Working Towards Diversity II

Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 01/01/2006

Published in September 2000, this report is the second in a series of benchmarking research reports on diversity among Minnesota grantmakers.

Overview

Since 1991, two of the Minnesota Council on Foundations' strategic goals have been to "create a climate of inclusivity in philanthropy" and to "recognize, eliminate and prevent racism in philanthropy." Toward these goals the Council surveyed its grantmaking members in 1999 to gain a better understanding of their work on inclusive practices, and to identify any changes that may have taken place since conducting its first diversity survey in 1994. The survey asked respondents to identify their inclusivity efforts in the four different roles they play in a civil society: as funders, employers, economic entities and community citizens (these roles are outlined in the MCF's Diversity Framework).

MCF also asked its members to identify both successful and unsuccessful strategies they've used to address diversity and inclusivity, and gathered demographic information on grantmakers' staffs, boards, consultants and advisory committees. Sixty organizations answered the survey — a 42 percent response rate that is higher than the 37 percent response rate five years ago