Integrating Kinship into Grant-Making
Gavarkavich, Diane
:
2020-12
Abstract
Since 2014, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, and local government in the Charlotte, NC area have been deeply focused on a national study that placed the region 50 out of 50 for economic mobility. Reemprise Fund, a small donor advised fund, was inspired by the response they have seen in the community as well as the work of Father Gregory Boyle and Homeboy Industries to address this issue by centering the concept of kinship in their grant-making. This capstone addresses three challenges Reemprise Fund identified for making this strategic shift: establishing a definition of kinship, identifying contributors to kinship, and developing a method to evaluate progress. Through a framework of meaning making and qualitative data collection, this capstone sought to address these challenges by identifying existing operationalizations of the concepts of kinship, investigating evidence-based and best practices around kinship, providing recommended steps for incorporating findings into grant-making, and outlining a plan for evaluation.