Candid insights

In his best-selling book, Together, former surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy, MD, writes, “The universal drive to connect is still alive and well. … It surfaces during times of crisis and in unexpected acts of kindness that remind us who…

This is a moment of immediacy. The entire globe is battling a pandemic. The streets of American cities are brought alive by righteous anger at racial injustice. Urgency eclipses long-term thinking, as it should. That sense of urgency is central…

During COVID-19, we’ve seen how systemic racism and injustice magnifies personal hardship, undermines recovery, and prevents transformational change. We’re also witnessing what happens when too many nonprofit organizations balance on a financial knife’s edge. So, just when we need robust…

We find ourselves amidst a pandemic-driven recession of uncertain scope and duration. Over the last months, Candid employees have been asked repeatedly, “How many nonprofits are going to shut their doors and go out of business?” There is no easy…

Philanthropy has to confront its contributions to maintaining systems of oppression if it ever is to contribute to the kind of systemic change needed in our society. State-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism is urging deep reflection on how to build…

Hello, Candid Learning users! I’m Kent Mulcahy, the Grants Resource Librarian at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, one of Candid’s Funding Information Network (FIN) partners.  As I type this, my senior pitbull, Frances, is adorably snoring loudly…

"When a pandemic hits: How Chinese community foundations responded to COVID-19" is reprinted from Global Fund Community Foundations. When COVID-19 emerged in China, Chinese authorities took unprecedented measures to contain the virus. From mid-January, strict lockdowns were imposed across the…

Since my last “What’s new at Candid” update, George Floyd’s death at the hands of police and the ensuing uprisings have sparked significant reckoning with racial justice in our sector. At Candid, this meant affirming our commitment to racial equity, accelerating updates to our racial equity webpage, and taking time to pause and share together. We have also published several…

When we launched our research to map the human rights funding landscape in 2010, we wanted to both increase funding for the human rights field and help funders spend it more effectively. As the COVID-19 pandemic and sweeping protests against…

As the philanthropic sector aims to build trust, strengthen relationships, and address the systemic power imbalances in our society, trusting nonprofits and the people they serve is crucial.

Places of worship often serve as centers for community, a role that has expanded for many during the Coronavirus pandemic as churches provide food, clothing, and other forms of support for their members and communities. Yet as many places of…

We are five women of color leading five organizations deeply embedded in the nonprofit ecosystem of Detroit and southeast Michigan. We have five missions, five work styles, and five voices. With mutual intentions and hearts, we have decided to work…