Founded in 2010, Grantmakers for Southern Progress (GSP) is a network of funders who are committed to fostering thriving communities in the Southern United States, by advancing structural and cultural change that result in equitable outcomes. GSP’s overall goal is to help achieve significant and sustained progress in the economic, social, and political outcomes of those who are least well off economically, politically, and socially in the South.
Our Core Values
Centering Community
- GSP values the wisdom of Southern Communities.
- We value and respect the people who are most affected by the decisions we make.
- We believe the voice of the community should guide and direct funding in the South.
Structural Change
GSP’s goal is to help achieve significant and sustained progress in the economic, social, and political outcomes of those least well off in the South. Centering racial, gender, and economic equity and social inclusion in our work and analysis creates the opportunity for GSP to engage Southern-based and national funders committed to structural change in the South.
Education & Data
- We practice sharing knowledge that builds community within GSP’s core and outer circles.
- We value learning from each other and partner organizations.
Centering the South
We have a deep conviction that when marginalized Southerners gain power and win, everyone wins. The South is a critical area of investment for progressive change in the country.
As the South goes, so goes the nation.
Equity & Justice
- Transformative change in this country and the South is not possible without centering racial and gender equity.
- We hold ourselves to the value of using a race and gender lens in the work we fund and the work we present at funder meetings.
Relationships
- We build relationships and ongoing learning starting at the center.
- Sustained relationship-building is one of the most powerful change tools there is.
- Relationships that are reciprocal and are not extractive.
“If the South—the birthplace of historic and destructive inequities—rallies to end structural injustice, it can model for the country what the journey toward racial justice and equity looks like.”
– Tamieka Mosley and Nathaniel Smith, The South Has Something to Say: COVID-19 and Our Chance for Transformation
The South receives less than 3% of philanthropic dollars nation-wide.
We created GSP to stop the pattern of underinvestment in the South by organizing philanthropic entities and resources that are needed to build the capacity of community-based organizations and networks leading structural change work in the region. Over the last nine years, we have experienced growth in the number of regional and national foundations that are prioritizing investments in the South…
Ignite Change With GSP
Join Our Network and Ignite Change! GSP is a membership-based network of philanthropic leaders, practitioners, and individuals dedicated to leveraging resources for structural change in the South.
Join Us
Help us affect change in the South. Our work ensures the best resources are offered to the most vulnerable and deserving communities.