The last few years have certainly been turbulent and so many of us have shifted our missions, goals, and work to keep up with the changes that seem to be happening daily. This is true for us at the Grunin Foundation as well. We have been learning a lot about ourselves, the community, and the world.
Right before life changed in March of 2020, we revealed our then “new” brand to our nonprofit, business and community partners and friends. Since then, we have not revisited our mission and we realize it’s crucial for us to do so to become a better funder and partner. It’s time for us to hit the pause button and look deeper into the work and how we do it. In addition to thoroughly examining our grantmaking pillars and mission, we also need to understand how our capacity and equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging work all weave together.
We need clarity as we move forward, and we will not be doing this alone. As part of this process, we have put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) and will be working with consultants who specialize in strategic planning, specifically around mission and equity work. We commit to including community in the process. While our best intentions are always there, our partners have helped us think more clearly about our path moving forward as they are on the frontlines every day, listening and working directly with those in their communities. As we have said before, we don’t have the answers, but we will continue to listen deeply to evolve and grow.
Part of what we do know right now is that we will be sunsetting our event sponsorships to make more room for the evolution of our mission-driven grantmaking strategy. We understand that sponsorship dollars are an important revenue stream and our decision to sunset sponsorships was not an easy one. This does not mean you will no longer see us out in the community. Although we will not be sponsoring events moving forward, we will still be attending activities. Building authentic relationships with community is the cornerstone of who we are and this work. And although we do not know exactly what our grantmaking strategy will evolve into, we will always keep transparency at the forefront and will provide updates as we move forward. We will communicate about our strategic journey in the form of “Letters from the President” via email and on our blog.
Please know that during this time of reflection and strategic planning, we are still here – for conversations, connections, capacity work, and partnership. We look forward to learning and growing, and are committed to becoming a better and more equitable funder.