With the latest census data showing an increasingly diverse U.S. population, grantmakers continue to grapple with difficult questions on how to best address diversity issues in their work. To help with this effort, MCF has developed “Building on a Better Foundation: A toolkit for creating an inclusive grantmaking organization.” The toolkit offers straightforward guidance to help funders practice diversity both within their organizations and in their grantmaking work.

Based on MCF's Diversity Framework, the toolkit offers assistance on how grantmaking organizations can address inclusivity in their roles as funders, employers, businesses and community citizens. For each role the toolkit gives examples, questions for discussion and some action steps. In addition, the toolkit includes a resource section with contact information, books and articles. The toolkit can help grantmakers develop practices that fulfill the Principles for Minnesota Grantmakers, and is one example of how MCF strives to meet its strategic goal to “create a climate of inclusivity in philanthropy.”

MCF developed the toolkit in collaboration with regional associations of grantmakers in Chicago, New York and northern California. Funding for the toolkit came from the four associations along with major financial support from three MCF members — Otto Bremer Foundation, Travelers and The Saint Paul Foundation — and the Sara Lee Foundation.

The Council and its colleague organizations developed the Toolkit using the following assumptions:

• People of color and women are underrepresented in the philanthropic field. A report by the national Council on Foundations (COF) found that people of color and women represented just 10.1 percent and 33.5 percent respectively of the boards of trustees of grantmaking organizations in 1999. And, according to 1998 COF data, people of color occupied only 17.8 percent of managerial positions and were less than 6 percent of foundation CEOs.

• An inclusive grantmaking organization is more effective and successful. Among other things, an organization that better reflects current demographics of its community has a wider range of social and cultural viewpoints to inform its funding process.

• Diversity and inclusion at a grantmaking organization is broader than race and ethnicity and can include, depending on the demographics of its particular community, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, philosophy and viewpoint, as well as class background.