations. Our office, 312 Main, is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔ /Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.