Last week, over 200 foundations signed a pledge calling upon philanthropy to loosen restrictions on nonprofit partners amidst the mounting uncertainty of COVID-19. As steering committee members of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, we are heartened to see this outpouring of action and support from our colleagues, and thrilled that it’s sparked a growing trend toward trust.

As more and more funders recognize the importance of ceding and sharing power with an eye toward bringing some relief to our nonprofit partners and the communities they serve, we have reached an important inflection point. Will everything go back to the status quo after all this is over, or will our sector finally realize the long-term benefits of a trust-based approach?