In her book, A New Era of Philanthropy, author and philanthropy leader Dimple Abichandani offers a core thesis that to meet the intersecting challenges of our time, philanthropy must evolve from a purpose that preserves and often gilds the systems that shape who has wealth and power to investing in transformation of those systems. In this short interview, Abichandani offers insights into how funders can engage in philanthropic practices that flow from a purpose of transformation to build a more just and sustainable future.

Beyond the Band-Aid: What philanthropic practices go beyond simply covering up the harms of unjust systems to creating deep, lasting change?

This question really gets at the heart of the book. Each of the ten chapters–from Reimagine Governance to Fund Complexity and Wholeness–considers an element of current philanthropic practice and offers examples of how we might evolve our practice if the core purpose of philanthropy is to transform inequitable systems that shape how power and wealth are distributed.

In the book I trace how many of our modern philanthropic approaches are rooted in the core stories and purpose of the first gilded age. In many ways, the philanthropy we practice today is an artifact from a time when funders used their “excess wealth” to cover over the harms of inequitable systems, to build their own status, while distracting from the negative impacts they created with their wealth. We know that if our goal is to advance a more equitable future, this approach doesn’t work. The new practices outlined in the book have been emerging in pockets of the sector in recent years, often in response to the polycrisis of our times, and are offered together as a roadmap to a sector that itself is committed to creating durable and lasting change.

Personal Lens: Your book feels very personal. Were there specific practices or reflections that helped you uncover how your own background shaped your philanthropic lens?

In philanthropy in particular, we tend to overlook the role of stories, both sector-wide narratives and personal stories, including our money stories and how they shape our work.

Writing this book was an opportunity to reflect on my own experiences and how they have shaped my work in philanthropy. Sharing the book has opened up so many chances to listen and learn from other people’s stories as well.

Listening as a Starting Point: You advocate for community listening as a core practice. For funders in Ireland looking to start, what’s a practical first step?

Look for listening opportunities in your philanthropic practice. If you require written applications and impact reports, consider moving to phone calls which are more conversational and will create an opportunity for deeper listening. Invite community input as you are setting or refining strategy. Finally, invite community input on your own effectiveness. I learned so much from asking this question of long-time grantees: “How do you describe your work when you are talking with family members, friends or community members?” The answers illuminated how often communities feel like they have to fit themselves into boxes or silos that we have constructed, and so they leave out important insights that have the potential to shift our understanding and our funding.

Scope Paralysis: You highlight the feeling that some issues—like climate change —are so large that funders fear their contribution is too small to matter. What mindset shift do you recommend to move beyond that limiting belief?

Too often funders look to solve problems that match the scale of their own resources and capacity. Yet, the most challenging issues of our times require more resources than any one donor or institution can meet. I advise funders to shift away from the idea that there’s any problem that a single one of us can solve on our own. Instead, we must see the resources we are stewarding as part of a much wider ecosystem of complementary efforts that–together–make change more possible.

First Step Toward the New Era: You outline 10 transformative practices. Which one should someone start with to see meaningful change - and momentum - quickly?

All of the transformative practices flow from having a clear purpose of philanthropy for these times. As I share in the book, while the old philanthropic purposes aimed to cover or gild over unjust systems, philanthropy’s purpose today is to transform rather than cover over societal harms. If we approach our philanthropic practice with that purpose in mind, we will begin to see shifts and establish the responsive momentum we need to meet this moment.

Experimentation Inside Foundations: You describe philanthropy institutions as spaces for experimentation. What does that look like in practice - and how can funders build a culture of trial and learning?

One step funders can take is to look for opportunities to embody the goals you support in your grantmaking. For example, when I worked at a foundation that supported reproductive justice, our organization didn’t have a comprehensive paid family leave policy. In creating our policy, we invited the expertise of our grantee partners working towards better and more care centered family leave policies. This process deepened our understanding and participation in building the world we were trying to fund, affirming that change doesn’t just happen outside of our foundation- we can and must be part of the change too.

Prompting Change in Boards: Are there any specific practice prompts you’ve used with foundation boards that have successfully shifted thinking or sparked new conversations?

I invite trustees to reimagine our understanding of stewardship to align with our values and what is needed today. There are abundant opportunites for trusttes to increase their impact by strengthening accountability, transparency, and proximity in their philanthropic governance.

Reframing Responsiveness: Under Principle 9, “See Opportunity in Any Crisis,” you write about funding in moments of disruption. Does our modern world require funders to move beyond proactive funding models and become more adaptive and responsive to fast-changing realities?

Our modern world requires funders to be both proactive and adaptive. Part of how we do that is by orienting in both direction, with attention to the opportunities that emerge in crisis. For example, in the US, at the start of the Covid pandemic, we saw a narrative emerge about “essential workers”. Organizations that had long advocated for better rights and pay for low-wage workers were able to use this moment of crisis to shape a narrative about how “essential” these workers are to all of us, and how they should have livable wages, sick days, benefits, and so on. Ongoing generous, flexible support allowed organizations who had long advocated for workers to pivot and take advantage of the opportunity within the crisis.

Collaboration in Small Communities: Ireland’s philanthropy sector is smaller and highly relational. What unique opportunities does that create for collective action and innovation?

Strong relationships make all kinds of other things possible–they are as much an ingredient of impact as capital itself. To have a philanthropic sector that's highly relational–and also working in a particular place–opens opportunities for collective action. There are far greater opportunities to experiment, share risk and try new things together.