“Private philanthropy is a symptom of a deeply inequitable society.” — Farhad Ebrahimi. On Break Fake Rules, he urges funders to prioritize movements over foundations. 🔗 stupski.org/break-fake-rules/ 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts @glengalaich.bsky.social @solidaire.bsky.social

Break Fake Rules went live at California Donor Table’s 20th Anniversary Celebration with @glengalaich.bsky.social + Ludovic Blain. CDT honored 20 years of impact + looked ahead to a new progressive era. Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast app to catch it when it drops!

🎙️ New Break Fake Rules: Stupski’s Malila Becton Consuegra + Ari Datta share what went into the decision to accelerate our spend down—and why bold action matters when communities can’t wait. 🎧 Listen wherever you get podcasts

What if leadership wasn’t about titles, but about listening + serving? @ctlhawaii helps youth flip the script—building futures rooted in kuleana, love of place + collective action. Read the blog A Future of Stewardship: https://stupski.org/changecantwaitblog/ctl-thefuture/

🎙️ This Black Philanthropy Month, Marc Philpart of @blackfreedomfund.bsky.social reminds us: racial justice needs long-term investment. Progress is under attack—now is the time to stay the course. 🎧 Listen to the new Break Fake Rules episode wherever you get podcasts

In 2012, I led a delegation to Rwanda that turned deeply concerning as we realized how authoritarian leader Kagame was consolidating power. I share these lessons today as I watch Trump's DC takeover escalate and am hit by a sickening sense of déjà vu. whogives.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...

When students feel safe, valued & connected, they show up. Strong attendance starts with schools where every child knows they matter. Let’s surround students with support: You Belong. Be Here. 👉 Join the campaign: sparksfpublicschools.org/behere #BeHereSF #YouBelongHere

What stops philanthropy from speaking up? In ep. 6 of Break Fake Rules, Richard Tate of @calwellness.bsky.social shares why using our voice—despite the risk—is vital in the face of rising authoritarianism. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

To my friends in philanthropy: It's go time. We need to move billions of 💵 within weeks + months, not years, to meet the crises our communities are facing. ➡️ Can you tap your endowment? ➡️ 4x your payout? ➡️ Frontload as much payment as possible to orgs? whogives.substack.com/p/five-alarm...

76% of our remaining allocated grant dollars, awarded this year. Why? Because change can't wait. Read our full statement → https://stupski.org/changecantwaitblog/stupski-foundation-accelerates-grantmaking-in-response-to-threats-to-our-communities-and-democracy/

Robert Reich’s final lecture at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social becomes a powerful reflection on education, democracy, and what we stand to lose. 🎬 "The Last Class", from @InequalityMedia, is out now. Find a screening or host your own: thelastclassfilm.com

Our government is abandoning its duty to provide vital public goods and services. The scale of this year's cuts is beyond what philanthropy can—or should—fix, but we do have a role to play. whogives.substack.com/p/559529e2-8...

Nonprofits in SF are facing cuts to federal funding and attacks on DEI, education, media, and the arts. Join us for a panel with local leaders sharing how they’re protecting their missions in uncertain times. 👇 REGISTER TODAY https://bit.ly/Stupski-Foundation-Panel-Discussion

From Poland to Brazil, anti-authoritarian movements show that when coalitions unite to win material gains for everyday people, they can topple “strongman” leaders. Mamdani’s NYC win shows it’s possible here, too. Here’s my latest on moving from defense to offense. open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

Our CEO, Glen Galaich, returns to the Playfull Podcast for another thoughtful convo with host Kristine Mitchie. Tune in as they dive deeper into the work, lessons, and relationships that continue to shape our journey toward equity.

The proposed increase to the excise tax for private foundations in the tax bill has been dropped. But the bill has a long way to go, and it could get reinstated by the House. If it does, this shouldn’t be philanthropy’s focus. Here’s what we should do instead. whogives.substack.com/p/philanthro...

As the so-called “big beautiful” tax bill moves through Congress, foundations are going hard against ONE part of the bill—the part that would tax our investment earnings. This is not a good look for us. Here’s what I'm seeing and how we can make it right… open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

Have you encountered a “frustrating funder”? Have you ever been one? What’s the solution? Tune into #BreakFakeRules to hear how rethinking RFPs, showing up in the community, and breaking down the fake silos of funding streams can help transform frustrating funding practices into impactful ones.

I’ve spoken in the boardrooms of 10 foundations, and all have chosen to do what the Gates Foundation recently announced: forego perpetuity and spend down. Why? As I shared with Proximate, there's real joy and opportunity for immediate impact in a spend-down. www.proximate.press/latest-stori...

