Short Talk 2C: Let’s Rewrite the Social Contract between Grantmakers and Grantees
Session Description
Grantmaker-grantee interactions have many spoken and unspoken rules. The hidden inner workings of the relationships between funders and nonprofits can have a great impact on the outcomes both parties are trying to achieve. Drawing on 25 years of observing how major social changes happen, particularly in the areas of economic and racial justice and immigration reform, Deepak Bhargava will speak truthfully about his awe-inspiring best and chillingly worst experiences with philanthropy. He’ll argue that for grantmakers to be relevant partners in social change, the implicit social contract between funders and grantees needs to be fundamentally rewritten. What could new working agreements and relationships look like? Bhargava will put forward some uncomfortable changes needed for the social sector to reach its full potential, as well as point to positive shifts already underway.
Session Designers
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1161/profile_728a1eb3915b677fa2327dea80e8750b.png "Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change")
Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change
Biography
For the last 14 years, Deepak Bhargava has served as the executive director of the Center for Community Change, a social justice organization that empowers low-income and people of color. He joined CCC in 1994 serving first as Director of Public Policy before becoming executive director in 2002. Bhargava has stewarded the organization’s pioneering work to support and grow the immigrant rights movement including the successful campaign to achieve major executive action. During his tenure, the organization has also helped its partner organizations strengthen their leadership and civic engagement capacity, and contributed to significant policy change in areas such as healthcare, retirement security, affordable housing, improved refundable tax credits for low-income families, and access to good family-sustaining jobs. Deepak emigrated to the US from India as a child, grew up in the Bronx (go Yankees!) and currently resides in New York City with his partner Harry Hanbury.