In the United States, 61 million people live with a disability. But disability isn’t just a statistic; it’s part of the human experience. People with disabilities are our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, community members…perhaps even you.

If the philanthropic sector is to advance social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, then it’s time for foundations to take meaningful action to learn about and support the disability community.

That’s why the Kresge Foundation is one of more than 30 funders that have signed on to the Disability Inclusion Pledge, an invitation from the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy to deepen our collective understanding and pursue disability inclusion action steps that move beyond the minimum legal requirements.

Pledge components include:

• Disability Community Engagement
• Disability-Inclusive Language
• Accessible Events
• Inclusion Audits and Plans
• Staff Training and Participation
• Board Training and Participation
• Disability Grantmaking
• Measurement and Reporting

At Kresge, the pledge aligns with the foundation’s overall commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. After gathering input from across the organization, Kresge developed a plan to implement pledge components, and has already taken several steps to improve inclusion and accessibility, including adaptations to the foundation’s Detroit and Troy offices.

These are first steps, but through this collective action the council aims to influence the philanthropic sector to move toward a future of inclusion and equity for all.

If you’d like to join the learning journey, you’re invited to register for the 2021 Disability and Philanthropy Webinar Series focusing on the connections between disability and key social justice issues.

Moderated by leaders in the philanthropic sector, each webinar will engage diverse advocates from across the disability community in conversation about how we can meaningfully move toward a more equitable society for all. All webinars are free to attend and CART will be provided.

To register, click here.