Blog

A Post Election Reflection

By January 15, 2017

The recent election was a disaster that will continue to unfold in the months ahead. Many of our partners and colleagues have written posts that have resonated and give me hope as the outlook gets more grim. In her recent post Pia spoke for me as well, reaffirming our commitment to our mission and values…

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In the Direction of Courage

By November 10, 2016

Eyes Wide Shudder It is with an anguished heart and clear eyes that I write this. The difference in our historical context between Tuesday morning and today is stark and sobering. The real cost of this election outcome will fall disproportionately on the undocumented immigrants, muslims, blacks, women, queer, and poor people scapegoated in this campaign…

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Trust As A Starting Point

By October 21, 2016

What if we as funders started with trust, instead of making potential partners “earn” it?  Vu Le starts our sibling blog posts today by questioning the assumption that grant seekers need to prove their basic trustworthiness to funders. Indeed, up-ending this premise has been inherent in TWI’s approach since we started making grants. TWI’s 9 Practices…

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voice of witness cliff mayotte

What Happens When Philanthropy and Empathy Meet?

By September 30, 2016

Most grants and reports happen on paper. Here at the Whitman Institute (TWI), we like to do things a little differently. Recently, we invited current and potential supporters for one of our core grantees, Voice of Witness (VOW), for lunch at the office. Our relationship with VOW had come full-circle: Six years earlier, TWI Co-Executive…

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who's at the center of your philanthropic mission

Putting Grantees at the Center of Philanthropy

By August 25, 2016

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) has produced a series on grantee inclusion, in partnership with Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). We’re excited about sharing this ongoing conversation because we believe in placing our grantees at the center of our work at the Whitman Institute. These articles represent a deep dive into how we can increase our impact…

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