Candid insights

The big picture of the social sector, backed by data and expertise

Does your philanthropy have the clarity to be the change we need?

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…

By Kris Putnam-Walkerly (she/her)

July 15, 2020

How many nonprofits will shut their doors?

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…

By Jacob Harold (he/him)

July 15, 2020

Beyond Words: What UK Grantmakers are Learning About Power and Trust

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…

By Shyrina Rantisi (she/her) and Roxanne Nazir (she/her)

July 14, 2020

How libraries are adjusting to the new normal during COVID-19

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…

By Kent Mulcahy (he/him)

July 14, 2020

When a pandemic hits: How Chinese community foundations responded to COVID-19

"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…

By Jasmine Zhang

July 13, 2020

What’s new at Candid (July 2020)

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…

By Jen Bokoff (she/her)

July 10, 2020

Meeting the moment: more and better funding for human rights

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…

By Rachel Thomas (she/her)

July 9, 2020

How racial equity supports better grantmaking practices

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.

By Brendan McCormick (he/him) and Afia Amobeaa-Sakyi

July 8, 2020

COVID-19’s impact on faith-based giving

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…

By Amelia Becker (she/her)

July 2, 2020

Leading in solidarity to reshape the nonprofit ecosystem

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…

By Allandra Bulger, Madhavi Reddy, Shamyle Dobbs, and Yodit Mesfin Johnson

July 1, 2020

Barely keeping our doors open: How COVID-19 has affected my small, Black-woman-led nonprofit

There is a common adage among the Black community that “when White folks catch a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.” Various versions have been stated by many Black leaders, but the meaning remains the same: the various inequities that result…

By Tokiwa T. Smith ((she/her))

July 1, 2020

Nonprofits advancing racial equity

Amid the current uprisings around Black Lives Matter, anti-racism, and ending police violence, many are turning to Candid tools to inform their giving and to get data to support racial equity in the social sector. Candid’s research team took this…

By Grace Sato (she/her) and Sarina Dayal (she/they)

June 29, 2020