The Unfunded List

The first “Unfunded List” was announced on Giving Tuesday in 2015. Since then, whenever we conclude a round of reviewing we select a few of those proposals to spotlight. The published list garners considerable interest and is one of the highest traffic days of the year for our website. People all over the world are trying to learn about philanthropy. 

Our original hope was that the list publication process would “harness the power of the honorable mention” and that some of the proposals we showcased would receive funding. While we are certain that we have found funding for the groups we have reviewed, we now know that happens as the result of network connectivity, hard work, and diligent follow up from our team and the applicants who send us proposals. A great many people, not just donors looking for projects to fund, are interested in learning more about philanthropy.

The Unfunded List has evolved significantly since that initial list was published. Our mission is to help everyone learn about philanthropy. We continue to spotlight a handful of our proposal authors each year. But we also use The List as a platform to discuss our major takeaways and analysis from each round of submissions and feedback. The world of philanthropy is ever-changing, and we believe our position provides us ample perspective. In service of our motto, To Listen, To Learn, to Speak, the Unfunded List Update is an opportunity for us to Speak.  We are proud that the semi-annual “Unfunded List” becomes an important resource for the organizations we mention and the greater philanthropic world.