How to Measure Power
Here, we continue to explore how power can impact capital flow decision-making.
If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu
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.
Can we shift dollars before the clock strikes twelve?
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
The daughter effect
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?
Class, affinity bias, and the myth of meritocracy
Perceptions of affinity are often based on class, impacting our perception of risk and merit when making decisions around access to capital.
How do we shift power?
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.
Helping vs. Serving
Shifting from a helping mindset to a serving mindset can help us become more effective grantmakers and funders.
This Pride Month, recognize those who are out(spent)
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.
What we think about power
The question of who holds power in capital flow dynamics is crucial to New Power Labs’ theory of change.
Are financial systems good or bad?
What do we gain by letting go of binary thinking, and embracing the inherent complexity of shifting power in how capital flows?
Groundwater
Racial disparities in access to capital, healthcare, education, and other socioeconomic issues are interrelated. Systemic problems require systemic solutions.
Banking as healthcare
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.
Could it be more than a pipeline problem?
African founders are disproportionately under-represented in VC funding across Kenya. It's not just a pipeline problem.
Are you staying honest to diversity commitments?
EDI roles diminished at a faster rate than non-EDI roles beginning in 2021, with continued acceleration during the mass layoffs of 2022.
What can we learn from the TDSB admission error?
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.
Which is more urgent, climate action or social equity?
Systemic inequalities are exacerbating the impacts of climate change on overlooked communities, but the work between climate action and inclusion is inherently linked. By investing in climate solutions that center equity, we invest in better outcomes for all Canadians.
Do you know where your funding flows?
Data equity, aimed at making sure intersectionalities are represented more inclusively in datasets, may be a key component in helping capital deployers flow capital (grants and investments) more equitably. Alongside the profit opportunities, there are tangible social benefits.
Can we talk about climate action and abundance?
Reframing scarcity as an opportunity could help make progress on climate action. We can look to the economic benefits of inclusion to support the conversation.
Can we wait 200 years to achieve gender equity?
The data we have show that women and gender minorities remain underfunded and underrepresented across the capital spectrum. There are specific tools that can help us make progress.
Canaries in coal mines
Six holistic principles to remove access and success barriers for a more inclusive workplace.