In 2019, we really started on this journey of equity. What does it mean? What does it look like? What does it mean for funders to be thinking about it? A lot of this came through a report that we released. We worked with USC and Policy Link to develop and release a report called the Orange County Equity Profile. It not only identified a number of really important data points around what makes a community an equitable place to live and work, but it identified 10, plus one in Orange County, equity indicators to make Orange County a more equitable place.

That gave us a really strong baseline of the possibility, what could we do? What could we get to? What is the goal and the aspiration for our community? Honestly, that is what has set us on the journey up to now. We released that report in 2019. Obviously, the pandemic hit. We spent a lot of our time focused on just immediate support. All the time in the back of our heads we were thinking about, "Okay, what does it mean to build in this equity into everything that OCG stands for? Our programs, our engaging with the community, the way we support our nonprofits, the way we support our funders with the programs we put out."

In 2021 we underwent our second ever strategic planning process. Our first after our inception way back when. This time, instead of just looking at a roadmap, we looked at what does strategic planning, what does the future of the organization look like with an equity lens baked into everything that we do? We released that new plan in 2022. It's a five-year roadmap. It calls out very specific goals for the organization in terms of how we interact with the people we serve, how we interact with the community that we live in, how we interact with our funder members.

It set us on a journey that brought us to doing really interesting things, like this podcast, where we're able to elevate voices. We're really excited. We're now in year 2 of this equity journey. It's certainly a process. It's not a strategic plan that is set in stone. It's one that evolves as we evolve and we realize what our relationship is with the community and the needs, but it's giving us a north star in terms of how we want to impact the community where we live right now.

[00:09:44] Host: Now, I want to cover something that you mentioned, and just to make it clear for all of our listeners out there, this concept of philanthropy goes beyond just cutting a check for those in need. I would love for you to talk a little more about how the funders that are a part of OC Grantmakers move beyond that step of just picking and choosing who gets money and writing a check and then walking away, because it is really involved. That advocacy is very important and that support. If you wouldn't mind talking a little bit about that role of philanthropy.

[00:10:27] Taryn: Yes. I think so many people do think that philanthropy is simply, here's some money, or it's, I want you to do this, and here's some money now, please make it happen. There is some truth in that. I think that there was an older way of doing grantmaking and that is changing. Many of our members are on this journey with us at all different stages of how they evolve their own grantmaking with an equity lens.

A lot of what that means today is being receptive to conversations with people who are on the ground and who are doing the work with the individuals that they serve. It's no longer just, here's some money, please make this happen. It’s, “What do you need? What does the community that you serve look like? How will my money impact today and tomorrow? Where is my money going to be used best?” Is it a program? It might be. That certainly might be a need. Or is there some upstream indicator that I can work on and give money to and have impact that will change the direction of things 5, 10 years from now? There's an entire approach to grantmaking that is becoming more and more common. It's certainly, again, something that we are all on a journey learning, but it's called trust-based philanthropy.

The idea is that the expertise comes from the people on the ground. The expertise comes from those that are doing the work every single day from the impacted communities, from the nonprofits, and that grantmakers and funders listen to the direction of those who are doing the work every day, and then trust that the money and the dollars are going to be used in the best way possible by giving that freedom to the nonprofits rather than dictating, I want this type of program with this type of results at the end of the day.

You know what? Some of that works, some of that doesn't. It's a complete journey and we know that some funders are more able to do it while others are not simply because of how their structure is. It doesn't make any type of funding better or worse than any others. but there is now this idea of, "I'm not just going to cut a check and walk away." It's, "I'm going to learn how you're working. I'm going to see where you're working."

Our members go on site visits. They aren't just doing a single touch base with a nonprofit. They're learning about the nonprofit. They're learning how the nonprofit might collaborate with another one. They're identifying where areas of alignment are and are spending the time to learn about the community and issues so that money is not simply being handed out as a one-time thing, hopefully it's really being done in a way that will have a long-term impact. At least that's where we're all on a journey to get to.

[00:13:33] Host: Right. I was reading through your latest report, The State of OC Philanthropy, and it seems like the majority of the members are moving towards either equity or social justice or some combination of both. Is that the goal that that becomes either the main drive for these members or at least an important driver for the members of OC Grantmakers?

[00:14:08] Taryn: I think it depends on the member organization. One of the things that OCG does is try and recognize that every member, every funder has a different way and a different strategy of having impact in their community. Some of our members do amazing work in the program space. That's what they do and their work is phenomenal and they are integral in supporting the continuation of programs that are very specific for a specific audience or service. That might not be necessarily able to be adjusted to this new model of grantmaking. Others are certainly able to do that. They're looking at upstream measures, they're looking at trust-based philanthropy, they're looking at social justice, and they're thinking how they can change their funding.

