Published in 2018, Awake to Woke to Work®: Building a Race Equity Culture™ couples the case for organizations centering race equity with an actionable framework (the Race Equity Cycle®) and concrete next steps. Since then and over 71,000 downloads later, we continue to build the social sector’s capacity to operationalize race equity. In 2021, we introduced the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™, an assessment for organizations to determine where they are on the Race Equity Cycle® and that provides action steps to move from one stage to the next. Initially launched as a free resource, the Pulse Check has been utilized by over 50 organizations, and was determined to be a robust, valid tool when evaluated in 2023. We have complemented our resources and tools with programmatic supports, including training, coaching, cohort programs and a network for race equity practitioners.
Demonstrating a commitment to putting our values in practice, we established a permanent budget line item to pay an annual land tax to the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Additionally, we have provided virtual convening spaces to build relationships and foster peer learning. Cohort programs, in particular, have proven especially valuable for participants to deepen race equity capacity and have contributed significantly to our organizational strategy, growth and development.
“We believe that our relationships to resources – human, financial, intellectual, and reputational – must be authentic, reciprocal and sustainable.”
EIC remains grounded in our values and focused on community care; and, our ability to create long term, meaningful impact relies on ensuring that our values are reflected in all of our work. We believe that our relationships to resources – human, financial, intellectual, and reputational – must be authentic, reciprocal and sustainable.
As part of ensuring EIC’s sustainability, we have developed an earned revenue model to complement our current free tools and resources. This strategic shift was designed with great intentionality and care to ensure that our resources remain accessible to a range of organizations that need them, while also creating a resilient future for EIC’s mission so we can continue this critical work.
We are excited to share some of the new tools and resources we have developed as part of this process. Highlights include an EIC podcast, cohort programs, communities of practice and lever-specific assessment tools that build on the strength of the Race Equity Cycle framework and Pulse Check assessment. EIC is continuing to identify opportunities to partner with national and regional philanthropic and nonprofit networks. We invite you to subscribe to our newsletter to stay tuned for new offerings that will help you continue to build a Race Equity Culture™.
To learn more about opportunities for philanthropic organizations, register for our Funder Briefing on 3/21 at 4pm ET. A Program Briefing for nonprofit organizations, capacity builders and consultants will be scheduled in April, and our next newsletter will include a link to register.
