Trust in Action: Resilia's Trust-Based Philanthropy Principles and Best Practices

Resilia's mission has always been to strengthen and lift nonprofit organizations, giving particular attention to those that have been historically underserved. We recognize that certain practices in philanthropy have disproportionately impacted grassroots nonprofits and those led by people of color, leading to chronic disinvestment and a need for more critical support.

We believe that technology can not only be leveraged to build capacity for nonprofits but can also be utilized to enable grantmakers to be more responsive and attuned to the needs of the communities they serve. 

What Is Trust-Based Philanthropy?

Approaching philanthropy with a trust-based lens means shifting the traditional power dynamic between funders and grantees to build relationships based on mutual trust, transparency, and collaboration instead.

In a trust-based philanthropy approach, funders prioritize listening to and engaging with grantees to understand their needs and challenges better. For BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)-led nonprofits, trust-based philanthropy takes on added significance. Historically, BIPOC-led nonprofits have been under-resourced, under-supported, and undervalued due to systemic inequities in the philanthropic sector. 

Approaching philanthropy with a trust-based lens towards BIPOC-led and grassroots nonprofits means recognizing the unique challenges and experiences they face and actively working to dismantle systemic barriers that have prevented these organizations from thriving.

This often includes providing flexible, unrestricted funding that allows BIPOC-led and grassroots nonprofits to direct resources where needed and build long-term relationships based on trust and respect. This allows grantees to operate more effectively, sustainably, and with greater innovation – without being tied to required deliverables or timelines. 

Trust-based philanthropy towards grassroots nonprofits also involves:

• Acknowledging and addressing power imbalances

• Recognizing the expertise and leadership of these organizations

• Actively engaging with leaders to understand their needs and priorities

• Working collaboratively to promote equity and justice

Ultimately, trust-based philanthropy means recognizing and valuing the contributions of nonprofits and working to ensure they have the resources and support they need to create lasting change in their communities.

Supporting Nonprofits with Transformational Capacity Building 

Research has indicated that nonprofits need support "beyond-the-grant" to build leadership best practices, effectively manage operations, and gain access to tools and strategies that can help them maximize their impact.

Transformational Capacity Building, published by Stanford Social Innovation Review, defines capacity building as "the process of building and strengthening the systems, structures, cultures, skills, resources, and power that organizations need to serve their communities."

While capacity-building aims to strengthen nonprofits, the traditional grantmaking model used by funders has included strict reporting requirements, lengthy grant application processes, and often short-term, transactional relationships. This model is often detrimental to nonprofits and doesn't address their needs based on where they are in their development.

Resilia's Approach to Trust-Based Philanthropy

Resilia deploys trust-based philanthropy principles as we deliver access to our on-demand coaching and nonprofit learning and resource technology platform. Trust-based philanthropy, defined by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, is a grantmaking approach rooted in advancing equity, shifting power, and building mutually accountable relationships. 

At Resilia, we leverage technology to facilitate the application of trust-based best practices. This is achieved through: 

• Equitable Access to Capacity Building Resources: No matter how small or big a nonprofit's staff or annual budget is, they deserve access to the tools and resources needed to strengthen their organizations. Making nonprofit courses, tools, and coaching available online ensures that more small, rural, grassroots, BIPOC-led or underserved nonprofits can easily access capacity-building resources.

• Supporting Funders Ready and Willing to Trust Their Grantees: Resilia’s funder partners trust their nonprofit partners to know what resources they need based on where they are in their development. They support grantee access to those resources and enable self-directed engagement. Nonprofits can, on their terms, seek the coaching, training, and resource support they need when they need it. 

• Helping to Strengthen Funder / Grantee Relationships: Resilia reports cohort-level nonprofit platform and coaching usage data to grantmakers to inform them where their grantees may need additional support. This allows grantmakers to be more responsive and planful without the need for burdensome grantee surveys. 

• Keeping Individual User and Nonprofit Data Private: Resilia does not share individual nonprofit usage data with funders. This ensures funders aren’t tempted to require courses or other work, which can perpetuate harmful power dynamics. Only aggregated and anonymized data is shared, which provides funders valuable insights without judgment.

As discussed, one way funders can approach trust-based philanthropy is by offering more equitable access to nonprofit capacity-building tools and technology – and then allowing grantees to use those resources as needed based on where they are in their development. To learn more about how funders can support nonprofits, visit the website page on the Resilia Funder Program.