What we want to do is say, as a community, we can recognize that all of our members, they're all at different places in their journey and everyone is important in whatever way it is, everyone has impact in their community in whatever way they can. It's our hope, however, that by thinking about equity and thinking about social justice, and thinking about the greater impact of your dollars, no matter what type of giving you may be able to provide, it will start to change how you think about your role in the community so that you're not thinking of yourself as simply just a programs funder. You're thinking about what that program means in the context and the ecosystem of the larger nonprofit space.

[00:15:57] Host: One of the questions I've asked both of the philanthropic organizations I was able to connect with, using an equity lens for philanthropic support helps to narrow where the support goes but that's still a broad spectrum of organizations and community members. How do you help determine where the most need is?

[00:16:27] Taryn: That is the biggest challenge, I think. So often I think people think philanthropy has endless amounts of money and unfortunately that's just not true. Funders are so often limited an wanting to be able to fund everyone and not being able to do so. Obviously, every funder has their area of giving. Everyone has their focus area that's been determined by their board or the organization or their corporation. Then it's really about learning the individual nonprofits. So much of philanthropy, and this is something we emphasize, is relationship based.

It's not just getting a survey of a nonprofit on paper and seeing, okay, this is what they do, because you're right, there could be 15 that all seem like they're doing the same wonderful thing and so often there are, but it's talking with them and realizing, what is their impact having, how are they addressing a challenge? Is their approach similar to what my approach might be?

That's why so many of our funders spend so much time building authentic relationships with the nonprofits they serve so that they can really find the nonprofit that's going to be the best match and the best fit. For every funder it's different. I can't speak to any single one of our members but every single one of them has a goal, a strategy, an impact target, an equity lens that they use to identify the nonprofits that are doing the great work on the ground.

I'll also say, obviously, one of the things that OCG provides is this place for funders to talk with one another. They can come and have a conversation, "Hey, are you working in this space? Oh, great, I'm working in this space too. Who are you working with on the ground? You've heard of them. Do they have another need? Oh, there's a gap there. All right. That might be a place for me to come into."

One of the great things that OCG provides is spaces for funders to convene around different issue areas. We have issue tables, we call them, around health, around food security, around early childhood, around immigration and it gives an opportunity to funders to have those conversations about how they can better work with nonprofits to make sure that nobody is falling through the gaps and that as much of the need as possible is being filled and served in the most strategic way possible.

[00:19:02] Host: You talked about collaboration as well and this opportunity for these funders to work together towards a specific goal.

[00:19:12] Taryn: Yes. Orange County Grantmakers has in the past had actual pooled funds, which is when the funders come together, they put all their money in a sole pot, and then that is distributed in a coordinated and aligned way to a single nonprofit or a single initiative. We don't have any at the moment. It's simply a matter of need. We develop them as a need arises. For instance, during COVID, we helped support a resilience fund that was managed by Charitable Ventures that brought all the funds together.

More often than not though, the coordination is really about communication between the funders. Just like in the nonprofit space, there might be three or four nonprofits doing the same wonderful work, oftentimes funders are funding the same areas and they don't realize it. We provide a space for them to come together and say, "Hey, what are you doing? How are you doing it? What organizations are you supporting? Is there an opportunity for us to work together?" It might not be coordination of dollars in terms of a pooled fund. It might be simply, hey, I'm funding this nonprofit and they need another $50,000 more to do X. Is anyone else able or interested or aligned to come in? OCG, quite often, we don't manage any dollars like that. What we do is we provide the space for conversation and collaboration.

[00:20:38] Host: I guess that opens the door to ensure that nothing is missed as you're looking at all of these things that need funding.

[00:20:47] Taryn: That is always our hope. We say, if out of our conversations there becomes an opportunity for alignment, a coordinated project, or a filling of the gaps, we've done what we are here to do.

[00:21:00] Host: Now, the term equity, unfortunately, has become political. It's a rally cry on the left and it's become somewhat of a warning on the far right. Does that divide, create a challenge in a county as politically diverse as Orange County?

[00:21:22] Taryn: Orange County Grantmakers is an apolitical organization. We do not align with a political party, and in fact, we make sure we do not lobby, we don't engage in that space. The reason being is we want to be inclusive of the entire philanthropic community in Orange County and we don't want to alienate any specific individual or organization. That being said, equity is at the very core of what we do, and we believe that it stands for ensuring that everyone has what they need to best succeed.

