Authentic Inclusion in Philanthropy

Guest Post – Jason Lacsmana, Director, Programs and Partnerships

The political climate surrounding DEI has shifted, and the need for authentic inclusion in philanthropy has never been more urgent.

Authentic inclusion in philanthropy goes far beyond hiring practices or board representation. At its core, it’s about representing community voices and who makes funding decisions on behalf of those individuals. Those who are best positioned to make decisions that have such a significant impact are of and from that community.

Strip away race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, and sexuality for a moment. At the very least, we should ask if the decision-makers have real, lived experience and understanding of the communities being served. Then, put those factors back in and determine if there’s adequate representation of the community.

Inclusion is about the exemplification of experience and identity. It’s practical, deep knowledge of and connection to the community. And that’s not something you can fake with a marketing campaign.

At St. Joseph Fund, there’s nothing performative about how we’ve approached this over the last decade. You could remove the words “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” from our materials, and our work would still be the same. It’s about building relationships, authentically partnering with communities, co-designing solutions, and articulating power together.

What we see now with the rollback on DEI forces us to ask if the businesses (or the government) were invested in this work or if it was always about marketing and sales.

As a philanthropic institution rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, we are clear: our commitment to justice and fairness is not going anywhere. It’s embedded in our values, and we certainly don’t need to call it DEI to continue doing the work. If the language is uncomfortable for some, that’s fine. Let’s remove the semantics and call it what it is – justice and fairness for all.

When people criticize DEI as “hiring someone unqualified,” we should educate them on what DEI really means. Jackie Robinson was a DEI hire. He broke barriers, not because he was less qualified, but because systems of racism denied him the opportunity. When he fought for access to the Army’s Officer’s Candidate School, he succeeded in his pursuit. After his military career was over, he fought for fair access to the playing field and became one of the greatest players of all time. That’s what equity is about.

This moment is not a time to retreat. It’s a call to recommit. All institutions, especially those with power and resources, must stand firm and continue to educate, partner, and act with authenticity.

Because real inclusion, grounded in love and justice, is not a passing trend. It’s our responsibility.