https://convergencepartnership.org/
Convergence Partnership homepage hero image (mixed media collage)
Convergence Partnership is a national funder collaborative working to transform systems to be racially just, inclusive, and support community health and wellbeing.
We envision a just and inclusive society where all people — especially those most impacted by structural racism — are empowered to shape the policies and systems that impact their lives, are healthy, and can thrive. We are one of the only funder collaboratives working at the intersection of health equity and racial justice.
We fund efforts to advance racial justice and health equity by investing in building sustainable, in-depth organizing infrastructures at the local and state level and organizing philanthropy to support this work.
We do this through three strategies: invest in the long-term organizing infrastructure of frontline, people of color led, power building organizations; amplify the power of stories from people of color to shift narratives toward inclusion, belonging, and the dignity of all people; and ignite transformative change in philanthropy that dismantles systemic racism and power imbalances and centers repair, healing, and racial equity.
Invest in People Power
We invest in people power and capacity to drive long-term systemic and structural change. We fund historically under-resourced people of color led and staffed frontline organizations and coalitions working to build civic, narrative, and economic power toward racial justice and health equity.
Advance Narrative Shifts
Our stories galvanize the political will necessary to bring about racial justice and health equity. Convergence Partnership promotes tools, research, and strategies for funding narrative change efforts, amplifying the stories, experiences and perspectives of people of color.
Ignite Transformation in Philanthropy
We are committed to exploring, learning, and sharing practices that reset philanthropy into the right relationship with the communities it has harmed. We create space for funders to organize and agitate for change within their own institutions and sector to shift toward reparative, healing practices and just resource distribution.
The link between health and racism is inextricable, and philanthropy needs to better address the role power plays in the structures that create health inequities.
Jeff Usher, Kansas Health Foundation
We support marginalized communities to have the utmost decision-making power in driving systemic and structural change. We focus our investments in six places across the country to strengthen and expand long-term organizing and advocacy infrastructure to push for progressive change that benefits racial justice and health equity.
Our priority places include: Buffalo, NY, Chicago, IL, California, Kansas, Louisiana, and Missouri.
These places represent diverse geographies, constituencies, and social and political environments. We believe that in order to achieve national change we must invest in places with differing contexts and ecosystems, recognizing change will occur at different speeds and with different strategies.
Buffalo
California
Louisiana
Chicago
Kansas
Missouri
- Story
Powerful Ripples of Change: Growing Civic Power for Systemic Change That Lasts Generations
- November 14, 2023
Breaking down barriers to political and civic engagement is an integral part of building long-term community power. Our grantees, Destination Innovation, The Community / La Comunidad, and Omni Circle Group, are showing up for their communities by investing in young people’s leadership, making government services more accessible, and demystifying the political process. Part three in “Powerful Ripples of Change,” blog series.
- Story
Growing Power and Resilience: Intersectional Organizing for Long-Term Wellbeing
- Story
Narrative Power Unleashed: Communities Shifting and Claiming the Narrative
- News
Convergence Partnership is a collaborative and pooled fund of twelve foundations and multifunder initiatives that support national and place-based efforts to spur bold change toward racial justice and health equity. We serve as a bridge, connecting the lived experiences, contexts, and priorities of grassroots partners and their local funders with national foundations.
We are committed to catalyzing transformative practices that reimagine the relationship between funders and communities, shift and share power and resources, and mobilize funders to realize a future of liberation, health, justice, and equity.
Contact us to learn more about becoming a funding partner.
Convergence gave us the courage and funding to think big and reach deeply into community-supporting grassroots work and community-driven research that we could not have supported ourselves.