Supporting Nonprofit Partners Amid Uncertainty

The Song Foundation continues to explore how philanthropy can show up in community throughout Southeast Michigan. Part of this reimagining is supporting its nonprofit partners through trust-based philanthropy and creating spaces to learn from its partners and celebrate their work. 

The foundation convenes several learning tables throughout the year in order to extend its partnerships outside of solely funding. 

In response to federal threats on nonprofit funding, the foundation has engaged in conversations with other funders around how they can support the freedom to fund. 

“We are willing to be at the forefront, share our direction, and not shy away from these challenges. We pivoted some of our grantmaking throughout the year as these federal changes were taking place to be more responsive to those nonprofits that were losing funding or had immediate needs,” Lee Pennington, Senior Program Manager, The Song Foundation said. 

According to Pennington, the foundation prioritizes ensuring that community voices are at the forefront of this work. 

“When we talk about advocacy and power building, it’s a community-led effort. We need all perspectives to weigh in to get the solution that serves them the most,” Pennington said. 

This work is a continuation of the support the foundation has been providing for its nonprofit partners. 

As CMF reported, in 2024, the Song Foundation hosted an in-person gathering of its grantee partners – calling it “The Joy Report.” 

During The Joy Report, the foundation explored how to further implement principles of trust-based philanthropy. 

“I think the overwhelming response was just a deep appreciation, not only for the extension of relationship building, but also for the grantmaking process that we designed based on trust-based philanthropy principles,” Pennington said. 

According to Pennington, the foundation’s grantmaking process was built to be streamlined, where the burden of research is on the foundation and not its nonprofit partners. 

“Some of these trust-based philanthropy principles may not be new ideas, but are being enacted in a new way. There’s still that learning curve for our partners, so I think an important part of our role is communicating with grantees and reassuring them of the process,” Pennington said. 

The foundation has now decided to continue The Joy Report, hosting this gathering on a biannual basis. 

“The purpose of The Joy Report is to have it be a rejuvenating, relaxing experience where our nonprofit partners can share learnings with each other,” Pennington said. 

Want more?

Read more about the first The Joy Report convening.

Learn about the Trust Based Philanthropy Project.