SFF Senior Director, Power Pathway, Jessamyn Sabbag recently responded to this question as part of NCG’s “Asking for a friend” advice column.
Q: “I’ve been hearing a lot about power-building as a strategy. What is the role of philanthropy in supporting power-building efforts alongside historically marginalized groups?”
A: I’m so glad you asked this question! We know that cutting checks alone won’t realize justice. At the San Francisco Foundation, we define power-building as “the strategic act of shifting power away from historically oppressive systems and towards a new center of gravity that advances authentic democracy, redistribution, and reparation.”
Power-building is a nuanced long-term strategy that transcends issues, constituencies, and geographies – it can be applied across a wide variety of philanthropic efforts, issues, and priorities. It challenges us to bring an analysis of power to develop grounded strategies that counteract the status quo and foster flourishing communities.
