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• 1 2020-10-26T20:16:19+00:00 ...Social Justice Philanthropy Now 37 plain 2020-11-27T04:23:40+00:00  Even though many social justice issues of the past have been resolved, this does not mean that there is currently no need for philanthropy in this sector. The reality is that problems related to social justice have just changed in the way they appear in society and are still very much in need of philanthropic support. The main recipients of this philanthropy are non-profit organizations and foundations. These groups try and focus their efforts on the root causes of various systemic issues, ranging from economic to racial or environmental problems. The ways in which these organizations propel social change through large movements has changed in recent years, especially so during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  Today offers challenges of its own. While the challenges may not look the same as they did in the past, they still exist. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought only more attention to the need of social justice in America and the world. The pandemic has shown to disproportionately effect the disadvantaged and misfortunate individuals in society, as the impoverished do not have access to proper healthcare and have shown to be more immunocompromised due to poor health. What this means, is that our issues of social injustice today are actually killing people. It is crucial that we work towards granting justice to each individual, and the answers are rooted in philanthropy. 
  
  While the government is often looked to for fixing the issues of social injustice and granting individuals access to healthcare and vital resources, the problem today is that with the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has less ability and resources to work towards solutions to these issues. Because of this, philanthropy is even more important today than it might have been during the Suffrage and Civil Rights Movement. The need for philanthropy is growing, but the philanthropic pie is continuing to remain the same. We need to work towards increasing the philanthropic pie, or else our issues of social justice can not be solved.
  
  The fight towards social justice can be seen in the Black Lives Matter movement, with the need for equality still existing today. This fight, however, looks very different than the fights of the Suffrage and Civil Rights Movement. Today, change is not just sought from the government, change is sought across the nation. There is fight to change the mindset of individuals, to change the culture of America and the world as a whole. Because of this, many see the fight today to be much more difficult than in the past, as today social justice is sought after in changing the entire system the nation built itself upon. Because of this need for change, social justice philanthropy is even more apparent, the attention to the cause is even more necessary. With the task set ahead of us being so grand, we need to expand our reach and utilize philanthropy even more than before.
  
  Below is a video that explains the difference between the social movements today and the social movements of the past. Today it is not about giving individual power within the movement, it is about being heard and making a presence in society. One thing for sure though, using what we know from past philanthropic endeavours in social justice, a common goal needs to be fought towards and philanthropy needs to be present. 
  
  
  
  

  COVID-19

  In the following interview, Melanie Shakarian from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland explains that with the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits are left to readjust their tactics and approach to helping those in need. No longer are personal connection or traditional delivery methods for services able to be utilized, but nonprofits need to use the philanthropic dollars they have received to change this delivery. For some nonprofits, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, the pandemic has offered opportunities for increased donations as their need in society has not only become apparent, but the success they have achieved has been highlighted during these uncertain times. The one thing for certain is that the COVID-19 pandemic has offered a series of new challenges and complications that nonprofits and philanthropy are left to navigate, and the need for social justice and its philanthropy has never been more apparent. 
  
  
  

  Social Unrest

  While the social unrest and political climate of today has led to a fracture in America, what it has made clear is the need for social justice reform and philanthropic dollars. Below is another clip from the interview with Melanie Shakarian where she explains that because of the social unrest that is present today and the issues of police brutality and injustice, society and the media has become more aware of the need for social justice services and nonprofits. In order to change the world in which we are living in, the success of nonprofit organizations working towards social justice and equal treatment for all individuals is vital. We as a society can no longer afford to let the challenges of political polarization, social unrest and COVID-19 get in the way of social justice and the philanthropy needed to ensure its success.