by Connie Chung Joe and Alice Hom

The 2024 Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals (DAPP) report reveals something : foundations are now retreating from even measuring diversity.

When researchers compared foundations participating in both the 2022 and 2024 surveys, they found a stark divide. Foundations that continued participating had 54% people of color on staff. Those that opted out? Just 34%. The retreat from DEI is already reshaping who participates in accountability measures, and ultimately, which communities get funded. Back in 2022 after the Atlanta spa shootings and at the height of anti-Asian hate, we saw philanthropy stepping up to acknowledge they needed more AANHPI representation and understanding of our communities that were so woefully underfunded and underrepresented in foundation board rooms and executive tables. Seeing the retreat so quickly from that commitment to equity – both for our AANHPI communities and other marginalized communities – is disappointing.

What the bifurcation reveals

The DAPP findings confirm what many of us suspected: two philanthropies are emerging. Justice-focused foundations that participated in DAPP showed staff and boards that are majority people of color, nearly one-third LGBTQIA, and more than one-quarter disabled. The broader sector captured by the Council on Foundations survey? Just 33.5% people of color.

When foundations retreat from measuring diversity, the impact doesn’t fall on one community alone. The opt-out data reveals this pattern clearly. Foundations that declined to participate in 2024 had not only fewer people of color (34% vs. 54%), but also significantly lower representation of LGBTQIA people (16% vs. 30%) and people with disabilities (21% vs. 26%). When institutions retreat from accountability on one dimension of equity, they retreat across the board.

This is why AAPIP is committed to cross-racial solidarity. When foundations stop measuring, AANHPI communities lose. But so do Black,, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQIA, and disabled communities. Our stake in accountability is shared. Defending race-explicit data and grantmaking defends the infrastructure that all marginalized communities need to make the case for resources.

How to use this data in your foundation

When you’re advocating for intentional hiring:

Point to concrete benchmarks. Among participating foundations, 54.8% of staff are people of color and that number jumps to 62% at public foundations. Executive diversity increased 15 percentage points over 2022. This shows that intentional strategies work, even during political backlash.

When you’re defending race-explicit grantmaking:

Use the opt-out data to reframe the debate. Less diverse institutions are avoiding measurement because it reveals gaps they don’t want to address. Tracking matters because it drives accountability. Foundations with diverse staff make more equitable funding decisions.

When you need to make the case for intersectionality:

The report documents sharp increases in mental health disability (35% of respondents), LGBTQIA identification (18%), and people born outside the U.S. (16%). More than half of LGBTQIA respondents and people with disabilities are people of color. This gives us a richer picture to understand the communities we serve and the colleagues we work alongside.

What AAPIP is doing

This is exactly why AAPIP helped launch the Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) alongside Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), and Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP). When foundations face pressure to dilute or eliminate racial justice commitments, READI provides the frameworks, research, and community to stay the course.

AAPIP’s Power in Practice creates space for senior leadership (AANHPI foundation CEOs and Trustees) to discuss these findings candidly. Regional chapters offer local networks the opportunity to strategize with peers facing similar institutional challenges.

The choice ahead

The DAPP data clarifies the moment we’re in. The sector is splitting between those committed to equity and those retreating from it. Where your foundation lands contributes to whether marginalized communities remain invisible or get resourced at scale.

Download the full DAPP report at changephilanthropy.org/DAPP

Learn more about READI’s race-explicit grantmaking resources at aapip.org/programs/racial-equity-advancement-and-defense-initiative-readi/

Connect with your local AAPIP chapter to discuss these findings with peers in your region