2024 Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals Report (DAPP)
Description
CHANGE Philanthropy is pleased to release the 2024 Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals Report (DAPP). This fourth edition of the DAPP aims to help the philanthropic community better understand its workforce and leadership utilizing data from surveys submitted by individual respondents based at private, public, community and corporate foundations. The 2024 DAPP’s data and analyses are drawn from 1,934 unique survey responses from staff, independent contractors, and board members working at 98 foundations.
Major findings include:
Increased representation of people of color;
Increased representation of LGBTQ people;
Increased representation of people with disabilities;
Increased representation immigrants; and
Lingering gender stereotypes in staff roles and board representation
However there is a major caveat - foundations that were less diverse tended to opt out of participating in the DAPP survey in 2024.
As such, the results should be taken in context and utilized in comparison with other field-wide research. We are witnessing unprecedented attacks on the very concepts of diversity and equity. When the DAPP survey was fielded in mid-2024, some funders had already begun to retreat from diversity in both language and substance, fearing lawsuits and state-level legislation seeking to repress the intentional cultivation of diverse workplaces.
Despite virulent efforts to discredit and erase the practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the public and private sectors, there is a strong evidence-based rationale for hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, especially in light of the fact that the 2020 U.S. Census found that the cohort of young workers, known as Generation Z, is the most diverse generation on record. A study by Deloitte found that 69 percent of Gen Z and Millennial employees were more likely to remain for more than five years in a workplace that is diverse. Additional research links improved diversity with better decision making, increased staff engagement, and decreased turnover. Thus, DEI is not only a practice that values inclusion of those historically under-represented and excluded, DEI is also proven to be a key factor linked to organizational success and stability.
We invite you to explore the full report below and engage with CHANGE Philanthropy and our partners in inspiring more diverse and inclusive workplaces that support our communities.
