Race Forward

Race Forward
Name	Race Forward
Formation	1981
Headquarters	New York City, Chicago
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Heather McGhee
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Racial justice advocacy and research

Race Forward is a nonprofit racial justice organization founded in 1981 that focuses on advancing racial equity through research, advocacy, and public education. It operates programs that intersect with policy, media, philanthropy, and grassroots movements, engaging with civil rights leaders, think tanks, foundations, and community groups. The organization collaborates with prominent institutions and activists across the United States to influence discourse, policy, and institutional practice.

History

Race Forward emerged from earlier civil rights initiatives during the late 20th century, tracing institutional roots to advocacy networks active in the 1980s. Early interactions connected the organization with leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and coalitions that worked alongside figures such as Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker, and organizers influenced by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. During the 1990s and 2000s Race Forward engaged with policy debates involving the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legacy, collaborating with think tanks like the Brookings Institution and advocacy groups including Southern Poverty Law Center and ACLU Foundation. In the 2010s Race Forward worked in concert with movements and organizations such as Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and philanthropies like the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations to expand its national profile. Leadership transitions connected the group to prominent figures in nonprofit management and public intellectual life, bringing partnerships with municipal governments in cities like New York City and Chicago.

Mission and Programs

Race Forward's stated mission centers on transforming structural racism through research, narrative change, and capacity building. Programmatic work spans training for institutions including school districts and public agencies, convenings with organizations such as National Education Association and Teach For America, and collaborations with labor organizations like Service Employees International Union and AFL–CIO. Initiatives have included racial justice trainings used by healthcare systems interacting with institutions such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and family service providers linked to United Way. Race Forward has run programs emphasizing narrative strategy in partnership with media entities like The New York Times, NPR, and ProPublica, and has provided consultancy to foundations including W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Carnegie Corporation.

Research and Publications

Race Forward publishes research, reports, and editorial content aimed at policy makers, activists, and practitioners. Its publications intersect with scholarship from universities such as Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and University of California, Berkeley, and have been cited in policy discussions alongside reports from Pew Research Center and Urban Institute. Race Forward’s written work and digital content have been featured in outlets including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The New Yorker, and have been used by municipal policy teams in jurisdictions like Los Angeles and Seattle. The organization also produces tools and toolkits referenced by educators associated with Teachers College, Columbia University and by researchers affiliated with RAND Corporation.

Advocacy and Campaigns

Race Forward has coordinated national campaigns that align with movements such as Black Lives Matter and legislative efforts linked to voting rights debates including those around the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and state-level ballot initiatives. Campaign work has engaged coalitions with groups like NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and supported local campaigns in partnership with community organizations in cities such as Detroit, Philadelphia, and Oakland, California. The organization has also participated in campaigns addressing criminal justice reform alongside entities such as Vera Institute of Justice and Equal Justice Initiative, and engaged in storytelling campaigns that partnered with cultural institutions like Smithsonian Institution and arts groups tied to Kennedy Center programs.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Race Forward operates with a leadership team, board of directors, staff, and fiscal sponsors, and has received funding from foundations including Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Its organizational model mirrors other national nonprofits such as Southern Poverty Law Center and Children's Defense Fund, balancing grant funding, earned revenue from training contracts with municipal agencies, and philanthropic donations. Governance involves boards with members drawn from nonprofit, academic, and philanthropic sectors, and partnerships with legal counsel and accounting firms that serve nonprofits, similar to arrangements used by organizations like Independent Sector.

Criticism and Controversies

Race Forward has faced critique from conservative commentators and some civil liberties advocates who question the role of advocacy organizations in public sector trainings and influence over institutional policies, paralleling debates involving groups such as ACLU and NAACP. Critics have raised concerns about the content and approach of racial equity trainings in contexts like police departments and school districts, echoing controversies seen with municipal diversity initiatives in cities such as Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon. Funding transparency and donor influence have been topics of scrutiny common to national nonprofits, with comparisons drawn to debates surrounding foundations like MacArthur Foundation and Gates Foundation. Supporters and scholars from institutions including Yale University and Princeton University have defended Race Forward’s methods as part of broader efforts to address structural inequities.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States