How to Fund Movements Building Power

Woods Fund Chicago’s President, Michelle Morales, and Kelly Suzanne Saulsberry, Communications Strategy & Storytelling Officer, attended the NFG Connection 2023 National Convening on May 8-12, 2023, in Wilmington, North Carolina. They were invited to share Woods Fund Chicago’s journey funding movements in Chicago as part of the Story Share Learning and Strategy session titled How to Fund Movements Building Power.

Kelly: I was thrilled to participate in the NFG Connection gathering. It was my first time attending an NFG convening. I appreciated the opportunity to connect in person with other forward-thinking funders and organizers. The warmth and energy of community and sense of urgency were palpable. I carried all of this back with me to Chicago. It was also my first time visiting North Carolina! Wilmington’s historic Riverwalk neighborhood, where NFG Connection took place, is stunningly beautiful. How did you feel about attending this convening?

Michelle: I was tremendously excited to participate in NFG Connection this year. It was my first NFG conference experience, and it was well worth it. I also appreciated learning more about Wilmington, North Carolina, and how the roots of racial capitalism originated there. 


Kelly: Before we go deep into reflection mode — which we Virgos are prone to do — please share with our readers what NFG is all about and how you became involved.

Michelle: Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG) is a national philanthropic serving organization, which caters its services to not only progressive funders, but funders who are trying to organize and mobilize philanthropy to achieve systems change — both internal and external to the sector. We all believe that philanthropy should not exist, and while it does, it needs to change its practices.


Kelly: Why did you think it was important for us/Woods Fund Chicago to attend NFG Connection?

Michelle: It’s important for Woods Fund Chicago to develop relationships with other like-minded foundations and philanthropic organizations, not only to align ourselves with other organizing funders, but to leverage funding to the organizing/advocacy sector in Chicago. It was important for me to attend as I continue to understand the national philanthropic landscape, how Woods Fund Chicago is positioned in that landscape, and how to develop relationships with other Presidents/CEOs outside of Chicago. 


Kelly: I get that, Michelle. I'm still new-ish to philanthropy, given that I joined Woods Fund Chicago in January 2021 — so making meaningful connections with other funding organizers and advocates was key for me, too. It was important for me not only to meet other individuals, though, but to learn about how organizations across the country are advancing their work, the local contexts in which they’re doing it, and their successes and challenges internally and externally. Developing a broader understanding and network is helping me deepen my insight and sharpen my analysis in this area and helping me advocate more effectively in philanthropy.

The NFG team invited us to be speakers at the Story Share Strategy & Learning session on how to fund movements building power. You and I were both excited about this opportunity, given this topic is right up our alley and aligned with Woods Fund Chicago’s commitment to community organizing and movement-building. Please share with our readers what the objective of this session was, who the other speakers were, and what we shared with the session’s attendees.

Michelle: The session was beautifully crafted as a Storytelling Session. Several foundations shared their stories of power-building, from the opportunities & challenges involved in engaging in participatory grantmaking, funding severely underfunded communities, and determining a different way of funding. Steven Moon of the Grand Victoria Foundation shared a beautiful story of his experience as a Director of Elgin Programs and the changes the foundation had to make when funding programs in that city.  

You and I were asked to speak about Woods Fund Chicago’s internal journey. We were asked “why change when Woods Fund Chicago has always funded organizing?” We shared our journey of internal restructuring to center a trust-based philanthropy framework with a racial justice lens and how it was important for us, as a team of all women of color, to center this internally and externally.

Kelly: Some participants expressed their appreciation for us speaking about the internal work we’ve been doing and the changes we’ve made. So often, discussions between funders focus on grantmaking approaches or their relationships with grantee partners. We focused our story, however, on cultivating an organizational culture; aligning our operations, policies, and procedures; and team-building in ways that reflect the values of trust-based philanthropy. Folks appreciated learning about what we discovered when we raised the hood of Woods Fund Chicago and the journey we’ve been on to address what we saw.

Let’s pivot to the insights we gleaned from other session speakers. What are some highlights and takeaways speakers shared on how foundations can be better funders and supporters of movement-building? 

Michelle: I really enjoyed attending the Funder Organizer Training that was co-led by Jay Travis, former Executive Director of KOCO, former Woods Fund Chicago Program Officer, and the current President of Needmor Fund. It was insightful and pointed out several aspects of organizing that I needed to remind myself of (like how leveraging dollars for grantees is not organizing, but mobilizing, since organizing is long-term and should result in systems change). I also appreciated understanding that the changes we had made to our grantmaking is right in line with other allied foundations, and I walked away with new ideas on how to meet other movement needs. 

Kelly: I know we’re both reflecting and processing, but we’re also about action. What are some actionable things we can take from the NFG conference to inform and/or integrate into our continuing work with grantee and foundation partners toward fortifying the organizing and movement-building infrastructure in Chicago?

Michelle: With the upcoming SCOTUS decision concerning Affirmative Action, we need to be ready to support grantee partners who may come under fire for explicitly focusing on issues that impact communities of color.  I want to think through what it would look like for Woods Fund Chicago to provide legal support to grantee partners. 

Kelly: Thanks for the dialogue, Michelle. There’s so much to continue synthesizing and distilling. What an inspiring, moving, and insightful gathering. I’m glad we had the opportunity to participate in the NFG gathering together. Let the movement-building continue!

Michelle: Yes! It was wonderful spending time with you outside of the physical and virtual office. NFG truly created a wonderfully restorative convening.  I hope that other foundations in Chicago can participate in their future convenings.