Breaking Down Silos, Funding at the Intersection

A thriving democracy and reproductive rights are inextricably linked, argues Risa Kaufman. Here, she outlines how The Overbrook Foundation funds at this intersection and why funders who embrace the interconnected nature of today’s challenges can have greater impact.

Urgent issues do not exist in silos. Rather, they are cross-cutting and interdependent, particularly in a rapidly changing landscape. Efforts to address the climate crisis, for example, advance efforts for racial justice. Efforts to advance immigration justice impact access to housing and healthcare. Service providers, advocates, and movement leaders understand these intersections, and their work often seeks to address multiple issues simultaneously, with the intention that addressing one issue will have ripple effects.

Family philanthropies that acknowledge these connections through their funding strategies have an outsized impact, as well. And a funding community that explores cross-cutting issues together leverages expertise for force multiplication. This understanding motivated a joint funder convening on democracy and reproductive health, rights, and justice co-hosted earlier this year by The Overbrook Foundation, in collaboration with Funders for Reproductive Equity.

Intersecting Issues in Action: Democracy and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

A case in point: a thriving democracy and the realization of reproductive rights are inextricably linked. Research shows a strong correlation between a country’s democratic health and women’s status, and experts emphasize that countering democratic backsliding requires the protection of women’s rights, including reproductive freedom. Attacks on reproductive rights are a precursor to (and symptom of) a democracy’s decline, and many of the efforts necessary to protect democracy are similarly required to ensure reproductive autonomy. In the post-Dobbs era, assaults on reproductive health, rights, and justice are intensifying, jeopardizing the health and well-being of millions of people living in the United States and their ability to participate fairly and fully in the democratic process. Simultaneously, voter suppression, gerrymandering, and other barriers to political participation, along with attacks on the judiciary and other democratic institutions, threaten the very core of US democracy and reproductive freedom.

Advocates and movement leaders at the national, state, and grassroots levels have long recognized the deep connection between a strong democracy and the advancement of reproductive health, rights, and justice, shaping their programs around these shared goals. Grantmakers are increasingly identifying and discussing this relationship, as well, and developing tools for an integrated approach to funding. The Overbrook Foundation’s grantmaking portfolio accounts for these connections by housing our grantmaking on democracy and reproductive rights together under the umbrella of our Human Rights Program, and by intentionally funding organizations that work at the intersection of these issues through non-partisan civic engagement, pro-democracy, and issue-based advocacy.

Building and Sharing Knowledge Across Issue Areas

Beyond grantmaking, funders have opportunities to address these and other intersections by learning across issues, sharing funding strategies, and identifying new opportunities for impact. Funder convenings are a powerful tool for doing so.

In January 2025, The Overbrook Foundation co-convened funders supporting pro-democracy work and those supporting work to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice, to explore these connections within the United States and globally. We gathered 40 funders from over 25 funding entities, many of which were family philanthropies. Several participants brought a strong focus on reproductive justice. Several others focused more squarely on civic engagement and pro-democracy efforts. A few participants had deep experience funding work at the intersection of these issues, while a handful had not previously funded in either space. All came eager to learn more. Together, we connected the dots and deepened our understanding of the intersections between democracy and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Our ultimate goal was to identify funding strategies and new opportunities to support this work.

At the start of the convening, movement leaders shared their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities confronting advocates and communities in this moment, and experts examined the connections between attacks on reproductive freedom and the rise of authoritarianism globally. The bulk of the day was devoted to smaller, funder-only breakout sessions, during which participants asked genuine questions and shared specific funding strategies, raising challenges of funding this work so that others might learn from their hard-earned understanding.

In post-convening evaluations and follow-up conversations, participants expressed appreciation for connecting with and learning from other funders and hearing from organizations on the ground about the strategies they have found to be successful and the challenges they face. Participants articulated an interest, too, in engaging more directly with other funders to learn about specific organizations and effective and meaningful strategies. Participants left wanting more.

An Opportunity and an Invitation

The nature and urgency of the challenges confronting communities today, along with the quickly evolving landscape, demand that funders break down funding silos to learn from each other and leverage expertise and support, grounded by the perspectives, expertise, and needs of advocates and the communities that they serve. Family philanthropies are particularly well-positioned to do so, as we are often more nimble and flexible in our approach. When we examine our own funding strategies, think differently, and become curious, we discover new opportunities that can have impact in new ways. The Overbrook Foundation has made a commitment to work with colleagues across philanthropy and issue areas to share learnings and collaborate for maximum impact. We know there are countless ways to push against the boundaries of self-enforced silos that exist within philanthropy, and that doing so unlocks powerful understanding, resources, and opportunities to address the critical issues of our time.

Risa Kaufman is the director of human rights at The Overbrook Foundation

The views and opinions expressed in individual blog posts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Family Philanthropy.