Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All
The increasing stridency of opinions in the news can be divisive. But lately I’ve heard something different in it. Turned up so loud, all I can notice is how similar it all sounds. The universal tendency to shout is an ironic reminder of how much we all have in common, as well as encouraging evidence that we have what we need to solve our shared problems. It’s as if the antidote is right there waiting in all that venom. We are all human. And we all have enormous energy to devote to helping and protecting those we love.
It’s easy to think of different groups struggling within the same systems as not only separate, but also opposing. Yet when we help one group, we often help them all. A growing body of research on this contains numerous examples — bike lanes designed to protect cyclists improving local retail sales and property values for everyone, seatbelt laws adopted to protect young children saving the lives of people of all ages, students of all ethnicities achieving better learning outcomes at schools that are racially diverse, workforce and education opportunities for women and girls leading to global economic growth. And those are just the positive ripple effects that can be easily counted. The dividends of changes in attitude each time disparate groups help each other are harder to trace. But the trend line is clear. Communities with a habit of removing obstacles for different subsets of people tend to get better for everyone.
Below is a list of gift recipients since my post in June, 465 non-profits converting $3,863,125,000 into meaningful services for others. Our team’s focus over these last nine months has included some new areas, but as always our aim has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds. The cause of equity has no sides.
Nor can it have a single solution. Equity can only be realized when all people involved have an opportunity to help shape it. And even people who spend years learning about the same problem will disagree on the best approach. When our giving team focuses on any system in which people are struggling, we don’t assume that we, or any other single group, can know how to fix it. We don’t advocate for particular policies or reforms. Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that supports the ability of all people to participate in solutions. This means a focus on the needs of those whose voices have been underrepresented. It also means including others within the system who want to help improve it, harnessing insights and engagement from every role. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Incarcerated people, crime survivors, police officers, and the family members of them all. Veterans and refugees. Kids enrolled in public schools as well as charters. Rural students as well as urban ones. Affordable housing and job training for people in any geography. Healthcare for people with circumstances and beliefs of every kind. Very few solutions gain universal agreement. I don’t know the best outcome of each debate, but there’s heartening evidence that supporting the capacity of all people to be heard leads to better outcomes for all.
This belief in a diversity of voices also inspires our commitment to a vital category of leaders. The leadership of people directly experiencing inequities is essential, both because it is informed by insights no one else can contribute, and because it seeds power and opportunity within the community itself. Yet only a tiny fraction of global humanitarian assistance today is given directly to local and national organizations, and to organizations focused on the disproportionate challenges experienced by women and girls. Though we support many great organizations doing work for groups distant or different from their own, we invest extra time and money to elevate high-impact teams with leadership from the communities they’re serving. Approximately 60% of the organizations listed below are led by women, and 75% by people with lived experience in the regions they support and the issues they seek to address.
A belief in a diversity of voices drives my own communication choices as well. It’s what inspired me to override a personal preference for privacy and write a series of essays that bring attention to the work of these organizations. It’s what motivated my recent decision to invite them to speak for themselves first, if they want to, before I share their names. It’s what underlies my approach to press inquiries — respecting the autonomy and role of journalists by doing nothing to try to influence or control what they report. And it’s what governs the pace and design of the website we’re creating, which will go live only after it reflects the preferences of every one of these non-profit teams about how details of their gifts are shared.
We look forward to sharing the work of these remarkable organizations through this database of their gifts, 1257 to date since my pledge to give away this money with steadiness and care. Each non-profit it will list was selected through a rigorous process, and has a strong track record of serving under-supported needs. If you are looking for a way to serve humanity’s common cause, every one of them is a great candidate. Helping any of us can help us all.
