SCORECARD

Evaluating Foundation Web Sites for Diversity

Only 8 percent of the philanthropic dollars from the nation’s largest foundations directly benefit communities of color, according to the Foundation Center’s latest report. As people of color comprise an increasingly large share of the national population, the country’s economic vitality will depend, in part, on foundations’ ability to reach these communities as well as GLBT people and people with disabilities. We review the web sites of the five largest independent foundations by total giving, according to the Foundation Center’s most recent data. Here are the grades:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.rwjf.org

Donated: $359.5 million Headquarters: Princeton, N.J. Grade: A-

The Ford Foundation www.fordfound.org

Donated: $522.9 million Headquarters: New York, N. Y. Grade: A

WHAT’S GOOD

■ Incorporates diversity into its mission statement

■ Multicultural images appear on homepage

■ Features corporate relationships with supplier-diversity organizations, including IBM’s global partnership with the National Minority Supplier Development Council

■ Links to diversity-related material one click from the homepage

■ A search for “lesbian” yields 90 results, including grants, news articles and reports relative to cross-cultural GLBT communities, such as Asian lesbians

■ Employment section features

opportunities for diverse candidates ■ Nondiscrimination statement includes disability and orientation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation www.gatesfoundation.org

Donated: $1.3 billion Headquarters: Seattle, Wash. Grade: A-

WHAT’S GOOD

■ Homepage features multicultural images

■ Develops, trains and funds the research of diverse professionals

■ Provides recommendations on the unique challenges facing people of color, people with disabilities, new immigrants and GLBT people

■ A search for “diversity” yields nearly 300 results

WHAT’S GOOD

■ Homepage features multicultural images and outreach to diverse global communities

■ Partners with national organizations, including the United Negro College

Fund, to advance diversity in higher education

■ Employment section links diversity with organizational goals. Credits “diverse and talented staff” with improving educational quality and access around the world ■ Offers domestic-partner benefits ■ A search for “diversity” yields 94 results relevant to multicultural communities—people of color, people with disabilities and GLBT people—seeking employment, grants and related news