Reducing language bias in grant-making

Have you ever wondered what it would be like applying for a grant if English was not your first language? As funders, it is easy to value projects more or less depending on how well the proposal is written. But what inequalities are we exacerbating through our linguistic expectations? As we all seek to be more inclusive and to ensure equity for diverse communities, who might we be discriminating against through our unconscious or conscious language bias?

Ultimately, our group wants to help foundations to reduce or avoid language bias in their grant-making. In order to achieve this, we want to:

- Explore where and how language bias occurs in the grant making process. We understand that each foundation is different and will have its own procedures and processes. That is why it is important to hear from as many foundations as possible, to make sure that what we produce will work for everyone.

- Share strategies to remove, reduce or avoid that bias at different stages of the grant making process. We want to share experiences and strategies used by different foundations to remove bias. We want to hear what has worked, and what has not worked for others.

- Create a resource or guidance that can be used by other foundations who want to avoid language bias in their own grant making. Ultimately, we want to use the information gathered to co-develop a resource, which will be distributed by ACF, to help other foundations avoid language bias in their grant making process.