Developing an Equity Lens for Corporate Grantmaking
Client:
$9 billion global health, wellness and beauty company
Opportunity:
A global consumer brand recognized that its grantmaking practices were not aligned with their commitment to equity and inclusion. Despite a desire to make a positive impact, the brand’s grantmaking primarily benefited large, established organizations and nonprofits with corporate connections, potentially overlooking smaller, emerging, and diverse organizations that could also make a significant impact.
Solution:
Uplift conducted a comprehensive audit of the brand’s grantmaking practices, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. Through external benchmarking and best practices, Uplift provided customized recommendations to help the brand advance equity and inclusion through its grantmaking. Uplift also developed a decision-making structure for financial investments, ensuring the brand’s giving is aligned with its values and mission. Thanks to Uplift’s expertise, the brand is now better equipped to make a meaningful difference in the world and uplift diverse and emerging organizations.
Outcomes:
Uplift’s audit of the grantmaking practices resulted in updated guidelines that were designed to promote equity and inclusion in the grantmaking process.
To ensure that equity was at the forefront of the grantmaking process, Uplift developed a rubric that evaluated proposals from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds through an equity lens. This enabled the company to more effectively identify and support smaller, emerging, and diverse organizations that were previously overlooked.
Uplift’s recommendations brought increased clarity to the corporate grantmaking committee around equity goals, helping them to better align their giving with the company’s overall mission and values.
The audit also led to the creation of the company’s first ever raid response grantmaking strategy focused on supporting hyper-local organizations. This strategic shift allowed the company to more quickly and effectively respond to community needs, and made a real difference in the lives of those who were most impacted.
As a result of Uplift’s work, conversations around advancing equity through all organizational functions were sparked across the company. This helped to foster a culture of inclusivity and demonstrated the company’s commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
