Reflection on “Derailed: Rising Attacks and Retreating Resources for Racial Justice”

New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice, Learning in Public Blog Series

This blog series captures reflections and lessons learned by the Equity-Centered Philanthropy (ECP) team at MDC, Inc. Written in a casual, conversational style by ECP staff, the series is also shaped and inspired by collective dialogue and shared learning with participants in the New Era of Philanthropy Community of Practice.

Those of us who have chosen to devote our careers to the field of social justice are all too familiar with the whims, wishes, and disdain of the philanthropic world.  Especially for those of us working within the nonprofit sector in this era of the Donald Trump regime, we have to be hyper-aware of how the prevailing winds will impact our ability to deliver on our mission.   

In this world of compounding and relentless catastrophes, our heads and hearts are full of questions and conflicting emotions:  

• How courageous or bold can we be in our commitment to racial justice?  
• How will we stand in solidarity with the communities we care most about, especially those currently under attack? 
• How can we resist the urge to slumber when the state of our world overwhelms our nervous system into paralysis?  

In the Fall of 2025, just before many of us transitioned into the strange in-between time we know as the end-of-year holidays, the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) released a publication entitled “Derailed: Rising Attacks and Retreating Resources for Racial Justice”.  This 74-page document highlights some sobering, yet not surprising, facts about philanthropy’s investments (or lack thereof) in communities of color and racial justice.  With colorful graphics and compelling prose, the authors of this publication, Ben Francisco Maulbeck and Lori Villarosa, tell a story that reflects the many detrimental impacts of fear as a force for complicity:  

“This fear is based on executive orders or threats of investigation rooted in the Trump administration’s malicious, spurious interpretations of law that seek to consolidate power and contradict decades of jurisprudence and the basic freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.  When funders attempt to comply with these encroachments, they not only burden grantees but they also become complicit in the slide toward authoritarianism—and miss a vital opportunity to stand up for the core values of philanthropy and democracy”.      

At MDC, Inc., our work is primarily funded by private philanthropy, and we are grateful to the foundations that have remained steadfast in their commitments to equity and justice.  We are also familiar with the harmful impacts of philanthropy’s advanced compliance, as we witnessed firsthand the premature termination of our Investing in Leaders of Color program (See Transformative Change is Messy Work).  We know the costs of staying firmly rooted in our commitment to racial equity, and we understand that the greatest price for these shifting political winds is paid at the grassroots community level: 

“Authoritarians test their policies on people of color and LGBTQ, disabled, and poor people to see how quickly they can rip certain groups from the social fabric, while discrediting or violently suppressing witnesses and protesters.  Democracy cannot be “saved” without racial justice; racial justice leadership and organizing make liberal democracy real and complete.” 

Undoubtedly, it is difficult not to be discouraged when taking in all the facts and figures in this publication.  Especially as we witness the waves of violence, repression, and harm continuing to increase in frequency and severity.  Yet the authors’ choice of terms is intended to keep us from the precipice of fatalism and, perhaps, to offer a glimmer of hope.   

“Derailed” is not the same as “collapsed”.  A track that has been disrupted can still be repaired and redirected.  But course correction is only possible if the field acknowledges where it stands, rather than responding to the myths about what happened in 2020 or to narratives that blame communities of color for political trends they did not create.” 

Alongside the five derailments outlined in the publication, the authors offer five recommendations to get on track.  It is affirming to note that many of their recommendations align strongly with the work of our Equity-Centered Leadership and Philanthropy team at MDC, and are amplifications of what we hear repeatedly from community leaders across the region. Hear from nonprofit leaders in the Carolinas on their calls to action for philanthropy in this reflection: To Invest in Leaders of Color.  

In this publication and in the work that we are co-creating at MDC, there is a strong and resounding call for philanthropy to stop retreating into the veneer of safety and to remember how deeply interconnected we are.  This year, we are launching a community of practice focused on this principle of interconnection and on exploring different possibilities for philanthropy in the US South.  One of our practitioners in residence will be Dimple Abichandani, author of the book, A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth into a More Just and Sustainable Future.

This community of practice is just one of the ways we are inviting the philanthropic sector to join us in exploring what it means to continue to make an unwavering commitment to justice, especially during these challenging times.  We are grateful to PRE for their release of their timely, clear-eyed and tremendously helpful publication that serves as fuel for the work ahead.  We join the movement leaders interviewed for the publication in extending a hearty invitation to the philanthropic sector to “match our courage”, invest in our collective wellbeing, and stand on the right side of history.   

Philanthropy’s mandate is unique. In contrast to other sectors with large amounts of wealth, philanthropy’s purpose is not to maintain or grow resources, but to transform wealth into justice, freedom, and repair.  We are in the early stages of a new era of philanthropy—one that is meeting the challenges of our times by boldly imagining a future beyond extractive capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchy.  In these consequential times, philanthropy must evolve our purpose from gilding—lightly covering up systemic challenges—to alchemy—investing in a true transformation of these systems.  – Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth into a More Just and Sustainable Future.