Commentary: Flexible, long-term funding is essential to high-impact nonprofit success

In a commentary published by Better Magazine, Lever for Change’s vice president for strategic partnerships Michelle Sybil Melendez argues that philanthropy should fund nonprofits more like the private sector, providing flexible, multiyear capital rather than fixed, short-term grants that force organizations to focus on replacing funding instead of scaling proven solutions. The MacArthur Foundation-back platform connecting donors–including MacKenzie Scott and Melinda Gates–with recipients through rigorous open-call initiatives has already distributed grants totaling $2.6 billion and aims to unlock $10 billion in flexible, long-term funding by 2030.