As pushback against equity work grows, the energy spent having to convince and defend lived experiences is taking a toll on mental health.

Seemingly small barriers can push our systems to fail those already marginalized. Better quality data helps unpack this context, but we need to be intentional about how we respond once we know more. 

Ahead of the Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect on the work needed to decolonize our systems.

The curb cut effect refers to the ways that adaptive designs end up rippling out to be useful beyond the communities they were designed to accommodate. We see this potential within the financial system.

Do individuals remain poor through bad choices?

Here, we continue to explore how power can impact capital flow decision-making.

What gets measured, gets managed. We pile up data for compliance and impact reports, and as systems get rolling, existing metrics become easier and cheaper to collect.

There are five years, three-hundred-and-thirty-seven days left to make the transition to renewable energy sources to keep within climate warming thresholds of 1.5 degrees celsius

Waiting until a majority of senior VC partners have raised more daughters to address gender disparity in the VC world is one way forward, but is this the most efficient or effective strategy?

Perceptions of affinity are often based on class, impacting our perception of risk and merit when making decisions around access to capital.

Participatory models can shift power in grantmaking and investing. World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund’s participatory funding pilot brings insights relevant to all capital deployers. 

Shifting from a helping mindset to a serving mindset can help us become more effective grantmakers and funders.

Not only are groups that are advocating and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities receiving less funding relative to other causes, they are also being outspent by anti-gender proponents.

The question of who holds power in capital flow dynamics is crucial to New Power Labs’ theory of change.

What do we gain by letting go of binary thinking, and embracing the inherent complexity of shifting power in how capital flows?

Racial disparities in access to capital, healthcare, education, and other socioeconomic issues are interrelated. Systemic problems require systemic solutions.

Access to financial services is as vital as access to healthcare, yet many institutions overlook the underbanked. Innovative solutions show that progress is possible, and could be profitable.

African founders are disproportionately under-represented in VC funding across Kenya. It's not just a pipeline problem.

EDI roles diminished at a faster rate than non-EDI roles beginning in 2021, with continued acceleration during the mass layoffs of 2022.

Diversity initiatives that fail can teach us important lessons about mainstreaming these efforts for greater success, and remind us that one-and-done solutions won’t get us where we aim to go.