Disrupting Foundation Culture: Lessons in Learning to Share Power and Decision-Making

There is much discussion of shifting organizational culture in philanthropies to share power and decision-making. However, examples of foundation learning endeavors to disrupt culture in service of systems change, racial equity, and responsiveness are less common. Our article provides a window into the demanding work at The California Wellness Foundation and how internal collaboration and learning have led to progress in racial equity and power-sharing with communities. We focus on the introduction of Learning Labs, an action research model that framed and scaffolded the investigation of philanthropic terms and practices. This catalyzed collaborative decision-making within cross-functional teams while senior leaders acted as advisors. Learning Labs were a response to community and consultants’ feedback, organizational assessments, and staff who longed for greater agency, a disruption of hierarchical culture, and trust-based philanthropic practices that center racial equity. Treated as an innovation, we examine how Learning Labs were disruptive, how different players responded, and what conditions and supports made progress possible. We offer reflections on the role of learning and internal collaboration and decision-making that can lead to foundations sharing power with the communities they serve.