CASE STUDY
Bush Foundation
The equity journey is ongoing, a process of trial and error that the Foundation seeks to approach with transparency and humility: ”As we work toward being more equitable in our work at the Foundation, we plan to publicly share our successes and setbacks in hope we can be useful to others. We do so with humility and recognition that we are — and will always be — a work in progress.”
Table of contents
Background
Founded in 1953, the Bush Foundation makes grants and investments in organizations and individuals who think differently about solving problems in their communities. The Bush Foundation supports community innovation and leadership development in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.
The equity journey
After Jen Ford Reedy joined as president in 2012, the Bush Foundation took a decisive turn towards diversity, equity and inclusion. At that time, the Foundation’s 40-person staff was predominantly white, with a wide range of past exposure to equity work. Over the subsequent years, the Bush Foundation transformed its program strategy, organization, operations, and internal culture to focus more centrally on equity. According to the Foundation, this shift was driven by a desire to achieve impact in communities: “Equity is central to [our] purpose: to inspire and support creative problem solving, within and across sectors, to make our region better for everyone.” The equity journey is ongoing, a process of trial and error that the Foundation seeks to approach with transparency and humility: ”As we work toward being more equitable in our work at the Foundation, we plan to publicly share our successes and setbacks in hope we can be useful to others. We do so with humility and recognition that we are — and will always be — a work in progress.”
Program & activities
The Bush Foundation changed its grant programming to ensure equitable access and to direct funds towards addressing racial and economic disparities. To ensure equitable access, the Bush Foundation expanded open grant programs (open for anyone to apply, rather than by invitation), with applicant support provided by the Foundation (including office hours, hotlines, and feedback on proposal drafts). In 2012, only 9% of the Foundation’s funding went out through open grant processes; by 2018, this was up to 68%. In 2017, the Bush Foundation evaluated its past granting to Native American communities and doubled down on its commitment; from 2018-2019, 26% of all grant payments went to support Native nations and Native people. In 2021, the Bush Foundation committed $100M (funded via social impact bonds) to seed two community trust funds that will address wealth disparities caused by historic racial injustice. These trust funds will directly invest in Black and Native American communities across the region through grants to individuals. The goal of these grants is to build stability and generational wealth by improving access to opportunities such as education, homeownership, and entrepreneurship.
Operations
The Bush Foundation started with the belief that the Foundation would be more effective if its staff reflected a more diverse range of perspectives and life experiences. This belief spurred the Foundation to revamp its recruiting and selection processes with an emphasis on equity. A new director-level talent development position was created, to provide more capacity and focus for this work. The Bush Foundation then reworked its job postings to focus on specific skills required for the job, as opposed to particular credentials or qualifications (such as educational degrees or certifications). The Bush Foundation also deprioritized experience in philanthropy as a prerequisite; given that people of color are already underrepresented in philanthropy, requiring that people come in with this experience only perpetuates the lack of diversity. These changes opened the door for a wider pool of applicants to apply for jobs with the Foundation. The results have been remarkable: over five years, the percentage of staff who identify as people of color grew from 14% to over 40%.
Culture
A key component of the Bush Foundation’s equity journey was building a more inclusive internal culture. This began with defining the organization’s “operating values,” including the fundamental value: “We are a champion for both excellence and equity inside and out of the Foundation.” Internally, the Foundation emphasized principles of equity and inclusion in training and professional development. Through ten half-day workshops, Bush Foundation staff members worked through concepts such as conflict and communication styles, power and adaptation, intent and impact, mattering and marginality, role plays, small and large group discussions, and interactive activities. The Foundation has also regularly incorporated “equity projects” into every staff member’s individual work plans. Every staff member has identified something that they will change to make processes and practices more inclusive, or a way to practice or share the learning they have done on equity. This was a major step to ensuring that equity is deeply integrated into everybody’s work and the organization’s culture as a whole.
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