Gates is showing our sector that perpetuity isn't the only way. It's time to take an honest look at if, how, and when our foundations can spend down. And if not with our full endowment, then how much can we each move *right now?* open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

The claim that public news is “radical, woke propaganda” would be laughable if it weren’t part of a deadly serious strategy to strangle the pursuit of truth. The administration's real message is: We decide what you hear. Great to see @npr.org & @pbs.org fighting back! www.npr.org/2025/05/02/n...

It keeps me up at night to know that a sign of our times is a vindictive administration using an outrageously false pretext of fighting “radical ideology” to attack life-saving vaccine and other health programs built by the Gates Foundation.

Dr. Carmen Rojas—one of my all-time favorite fake-rule-breakers—is showing us HOW. IT. IS. DONE.  This investment represents > 15% of Marguerite Casey Foundation’s total assets. For context, most foundations only give 5%/yr. I hope this inspires a tidal wave of giving. apnews.com/article/marg...

I’ve been lucky to know Dimple since we both found ourselves running foundations around the same time in the SF Bay Area. Over the years, our conversations about philanthropy—what’s broken, what’s possible—have been some of my favorites. Now, you get to hear her brilliance on #BreakFakeRules.

I got a call last week from a longtime friend and colleague whose pro-democracy organization had its budget cut by $40M overnight. What she's facing isn't a one-off. It's a pattern. Here's how philanthropy can respond... open.substack.com/pub/whogives...

On Earth Day, Trump is expected to unveil EOs that could revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits and funders focused on climate and equity. I’ve seen similar tactics in authoritarian regimes from Hungary to Rwanda. To every funder reading: it’s go time. www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/trump-m...

We’re proud to stand alongside 68 of our peers as signatories on this powerful call to action from Trust Based Philanthropy Project. 🔗 Read the full statement and join us: www.trustbasedphilanthropy.org/meet-the-mom...

Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights is coming for private nonprofits—like the Gates Foundation—claiming minority scholarships are “anti-white discrimination.” Their argument is utterly disingenuous and aims to roll back modest Civil Rights gains. www.dailywire.com/news/bill-ga...

Philanthropy keeps saving for a rainy day. But it’s pouring. Jennifer Nguyen of Stupski Foundation asks: Whose future are we saving for? “When 1 in 4 students is chronically absent from school, what are we saving for?” Read & share: www.edfunders.org/resource/mem...

While other billionaire media owners censor their outlets, Laurene has chosen to trust her staff, back her editors, and support The Atlantic to remain a beacon of truth-telling. No inaugural ring-kissing. No cowardly retreat from hard facts. Just journalism. 👏 www.yahoo.com/news/praise-...

💥Tune into a brand-new episode of Break Fake Rules with special returning guest, @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social, Publisher of @thebulwark.bsky.social and @glengalaich.bsky.social 🎬filmed at @forward-global.org! ▶️ Tune in now: stupski.org/break-fake-rules #ForwardGlobalSummit

The latest #BreakFakeRules episode was recorded LIVE at our #ForwardGlobalSummit! Hear from @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social of @thebulwark.bsky.social & @glengalaich.bsky.social of @stupskifoundation.bsky.social to learn how philanthropy can step up to defend democracy. stupski.org/break-fake-r...

“What’s the point of having FU money if you don’t tell bad people to FU?” - @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social Catch our full convo on @stupskifoundation.bsky.social #BreakFakeRules podcast to hear how philanthropy can break through misinformation and echo chambers to reach new audiences at scale.

In this moment of chaos, the conversation around payout rates (whether to increase from 5% to 6%+) is helpful, but it can’t end there. Here's what philanthropy needs to do to show up with skin in the game right now. whogives.substack.com/p/moving-wit...

This is the dream team working behind the scenes to make the magic of our #BreakFakeRules podcast happen. We do this work to call in the philanthropic sector to take bold risks in the fight for racial and economic justice. Let’s keep making noise and working for the future our communities deserve.

Trailblazers like Katherine Lorenz and Jennifer Risher—among others featured in this piece—give me hope for the future of philanthropy. They're showing our sector how to evolve and #BreakFakeRules that hold us back from achieving transformative impact. www.philanthropy.com/article/meet...

Our country is more divided than ever, but echo chambers won’t fix it—we must build a big tent for the fight ahead. That’s why I sat down with @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social, a lifelong Republican who broke with MAGA. Philanthropy could benefit from her lessons on courage & strategy. #BreakFakeRules

Season 2 of Break Fake Rules is here! 🎙️🔥 In the premiere, @rbreich.bsky.social and Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse from @inequalitymedia.bsky.social join Glen Galaich to unpack wealth, power, and democracy. What fuels their hope for change? ▶️ Find out now: stupski.org/break-fake-rules #BreakFakeRules