About Our Initiatives
Since its inception, Philanthropy California has built partnerships with state and national organizations to increase philanthropy’s impact and support California’s communities. Through these partnerships, we’ve become a proud home to groundbreaking initiatives that transcend funding, organizational, and geographic boundaries.
If you are interested in partnering with Philanthropy California on a new or current initiative, please contact our team.
Active Initiatives
Nonprofit & Community Resilience Response
Our team is coordinating with our members, partners, and state agencies to track and respond to changes in our political landscape and their implications on the nonprofit sector and the communities we serve. In our Nonprofit & Community Resilience page, our team vets and publishes rapid response and long-term funds focused on sustaining and strengthening the vital work of our nonprofit partners.
Census Work
It is difficult to overstate the importance of a fair census count. When census information is inaccurate, it threatens to muffle the voices of undercounted groups and regions, undermining the basic political equality central to our democracy. Since its inception, Philanthropy California has engaged in multi-year initiatives to help philanthropy ensure a fair and accurate Census count in California. Learn more about our 2020 Census efforts and emerging 2030 Census work.
Past Initiatives
Philanthropy California is proud to have partnered with state and national organizations to lead groundbreaking initiatives focused on increasing philanthropy’s impact. Learn more about the initiatives our alliance has led and developed since 2018 below.
Better California
In 2018, Philanthropy California housed the Better California initiative, comprised of a group of philanthropic leaders coming together to proclaim their commitment to building a just, fair, inclusive California where all people can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Fair Representation Fund
In 2021, Philanthropy California’s Fair Representation Fund supported community engagement in California’s redistricting process. Through contributions from foundations and other funders, the Fair Representation Fund provided grants to statewide and regional nonprofits to engage Californians from historically underrepresented communities in redistricting.
Foundation Stats: California
Foundation Stats: California was an initiative of Candid and Philanthropy California to provide an overview of institutional philanthropic information for the State of California and its composite regions.
Full Cost Project
The Full Cost Project was a joint initiative of Philanthropy California and Nonprofit Finance Fund to support a funding model that assesses the full cost for organizations to deliver on their missions and to be sustainable over time.
Gender Justice Partnership
Philanthropy California is proud to have partnered with the Women’s Foundation of California, a statewide, publicly supported foundation dedicated to achieving gender, racial, and economic justice, on several gender justice-focused projects.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Philanthropy California is a proud partner of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Together, we’ve developed various projects, including topic-based member calls, learning series on approaches to grantmaking, and workshops on grantee inclusion.
Impact Investing
To mobilize more impact investment dollars in our region, Philanthropy California partnered with RBC Global to launch Investing for Impact: A Philanthropy California Investment Collaborative, which provides a coordinated approach for investors to direct market-rate investments to California with a specific focus on underserved communities and families.