Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)

The group also receives additional grant funding from many of its member organizations through their traditional grantmaking process outside of membership dues paid to the group. Funders include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, among dozens of others. ^{1 2 3}

The group promotes left-of-center grantmaking activity and critical race theory-inspired diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology in addition to other issues concerning the operation of grantmaking organizations through a variety of conferences, networking events, and reports. ^{4 5}

Background

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations was founded in 1997 and exists as a networking organization and membership association of largely left-of-center grantmaking organizations. The group states that its membership employs approximately 6,000 individuals in the grantmaking field and lists approximately 440 organizational members on its website. the group operates several annual conferences, trainings, networking events, and seminars, and publishes research regarding the grantmaking field. ^{6 3 7}

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations has extensively promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology and published resources about how grantmaking organizations can center both their grantmaking activity and internal operations such as hiring and structure around DEI priorities. ⁴

The group states that it “has made a commitment to focus on racial equity in grantmaking with the intention of including other dimensions, such as ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disabilities as we move further along in this work.” ⁴

The group also stated that “As a predominantly white organization working in a predominantly white field, GEO has made a commitment to learning and improving internally to better support our members and the field” and further shared that it had required the entire staff of the organization to participate in Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE)’s Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities training. ⁴

Among other publications and activities centered around equity, the group published a primer on “Deep Equity” which promoted “recognizing unconscious bias, emotional triggers, power dynamics, and microaggressions; manifestations of inequity from an intersectional perspective (i.e., the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics, age, language/dialect, LGBTQ identity, geography, immigration status, religion, etc.)” ⁸

Leadership

Marcus Walton is the President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Walton previously worked as the director of racial equity initiatives for Borealis Philanthropy and as vice president and chief operating officer for the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). ⁹

Walton received $309,000 in salary from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations in 2021. ⁵

Members

Members of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations are largely left-of-center grantmaking foundations and include many of the largest left-of-center grantmaking organizations in the United States as well as smaller community foundations. Notable members include Arabella Advisors, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Oak Foundation, Ploughshares Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. ⁷

Funding

In addition to membership dues, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations receives funding from many grantmaking organizations through their traditional grantmaking process. Listed funders include Borealis Philanthropy, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Surdna Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. ¹