Equity to us, while it has been politicized, is not a political term. It is an ethos and a way of-- it's built into our mission and our vision. It is simply the core of how we think about our funder members having the most impact in the community. At this point I am lucky enough to say that having equity as a core of our organization has not been an issue. A lot of those who work in this space, I think we all take it from an approach of, what can we do to support the community we live in? Otherwise, these people, these organizations, they wouldn't be in philanthropy.

I think the most amazing thing about the members of Orange County Grantmakers is the authenticity behind why they get up to do what they do every single day. It's not about a political headline, it's not about anything else. It's about, how can I have the most impact in Orange County with the dollars I have? How can I support the nonprofits who are doing the work every single day around issues that are important to myself, to my organization, or to my company? We have not seen it as a hindering issue. We have seen it as an opportunity.

That being said, it is a concern that could be used to alienate somebody who feels like perhaps that's going to make them think we are something that we're not. It's a disappointment that equity can be used in that way because, at its core, it's not. It's about making sure we're getting resources to the right people and to those who need it the most.

[00:23:43] Host: Well, let's talk about this project that we're working on together. This series has been such an incredible learning opportunity for me. I'm constantly learning with every conversation that I have. I'm so glad I had this opportunity. I've been able to connect with leaders in philanthropy. I've been able to connect with passionate advocates, people moving the equity needle forward. I'd love for you to talk about the curation of these incredible guests that we've had and the importance of hearing different voices and experiences of equity or lack thereof.

[00:24:23] Taryn: Yes. As you alluded to, equity is kind of a loaded term. People either think it means one thing when it doesn't, it's a political term, or they just honestly aren't quite sure what it looks like in practice because it has become a bit jargony. It was our hope with the series to elevate voices who are demonstrating equity in their everyday work rather than just saying equity is something that you should do. Through this series, the voices that are part of it, each have their own perspective and their own strategy of actually making equity into something that they do through their work.

We were so honored and lucky to have Wajahat Ali, who is the first speaker of this series at our summit last year. He was hilarious, first off, but he also brings such a wonderful, authentic perspective to some sensitive topics in a way that makes it feel relatable, and that's huge. With Natalie Graham, she was also one of the keynote speakers at the summit last year, and she spoke so eloquently and passionately about how equity can really imbue the direction of nonprofits in terms of their perspective on service. We're thrilled to have her be on this podcast.

Being able to highlight nonprofit leaders like Tracy La and Carlos Perea who are doing the work on the ground. Equity to them is not just a term that's out there. It's a guiding strategy for how they're engaging with their communities on the ground every single day, and as an example that even those who don't work in that space can hopefully take and see how they can apply to their everyday life.

Then the philanthropists that we highlight, it's one thing again to say that you're doing philanthropy with an equity lens. It's another to show, okay, this is how we are using our funds to move the equity needle forward. The Samuelis have so much--- their impact is so felt in Orange County especially, in everything that they do, that they have a wonderful perspective of how equity can be brought to business pursuits, to philanthropic pursuits, to academic pursuits. Then, of course, Keith Swayne and the Swayne Family Foundation working with the Orange County Community Foundation, who's a member of ours, their social justice fund is an entirely new approach to how funders who might be afraid of what social justice means and looks like can get engaged and support that type of work.

We are just thrilled to be able to bring all of these different perspectives of equity in practice to the community at large so that perhaps after listening to this series equity feels a little bit more relatable and tangible rather than some fancy shmancy term just to something that you hear people say.

[00:27:29] Host: I learned the term trust-based philanthropy from my conversation with Keith and Anne, so I'm always learning something new. Then I was able to understand what you're talking about when you bring it up because of that conversation. Taryn, is there anything else you'd like to share about your work or about what we're doing?

[00:27:50] Taryn: I'll just close by saying, it's such an honor to be able to support an organization like Orange County Grantmakers. We have grown from about 15 funders to over 50. We support 70-plus meetings and community events a year for both funders, the nonprofits, and the community at large. In everything that we do, it's just our goal that we can bring the community together and really help to elevate and align what is happening in philanthropy, with nonprofits, with larger community issues. We're thrilled and I'm so excited to have this first podcast series go live.

[00:28:28] Host: If you would like to continue the conversation, visit Orange County Grantmakers at ocgrantmakers.org, and the Orange County Community Foundation at oc-cf.org. To listen to more episodes and find books written by and recommended from our guests visit pastfoward.org or follow us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

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