Fund the People

Fund the People is the campaign to maximize investment in the nonprofit workforce. 

Our objective is to increase funding for nonprofit talent from less than 1% to more than 5% of foundation grant dollars and nonprofit budgets by 2025. This will take an evolution in grantmaking and fundraising practice.

Of course, maximizing investment in nonprofit people is not just about money; it means addressing harmful old myths (like the ideas that people are overhead and overhead is bad, or that martyrdom is good for our business), and developing new attitudes that affirm the value of nonprofit people as the bedrock of organizational performance, impact, and sustainability. 

It also means putting those new beliefs into practice in nonprofit governance, budgeting, and day-to day staff management. 

We work toward these changes using a 3-part strategy:

• Make the Case: Research and communications to show the ROI of investing in nonprofit people.
• Equip for Action: Development of tools and trainings that help both funders and fundraisers use talent-investment in their work.
• Build the Movement: Organizing and advocating to ensure that talent-investment is a high priority for the field.

Launched in 2014, Fund The People was founded by Rusty Stahl, President and CEO, who leads and supports a team of staff, consultants and advisors. Our Advisory Council is composed of leaders from nonprofits, foundations, and other stakeholders. Fund the People is fiscally sponsored by Community Partners.

We invite you to follow us at @fundthepeople and connect with us!