COVID-19 made starkly visible the disparities in our society. Nowhere was this more clear than for the Pacific Islander (PI) community in California. The data that is available shows that this community was perhaps the hardest-hit by COVID-19 of any other racial or ethnic group. 

You can’t have impact investing without impact. But what is the impact that we want to see when we make an investment? And how do we know if we are successful? Just like in grantmaking, impact investing requires a theory of change and a thoughtful framework for measurement.

Over the next 20 years in the U.S., $35–70 trillion in wealth will transfer from one generation to another in the largest generational wealth transfer in history, mostly moving within wealthy white families.

We invite you to join conversations across the state with Marcus Walton, the new President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO).

Trust-based philanthropy is anchored in an understanding of power and privilege, historical and systemic racism and structural oppression, and how these shape people’s realities in profoundly different ways. As grantmakers, we have a responsibility to confront the reality that philanthropy originated from and has often contributed to systemic inequities, both in the ways wealth is accumulated and its dissemination is controlled. While these discussions may be challenging and difficult, this type of self-reflection is fundamental to the work of trust-based philanthropy. As individuals and institutions, we must be willing to recognize historical trauma and systemic power, examine our own relationship to power and money, and be willing to give up some of that power and control in a spirit of service and collaboration with those who are closer to the issues at hand.

In accordance with the latest state and citywide ordinances regarding public gatherings, the Philanthropy California team has decided to transform our in-person 2020 Policy Summit into a virtual gathering that will remain scheduled for April 20, 2020. 

California United Ways have established a statewide relief fund to help those impacted by COVID-19.

The California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund focuses on intermediate and long-term recovery needs that follow wildfires in California, with special efforts to serve the most disaster-vulnerable populations including the disabled, farmworkers and other migrant communities whose homes

Contributions to this fund support Latino-led organizations responding to the immediate needs of Latino families impacted by the current wildfires across the state of California.