Journey to Justice

In 2004, the Los Angeles affiliate of Social Venture Partners International was born. SVP employed a “venture philanthropy” model, where Partners invest money, time, and energy in local nonprofits. Over the years, many SVPs have evolved from this original model, including SVP Los Angeles. 

In 2016, the SVPLA community began a new chapter. We believed we could play a critical role in the Los Angeles social justice ecosystem, and we set an intention to transform our work and our organization. As we joined this work, we began to question some core elements of the venture philanthropy model. We shifted to a model of mutual learning, a culture that centers relationships and lived experience, and a philosophy of redistribution of wealth and power. 

We examined every aspect of our work through deep self-reflection, worked to cultivate a liberatory workplace for our team, and transformed our programs to focus on shifting systems and culture. Ultimately, we worked to model how philanthropy and nonprofits could embody the values of justice rather than those of charity.

CHARITY ➡ JUSTICE

Competition ➡ Collaboration 
Individualism ➡ Collectivism
Philanthropist as Expert ➡ Prioritize Lived Experience
Donors Guide Us ➡ Justice Guides Us
Growth through Criticism ➡ Growth through Appreciation
Unaware of Power Dynamics ➡ Shifting & Sharing Power
Nonprofits as Businesses ➡ Budget as a Moral Document
Invest in Innovation ➡ Invest in Systems Transformation
Productivity is Key ➡ Relationships are Key