Fund Advocacy

Opportunities

Advocacy, defined as “any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others”, is one area where public funds will likely never be allocated, and one that can be difficult for nonprofit organizations to “sell” to individual donors.  This critical gap offers private philanthropy a unique opportunity for deep impact, a high return on investment and the development of enlightened public policy (see examples below).  Even a small-scale investment can yield big results.  In-kind support can also play an important role, i.e. funders with a Government Affairs division can offer technical assistance to grantees and access to policy makers, and executive training programs can be extended to emerging nonprofit leaders. 

Advocacy is the key to accountability.  It can ensure that:

• The NHAS stays on track
• Adequate funding is made available
• Promises made by the government are kept
• The voices of the most disenfranchised are heard by policy makers and legislators

In May 2010, the FCAA Domestic Advocacy Working Group released a set of recommendations for funding HIV advocacy that outlined the five funding priorities listed below. 

• Coordination at the national level
• Development of statewide networks
• Leadership development
• Policy research
• Marshaling of philanthropic resources

Alone, or in partnership with other funders, advocacy can be funded at any level – local, state, tribal, national or international, and it can take many forms including:

• Underwrite salaries for public policy officers, communications directors, executive directors and others involved in an agency’s advocacy efforts.
• Support trainings for staffs, boards, clients and other stakeholders in best practices of advocacy efforts, public speaking, tax and legal issues, integration of advocacy into strategic plans and daily operations, etc.
• Help produce and distribute print and electronic documents that support the cause
• Enhance a grantee’s ability to galvanize stakeholders and trumpet political support or challenges by funding communications efforts, i.e., technology, websites, newsletters, social media trainings, etc.
• Support and help convene coalitions. 
• Fund leadership development and transition.
• Fund short-term, time limited campaigns focused on specific policy initiatives at state or national level.
• Provide logistic support for strong advocates to meet with their local policymakers at home, their state capitol, or in Washington, DC.
• Fund policy analysis and policy research projects that can inform advocacy and
• Build the case for policy change

Challenges

In addition to achieving an adequate scale of funding, which can be addressed by collaborative grantmaking, some challenges in funding advocacy include:

• Metrics for effectiveness
• Perceived and real legal limitations

Metrics for Effectiveness

Supporting advocacy may require a change in a funder’s organizational culture.  As the results of advocacy are not always immediately apparent, it can be particularly difficult for foundations that are used to seeing outcomes and impact in a single grant year.

Listed below are metrics that funders can use to evaluate a grantee’s progress and effectiveness while waiting for outcomes.  They were presented by Chris Collins, Vice President and Director of Public Policy at amfAR at the FCAA 2009 Inaugural Annual Gathering.  

• Visits with administration/agency/elected officials;
• Media coverage;
• Actual policy change;
• Community meetings;
• Statements by elected officials or other policy makers;
• Publications produced;
• Attention from multilateral organizations or outside advocates;
• Preparation of fact sheets/communications for use by advocates;
• Invitations to join coalitions;
• Convening a coalition; and
• Invitations to write legislation

Perceived and Real Legal Limitations

Some funders may see support of a grantee’s advocacy efforts as advocacy itself, and therefore off limits.  Many forms of support for advocacy (i.e. underwriting the salaries of public policy staff) are not advocacy, although funders can advocate too.  Funding advocacy should be entered into with full knowledge of any legal or tax issues that constrain activities. Both GrantCraft and Alliance for Justice offer extensive resources to funders on best practices and legal limitations of advocacy.