Give Like You Mean It: Values-Based Philanthropy

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Think about the last three places your money went. Maybe a gift for someone you love, a purchase you’ve been putting off, or a cause your company supported this year. If someone looked at those three things, what would they say about what you value?

Mine would say I value the occasional emergency triple-shot oat milk latte. No regrets. With two kids, some mornings really are emergencies.

But there’s a bigger point here: our values don’t live in what we say. They live in what we do.

This is especially true when it comes to philanthropy. Whether we’re making a personal donation or deciding where a company should direct its philanthropic dollars, I think it’s worth asking: Does the way we give back reflect our values? Are we supporting and uplifting organizations whose work aligns with what matters most to us? 

As we approach the end of the year, and so much feels uncertain for the people and communities we care about, it’s worth taking a closer look at how and where we give.

Giving Where Your Values Live
Values-based philanthropy is about putting your resources behind organizations whose actions align with your beliefs. That means looking beyond whether an organization supports a cause you care about, and asking whether its values show up in how it does the work.

Here are some questions to consider whether you’re making a personal gift, participating in your company’s giving campaign, or deciding where your organization should invest its philanthropic dollars:

• Do they play well with others? Many challenges that nonprofits are trying to solve are bigger than any one organization. Look for partners who build bridges, share what they learn, and recognize that collaboration makes the work stronger.
• Do their values match yours? Read the mission statement, then look at what they actually fund. The two should tell the same story.
• Do they walk the walk? Pay attention to how they treat grantees, partners, staff, volunteers, and the communities they work with.
• Can you see the results? You deserve transparency in  what your support makes possible, and how an organization knows its work is making a difference.

Values in Action
At APF, our values guide both what we fund and how we fund it. We believe that psychological science has the power to improve lives, and that this potential is fully reached when the research reflects the experiences and needs of the people it serves. That’s why our funding priorities focus on serving marginalized communities, ending prejudice & stigma, preventing violence, and addressing mind-body health connections. 

Our values also shape how we fund. We believe the people closest to the challenges are often best positioned to help solve them. That means trusting the researchers and organizations on the ground, listening to what communities need, and giving people the resources to do what they do best. We also know that we can’t do this work alone. The challenges that our grantees are tackling are much larger than just one organization, APF included. Fulfilling our mission requires collaboration with our community of donors, reviewers, and partners working towards the same goals.

Shared Values → Shared Impact
Direct Action, our newest philanthropic initiative, is another way we’re putting our values into practice. Psychology has so much potential to help people, but it doesn’t always reach communities in ways that make a real impact. We’re working to bring psychological science out of journals and into the real world, so evidence-based programs can make a meaningful difference for people and their communities.

When we started talking about Direct Action, people’s reaction was often a version of, “Finally. Someone is doing something about this.”

I think that reaction reflects a gap people already recognize. We have psychological research that can help address some of our biggest challenges, but too much of that research never makes it into reality. Effective programs need resources to reach more people, and those resources are limited.

That’s why we built Direct Action, and it’s why I believe so strongly that bringing people, resources, and organizations together around shared values isn’t just a nice idea. It’s part of how we close the gap between what we know is possible and what we’re actually able to do.

Our Direct Action Visionary Grants provide up to $60,000 for evidence-based programs that bring psychological science directly to communities in care. So far, we’ve supported a wide range of carefully implemented interventions, ranging from trauma care for children and families in Guatemala to a national mentoring program for transgender and nonbinary young people.  

The need for support far exceeds the funding available. In our first grant cycle alone, we received more than 1,200 letters of intent, reflecting both the enormous demand for community-based interventions and the researchers working to bring them to life.

No single donor, company, or nonprofit can close that gap alone. But when we align our shared values, resources, relationships, and expertise, we can maximize shared impact and create more opportunities for effective programs to reach the people who need them.

A Place for Everyone
Values-based philanthropy is the most impactful when people who share the same values come together instead of working in separate lanes. This is what Direct Action is designed to do: to bring a wide range of people together, from individual donors, companies, and nonprofits, and give them the opportunity to contribute to the same goals in ways that play to each of their strengths.

Individual donors bring the heart. Your gift to Direct Action funds programs already changing lives, and expands on opportunities to put psychology into action in even more spaces and communities. Take a look at our recent Direct Action Visionary Grantees, who are making psychological research accessible and uniquely tailored to different community needs, or at our Basic Science Test for Public Discourse, which brings psychology into everyday life by helping people recognize potential manipulation in the information they encounter online or in the news

Corporate partners bring the reach. Through the Direct Action Corporate Alliance, companies invest together in a vetted group of organizations using psychology to make the world a better place. They build a relationship with our team, gain a clearer picture of their impact, and become part of a collective effort that no company could build on its own. We’re intentional about who joins us, because shared values and a commitment to science aren’t extras. They’re the foundation of these partnerships. You don’t need a formal title or a big budget to be a part of it either. Sometimes, all it takes is someone willing to bring a different idea to the table.

Nonprofit partners bring the know-how. The Direct Action Nonprofit Alliance is a no-fee network where organizations share resources, build programs together, learn from one another, and fill gaps in their work. Nonprofits are too often put in a position where they have to compete for the same limited dollars. We believe there’s a better way: build a bigger table, share what works, and give good ideas more room to grow.

What I love most is that each of these groups makes the others stronger. When people come together and support a cause with shared values, the impact multiplies. Communities get resources they need, nonprofit partners gain opportunities to learn from one another and do more together, and individual and corporate donors can see their values reflected in the change they’re helping create.

Lead With Your Values
Direct Action brings effective programs that respond to urgent needs, but meeting today’s needs is only part of the work. We also have to ask what comes next, how we make progress last, and how we build a future where even more people can access the support they need. 

In the meantime, here’s what I hope you’ll take away: Your values already show up in the decisions you make every day. Your philanthropy is an opportunity to put those values into action, too.

Whether you’re interested in exploring the Corporate Alliance, bringing your nonprofit into the network, or making a gift that leads with your values, we’d love to talk.

Let’s make sure the way we give reflects all parts of us. I think we can do a whole lot more when we do it together.

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