Faith and philanthropy: Bridgespan Group report points to an untapped opportunity

A new report by the Bridgespan Group, Elevating the Role of Faith-Inspired Impact in the Social Sector, makes a case for bridging secular philanthropy and faith-inspired social impact organizations. The report tackles three myths: 1) that secularism is dominant, 2) that faith-inspired organizations represent only a minor part of the sector, and 3) that faith-inspired organizations are not innovative.

On the first myth, the report shares formerly-released Pew Research Center data showing that faith very much still has influence, especially in low-income communities, rural communities, and communities of color. For instance, 75% of Black adults consider religion very important in their lives, and 83% attend religious services, at least sometimes. On the second myth, in addition to referencing existing data that points to the prevalence of faith orientation in the social sector, Bridgespan did its own analysis on the proportion of social safety net services provided by faith-inspired organizations, finding that such organizations account for 40% of safety net spending. And yet, such organizations receive only 12% of the social safety net funding (and only 2% of overall funding) distributed by the 15 largest private foundations in the U.S. Finally, to the myth of a lack of innovation, the report offers the illustrative stories of two innovative initiatives, a workforce development project by Jewish Vocational Service in Boston and a community-based ID card program by FaithAction International House in Greensboro, NC.

The report then offers three recommendations for bridging the gap between secular philanthropy and faith-inspired organizations: leverage the trust faith-based organizations have built in their communities, engage in open dialogue about values, and collaborate with these organizations to develop solutions that their communities need.

We would add another recommendation: nurture and fund learning and collaboration both among faith-inspired organizations (including, and perhaps especially, across faith traditions) and between secular and faith-inspired organizations. As social entrepreneur Rosanne Haggerty notes in the report, we need to see ourselves as all part of the same ecosystem. To do so, we have to start breaking down the walls between us. We have so much to learn from each other, and we are most certainly more effective when we get our of our own silos and feedback loops and work together. We face complex problems that the work of individual institutions simply cannot solve. Sustainable progress requires a responsive and collaborative ecosystem of players across organizations and sectors. Funders can and should help incentivize the development and flourishing of a collaborative landscape.

Read the full report at bridgespan.org.

Photo by Andre A. Xavier on Unsplash