Empathy is one of the main reasons foundations exist. Implicit in most foundation missions is this message: We care, and we want to help. Although philanthropy often originates out of compassion and concern for others, grantmakers sometimes forget to make empathy a core driver of their grantmaking.
In contrast, widespread empathy allows grantmakers to base their decisions on an authentic, firsthand understanding of the perspectives of grantees, community members, and other partners. Grantmakers, in turn, become more effective because their work is based on a thorough, ground-level understanding of community priorities and needs.
This resource offers you lessons from grantmakers about what it means to create widespread empathy and how to make the connection between empathy and better results.
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