Sunsetting ILOC

At the end of 2023, we came to the difficult decision to sunset the Investing in Leaders of Color Fellowship.

The Investing in Leaders of Color Fellowship has concluded its inaugural year and its name, experiences, and evaluation are now archived as mementos of a first-of-its-kind effort to uplift BIPOC leaders and shift philanthropic relationships in the Carolinas. 

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling that race cannot be used as the basis for admission in higher education, many entities outside of higher education have had to consider the impacts to its operations. Though it is not illegal for philanthropic or nonprofit organizations to continue to operate a DEI-based program, there are examples of these types of programs being litigated against on the basis of their explicit use of race as a determining criterion to receive the program’s benefits. 

The risk tolerance for each organization involved, including MDC and the foundation partners, varies and determining how to move forward given the interplay of law, politics, and policy has been challenging. Because of this, the funders came to a consensus decision to shift from identity-first language to a focus on the leader’s organization and how they are in service to historically underserved communities of color. 

 The Alumni of the fellowship’s inaugural year also have varying responses following this decision, however; they are most concerned with how this decision fundamentally shifts the intent of the fellowship, how we aspire to shift philanthropy away from traditional responses to risk, and potential harm reduction for other leaders of color in philanthropy.  

To honor the experiences held by all participants in the fellowship’s inaugural year and the subsequent challenges catapulted by the Supreme Court’s ruling, the fellowship’s name , Investing in Leaders of Color  has been archived along with the use of explicit language that directly talks about the Fellows’ identities.  

The funders continue discussions on what the next iteration of the fellowship will be in consideration of the determined changes, and an announcement of next steps is expected in Summer 2024.