The Crisis Beneath
How Is Your Spirit?
This week, I’m thrilled to feature a guest post by my esteemed colleague Edgar Villanueva, CEO and founder of Decolonizing Wealth Project.
He shines a light on how, after decades of progressive philanthropy treating social change as a technical problem to be solved with strategies, metrics, and heat-centric decisions, we must now face the consequences. We’re a sector so disconnected from heart and spirit that when values are truly tested, many donors freeze instead of showing up side by side with grant recipients in the struggle. The crisis, he outlines, isn’t a lack of resources, but a spiritual famine that leaves even well-intentioned donors unable to locate themselves in the work. Read on for what’s possible when we expose the uncomfortable truth and dive into the sacred work of repair wholeheartedly.
—Glen
The Crisis Beneath
By Edgar Villanueva
We’re facing a plague of spiritual famine in this country. And it’s showing up in philanthropy—how we give, how we don’t, and why we freeze when it matters most.
The myriad of attacks on our inherent human dignity and belonging have been in the making for decades. Over the last 40+ years, those investing in exclusion built a clear, unified vision of their America and funded it effectively. They also packaged oppressive politics in a weaponized version of Christianity because they understand what we have failed to accept—there is nothing more influential on one’s behavior, beliefs, and giving than faith and spirit. All the while, progressive philanthropy has operated in silos, engaged in reactive giving practices, and sought solutions through lively debates and wordplay.
Progressive philanthropy plays in the head. Those in opposition to our values focus deeper—on body and spirit.
I’ve spent years in decision-making rooms across this sector. As the field has become more institutionalized, people have struggled to connect to themselves, to their bodies, to their hearts, and to the work. When you ask someone at a conference what they do, they recite their new strategies or some incoherent theory of change. They can’t locate themselves in it. There’s a script, but no spirit. Our foundation as a sector is completely detached from our true purpose—loving people.
That’s not a personal failing. It’s a symptom of something deeper. There’s a spiritual famine at the root of society’s problems, and all the disconnection and retraction we’re witnessing flows from it. We’ve been trying to solve a spiritual problem with a technical solution.
Making Deeper Decisions
We saw philanthropy respond to the call to fund racial justice in 2020 and 2021. Money moved. Commitments were made. But now, with those same values under attack, why do so many sit frozen? Because those decisions were head decisions. Trend decisions. One-and-done decisions and pledges that were never truly connected to the heart. If they had been, we would have seen a resolve to stay the course in this moment, standing firm in our convictions despite any perceived or real backlash.
If we want to harness our fullest potential, we must practice real philanthropy rooted in spirit. And to do that, we need to be in tune with our hearts and bodies as much as (arguably more than) our heads.
Nationally, the number of donors declined every year since 2019—down another 4.5% in 2024—and small donors fell 11% in early 2025. But in the Decolonizing Wealth Project’s (DWP) ecosystem, we don’t see this. We see people leaning in.
Why? Because we’ve spent eight years developing a heart-, healing-, spirit-led approach. DWP’s Reparative Philanthropy Framework™ is rooted in the Seven Steps to Healing, as I describe in my book Decolonizing Wealth. When we work with foundation boards and staff, and individual donors and families, we don’t just teach repair—we embody it. We’ve created a community for spiritual growth where heart work allows for what is really needed, from grieving to joyful dancing, depending on the moment. This way of working centers our humanity and opens doors for personal and organizational transformation. Money can’t be medicine without acknowledging how we, as donors, also need to heal.
Our Healing Summits and retreats offer collective care for donors and philanthropy practitioners. We lift tired spirits and address traumas that can accompany wealth. One participant described finding “healing balm for my weary and bruised spirit.”
Liberated Capital, our giving community of more than 700 members spanning generations, races, and classes, is what one member called “that hopeful place”—a space where healing modalities nourish the whole person alongside their giving. When people feel genuinely connected, held, and part of something sacred, they don’t retreat. They show up.
What I Mean When I Say “Spirit.”
Acknowledging spirit as a deeper dimension to this work is imperative. It’s time we see it as an integral pathway to the version of the United States we know is possible. I know that “spirit” can trigger a variety of responses. For years, I talked about healing and transformation without naming it directly. Looking back, I was bringing people in the back door, gently introducing a deeper way of seeing money and its possibilities.
Now, I’m bringing folks through the front door: reparative giving is spirit work.
So, what do I mean by spirit? Spirit is the animating force. The deeper ‘why.’ The energy that gives something life and meaning—distinct from mechanics or surface-level actions. It doesn’t have to be tied to religion or faith, but it certainly can be. The point is that spirit transcends mind and emotions. It’s a feeling that creates a sense of “home” internally—where we really find ourselves and embrace the power within and around us. From there, we can create places of belonging for others.
Decolonizing Wealth is, in many ways, a spiritual text that I disguised as a book about money. As I’m bringing the spiritual part forward, I’ve seen leaders get emotional. They’ve been hungry for permission to bring spirit into this work. Something is awakening. After all, we’ve tried almost everything else. And the real crisis is not actually the plague of spiritual famine—it’s the lack of awareness and understanding of how to tap into the resource. But it’s time to go deeper.
And that awakening will move resources—sustainably, not just in moments of crisis.
Since 2018, DWP has influenced nearly $1 billion in reparative giving across foundations, individual donors, and institutional partners. That’s what’s possible when giving is grounded in healing rather than obligation. Last year, we had our largest grantmaking year on record, $10 million for economic solidarity, well-being, and earth and climate work across Black, Indigenous, and other historically underresourced communities.
Now we’re setting our sights higher: Our Moonshot strategy will unlock $1 trillion in reparative capital over the next decade. It isn’t just about moving money—it’s about returning to reciprocity, giving abundantly, trusting that when we care for one another, we all thrive. That’s the love of humankind in practice. And it’s been the foundation of how communities have always sustained themselves.
The resources exist—that has never been the question.
The question is whether we’re willing to do the spiritual work to create the future we deserve.
Edgar Villanueva is an Indigenous award-winning author and expert on the intersection of wealth and spirituality. He is the founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital. Learn more about DWP’s $1T Moonshot strategy at decolonizingwealth.com/moonshot.
Virtual Book Launch on TalkShopLive—March 11
Why are $2 trillion in charitable assets being sidelined in this moment of crisis, and how can we get those dollars into the right places?
I’ll be unpacking this, and more, with audiences across the country during my book tour for CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short.
Sign up to join me and my friend Ibram X. Kendi on March 11 at the virtual book launch with TalkShop Live, and get a signed copy of the book.
Save the Date: 2026 Book Tour
Save the date for an event near you!
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