African Population and Health Research Center
African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Blue Meridian Partners — The Justice and Mobility Fund
· Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor
· Boys & Girls Club of Collier County
· Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck
· Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley
· Boys & Girls Club of Whittier
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg Rio Grande Valley
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater High Point
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama
· Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia
· Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin
· Boys & Girls Clubs of South County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Seminole Tribe of Florida
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Three Affiliated Tribes
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities
· Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson
· Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County
· Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside
· Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Boys & Girls Clubs
· Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Georgia
· Red Lake Nation Boys & Girls Club
· The Antelope Valley Boys & Girls Club
· White Earth Nation Boys & Girls Clubs
Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity
Center for Black Educator Development
Center for Disaster Philanthropy — Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund
Center for Health Care Strategies
Center for Law and Social Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Tech and Civic Life
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Children’s Home Society of North Carolina
Children’s Home Society of Washington
Choose Love — Ukraine relief efforts
Climate Justice Resilience Fund
ClimateWorks Foundation — Drive Electric Campaign
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity
Communities for Just Schools Fund
Communities In Schools National
· Communities In Schools — Bay Area
· Communities In Schools of Atlanta
· Communities In Schools of Benton-Franklin
· Communities In Schools of Cape Fear
· Communities In Schools of Central Texas
· Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
· Communities In Schools of Chicago
· Communities In Schools of East Texas
· Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania
· Communities In Schools of Georgia
· Communities In Schools of Greater Tarrant County
· Communities In Schools of Hampton Roads
· Communities In Schools of Houston
· Communities In Schools of Indiana
· Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA)
· Communities In Schools of Memphis
· Communities In Schools of Michigan
· Communities In Schools of Mid-America
· Communities In Schools of Nevada
· Communities In Schools of North Carolina
· Communities In Schools of North Texas
· Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan
· Communities In Schools of NOVA
· Communities In Schools of Ohio
· Communities In Schools of Palm Beach County
· Communities In Schools of Peninsula
· Communities In Schools of Pennsylvania
· Communities In Schools of Renton-Tukwila
· Communities In Schools of San Antonio
· Communities In Schools of South Carolina
· Communities In Schools of South Central Texas
· Communities In Schools of Southeast Texas
· Communities In Schools of Southwest Virginia
· Communities In Schools of Tennessee
· Communities In Schools of the Big Country
· Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region
· Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas
· Communities In Schools of the South Plains
· Communities In Schools of Virginia
· Communities In Schools of Washington
Community Justice Exchange — National Bail Fund Network
Community Organizing and Family Issues
Convergence Center for Policy Resolution
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
de Beaumont Foundation — Vose River Charitable Fund
First Responders Children’s Foundation
Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres
Four Oaks Family and Children’s Services
FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund
Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos (Brazil Human Rights Fund)
Habitat for Humanity International
· Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
· Atlanta Habitat for Humanity
· Chipola Area Habitat for Humanity
· Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity
· Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity
· Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity
· Flower City Habitat for Humanity
· Genesee County Habitat for Humanity
· Golden Crescent Habitat for Humanity
· Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity
· Gwinnett/Walton Habitat for Humanity
· Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona
· Habitat for Humanity Chicago
· Habitat for Humanity Choptank
· Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio
· Habitat for Humanity for Georgetown County, SC
· Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County
· Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria Area
· Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
· Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley
· Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area
· Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas
· Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester
· Habitat for Humanity of Broward
· Habitat for Humanity of Buffalo
· Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley
· Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County
· Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County
· Habitat for Humanity of Craven County
· Habitat for Humanity of Durham
· Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newark
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento
· Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls
· Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County
· Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver
· Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County
· Habitat for Humanity of Omaha
· Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC
· Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas & West Pasco Counties
· Habitat for Humanity of South Central New Jersey
· Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk
· Habitat for Humanity of Summit County
· Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region
· Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills
· Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley
· Habitat for Humanity of Tuscaloosa
· Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C.
· Habitat for Humanity of York County
· Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
· Habitat for Humanity Portland Region
· Habitat for Humanity Seattle–King & Kittitas Counties
· Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka
· Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna
· Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio
· Houston County Habitat for Humanity
· Houston Habitat for Humanity
· Lafayette Habitat for Humanity
· Loudon County Habitat for Humanity
· Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity
· New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
· Paterson Habitat for Humanity
· Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity
· South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity
· Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity
· Sussex County Habitat for Humanity
· Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity
· Trinity Habitat for Humanity
· Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
· Wichita Habitat for Humanity
Institute for Educational Leadership
Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture
International Association of Chiefs of Police
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b)
International Refugee Assistance Project
Ipso — International Psychosocial Organisation
Kenya Community Development Foundation
Law Enforcement Action Partnership
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of Police Athletic/Activities Leagues
National Birth Equity Collaborative
National Black Child Development Institute
National Collaborative for Health Equity
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
National Hispanic Council on Aging
National Indian Council on Aging
National Indian Education Association
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
National Rural Health Association
Norwegian Refugee Council — Ukraine relief efforts
Organizer Zero
OutRight Action International — Ukraine relief efforts
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
· Planned Parenthood Association of Utah
· Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette
· Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
· Planned Parenthood North Central States
· Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio
· Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho
· Planned Parenthood of Illinois
· Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey
· Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC
· Planned Parenthood of Montana
· Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
· Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida
· Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio Region
· Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon
· Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest
· Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
· Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region & Southwest Missouri
· Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
· Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
· Virginia League for Planned Parenthood
Police Executive Research Forum
Politize! — Instituto de Educação Política
Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds
Rights and Resources Initiative
Schott Foundation for Public Education
SisterSong National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental
Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Stand for Children Leadership Center
Student Experience Research Network
Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH)
Urgent Action Fund — Urgent Response Fund for Ukraine
West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)
Woodwell Climate Research Center