Grantmakers In Health joined with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, Health Forward Foundation, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Grantmakers In the Arts, and 88 other philanthropy organizations in responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina removing race as a consideration for college admissions:
The following is a statement by funders and philanthropic organizations in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. A full list of signatories follows.
The Supreme Court’s decision impedes colleges and universities from selecting their own student bodies and fully addressing systemic racial inequalities that persist. The ruling threatens to return this nation to a time when education and opportunity were reserved for a privileged class. It endangers sixty years of multiracial movements to challenge our nation to live up to the ideals enshrined in our founding documents. The decision erects new barriers to building a society in which everyone has the opportunity to improve their lives, communities, health, and education.
Today’s ruling will make the vital work of building inclusive college campuses much harder. Experience has shown that substituting socioeconomic status as a proxy for race will not achieve the diversity that strengthens the fabric of all universities. Educators and communities dedicated to teaching and mentoring young people and adults from every imaginable background understand how all students—not just students of color—benefit from diverse racial and socioeconomic learning environments. Decades of research show that students educated with people from different backgrounds and experiences improve their analytical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. These skills are essential to building our future workforce, our military, and a healthy democracy. In the realm of health, research shows that racially and ethnically representative medical schools produce better-trained physicians and care teams that reflect the communities they serve.
Universities and colleges and those organizations supporting them deserve the resources and support to continue their critical mission. They need our resolve, too. Philanthropies are vital partners in our nation’s progress. We will remain steadfast in our collective mission to create a more equitable nation within the bounds of the law. To forge ahead, we must continue to advocate for the human dignity of all people—regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or country of origin—with renewed vigor and commitment.
Our nation’s future prosperity, vitality, and unity depend upon America becoming a true multiracial democracy—an aspiration that requires racial equity and diversity in higher education. Despite today’s ruling, our foundations will not waver in our commitment to those making the nation’s high ideals a reality for all communities and all people.
Signatories of this statement:
ABFE
Akonadi Foundation
AJL Foundation
Asset Funders Network
Barr Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation
Boralis Philanthropy
Brooklyn Community Foundation
California Health Care Foundation
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa
Council on Foundations
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
David Rockefeller Fund
Democracy Fund
East Bay Community Foundation
ECMC Foundation
Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
Ford Foundation
Foundation for Health Equity
Funders Concerned About AIDS
Funders Together to End Homelessness
Grantmakers for Education
Grantmakers In Health
Grantmakers in the Arts
Health Forward Foundation
Healthy Communities Foundation
Heising-Simons Foundation
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Horizon Foundation
Humanity United
Imaginable Futures
Independent Sector
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
John Rex Endowment
Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation
Heising-Simons Foundation
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
Lumina Foundation
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Mellon Foundation
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
MetroWest Health Foundation
Meyer Memorial Trust
Ms. Foundation for Women
National Indian Education Association
New Breath Foundation
Omidyar Network
Point32Health Foundation
Raikes Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Ruth Mott Foundation
Rx Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
SchoolHouse Connection
Schott Foundation for Public Education
SoCal Grantmakers
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Stuart Foundation
Stupski Foundation
Surdna Foundation
The Boston Foundation
The California Endowment
The California Wellness Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation
The Communications Network
The Denver Foundation
The FrameWorks Institute
The Funders Network
The George Gund Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The Joyce Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
The Miami Foundation
The Nellie Mae Education Foundation
The NUNA Foundation
The Open Society Foundations
The Praxis Project
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Schmidt Family Foundation
The Skillman Foundation
The Spencer Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
United Way of Rhode Island
Wail of a Tale Productions
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
WES Mariam Assefa Fund
Women’s Funding NetworkKey Partners:
ACCESS Health International
Builders Vision
Center for Effective Philanthropy
Disability & Philanthropy Forum
Lewis Latimer House Museum
The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
Smith & Connors
Spitfire Strategies
TBG Fund Development & Media Consultants
UU Class Conversations
Fenton Communications
Ignite
Rodel
Ciencia Puerto Rico
CoGenerate
Great MN Schools
About GIH
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations, corporate giving programs, and other philanthropic organizations improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. GIH develops programming, provides technical assistance, and hosts convenings to help funders learn, connect, and grow.
Contact
Jeff Barrus
202.460.4710
jbarrus@gih.org