The Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC at Chapel Hill has a Civic Collaboration Summer for rising sophomores, and five scholars were assigned to work with Maryland Philanthropy Network and the Middendorf Foundation. This study looks to explore both the permit and grant processes from the perspectives of nonprofit organizations, foundations, and the Baltimore City Government. By interviewing various stakeholders, the scholars gained insight and understood just how complex these processes were. All sides provided their experiences, which led the scholars to develop key takeaways and recommendations to create a more efficient system.

Donors are joining hands at a pace we have never seen before — a trend that seems poised to continue to unlock billions more dollars in the coming years. Prompted in large part by the desire by many donors and grant makers to find more effective ways to advance equity in the United States and around the world, these collaboratives could show the way to unlocking greater giving to support social justice. And they could lead to a shift in how philanthropic dollars are distributed — most of these collaboratives are led by people of color and others who have direct experience navigating an unequal world.