Pevita Pearce
As the philanthropic landscape undergoes a seismic shift, traditional models of grantmaking—often characterized by long-term, static funds—are being forced to reckon with their own necessity. For Borealis Philanthropy, a decade of operations has culminated in a radical experiment: the willingness to dismantle its own successful programs when their purpose has been fulfilled. By viewing accountability as an active, iterative practice rather than a static goal, the organization is challenging the industry’s obsession with perpetuity.
The Foundation of Inquiry: A Decade of Reflection
Since its inception, Borealis Philanthropy has functioned not merely as a conduit for capital, but as a laboratory for social change. Over the past ten years, the organization has consistently grappled with a set of core inquiries designed to maintain alignment between its mission and the communities it serves.
These questions—which serve as guardrails for the organization—center on the distribution of power, the necessity of an intermediary, and the evolving needs of the field. By subjecting its own internal structures to the same rigor it expects from its grantees, Borealis has transformed from a traditional funder into a dynamic partner capable of institutional evolution.
Accountability in Action: Disability Justice and Liberation
One of the most profound applications of this philosophy is found within the Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF). Nikki Brown-Booker, Program Officer for the DIF, describes the organization’s approach as one of intentional intersectionality.
"We’re trying to fund a community that’s doing disability justice work, particularly at the intersection of other movements," Brown-Booker explains. The strategy is not just about writing checks; it is about recognizing the systemic barriers that exist within the social justice ecosystem. A primary example of this is the Black Disabled Liberation Fund. Originally launched with a million-dollar commitment, the fund has recently expanded to $1.5 million in response to the high demand for renewal and the ongoing, critical nature of the work.
This expansion reflects a core tenet of the Borealis model: funding is not a fixed asset but a fluid resource that must scale alongside the maturity and urgency of the movements it supports.
Chronology: The Life and Sunset of the REP Fund
To understand how Borealis approaches institutional longevity, one must examine the trajectory of the Racial Equity in Philanthropy (REP) Fund. Launched in 2017, the REP Fund was designed to bridge a critical gap in the sector: it provided capital to organizations that were, in turn, teaching other funders how to integrate racial equity into their internal policies and grantmaking portfolios.
- 2017: The REP Fund is established to address a systemic deficit in racial equity education among philanthropic institutions.
- 2017–2022: The fund successfully fosters a network of organizations that push the sector toward greater awareness and policy reform.
- 2023: A pivot point. Borealis conducts a series of intensive feedback sessions with grantee partners. The feedback indicates that the sector has matured; the intermediaries were no longer the bottleneck, but rather, they had become the primary agents of change who now required direct, unencumbered support.
- Late 2023: Following deep consultation with donors and partners, Borealis officially sunsets the REP Fund, transitioning its structure to facilitate direct relationships between funders and the organizations.
Data and Feedback: The Case for Sunsetting
The decision to sunset a fund is often viewed as a failure in the nonprofit world, where "impact" is usually measured by the length of an organization’s lifespan. Borealis, however, reframes the sunsetting of the REP Fund as a measure of success.
The internal critique process revealed a candid, albeit uncomfortable, truth. As one grantee partner noted, the presence of an intermediary had begun to create an unnecessary "container." By acting as a middleman for organizations that had already become highly skilled at networking and advocacy, the fund was inadvertently creating administrative friction.
"It tied up funding for those of us with histories of deeper racial justice work at a point when organic and strategic collaborative efforts desired by all parties were already happening," the partner stated. This feedback was the catalyst for change. The data suggested that the sector had evolved beyond the need for the specific type of facilitation the REP Fund provided. By sunsetting the fund, Borealis effectively liberated capital to flow more efficiently to the organizations doing the heavy lifting, rather than keeping it locked within an administrative structure.
The Philosophy of "Not That, This"
The decision-making process at Borealis draws significant inspiration from the work of writer and organizer adrienne maree brown, who argues that critique is a vital mechanism for ensuring collective evolution.
"Critique is a way we ensure collectivity in the process of generating our future—to say ‘not that, this’; to increase rigor in our values; to increase the quality of our creative work," brown writes.
Borealis applied this rigor to the concept of "perpetuity." In the traditional philanthropic model, funds are often endowed to exist indefinitely, regardless of whether their mission remains relevant. Borealis challenges this, asserting that there should be a continuous assessment of a fund’s theory of change. If the assumptions upon which a fund was built are no longer true, the fund itself should be subject to redesign or dissolution.
Implications for the Philanthropic Sector
The implications of the Borealis model are far-reaching. By choosing to prioritize the efficacy of the movement over the longevity of their own internal programs, they are proposing a new standard of accountability.
1. Power Distribution
The act of sunsetting the REP Fund was, at its heart, an act of power-sharing. It acknowledged that the grantees were the experts in their own needs. By relinquishing the role of the "intermediary," Borealis allowed its partners to occupy a more central, empowered position in their interactions with the broader philanthropic community.
2. Evolving Institutional Landscapes
The sector has changed drastically since 2017. A greater number of donors are now fluent in the language of racial equity. This success, which is largely attributable to the work of the very organizations the REP Fund supported, rendered the fund’s original model obsolete. The lesson for the industry is clear: if your work is successful, it should eventually make your current mode of intervention unnecessary.
3. The Future of Direct Funding
The shift from the REP Fund to direct relationships signals a move toward a more streamlined, trust-based philanthropic environment. By connecting donors directly to agents of change, Borealis acts as a catalyst rather than a gatekeeper. This allows for more organic collaboration and reduces the "administrative tax" that often accompanies multi-layered funding structures.
The Choices Ahead: A Call to Courage
As Borealis looks toward the future, the organization remains committed to the principle that change is the only constant. The "choices ahead" are not merely about selecting new programs or initiatives; they are about maintaining the courage to be wrong, the humility to be critiqued, and the discipline to let go.
For other philanthropic organizations, the Borealis case study offers a difficult but necessary challenge: Are your programs still relevant, or are they simply comfortable? Are you funding for the sake of the sector, or for the sake of your own institutional continuity?
By normalizing the sunsetting of programs that have fulfilled their mandate, Borealis is paving the way for a more responsive, efficient, and accountable era of philanthropy. It is a reminder that in the movement for justice, the ultimate goal is not to preserve the vessel, but to ensure that the mission reaches its destination. As the ground continues to shift, Borealis stands as a model for how organizations can remain grounded in their values while remaining fluid in their strategies.
Reynand Wu
