The Racial Equity Index FAQ’s:

Last updated: 27 May 2021 

What is the Racial Equity Index? 


We are a volunteer-led collective of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in the global development sector, who have come together to produce an Index measuring racial equity in the global development sector. We are building a coalition of change makers to create greater accountability embedding racial equity into global development practice, dismantling structural racism and creating a more equitable system and culture, with justice and dignity at its core.

What does it mean that the Racial Equity Index is sponsored by Moore Impact.

Being a partner with Moore Impact means that the Racial Equity Index is fiscally sponsored by Moore Impact. Moore Impact supports Racial Equity Index via support in operations so that they can access the support and financial tools they need to create systemic change. Additionally, any and all donations will be processed by Moore Impact as a 501c3 registered tax-exempt organisation in the United States. All individual donations can be processed here. For all foundations and individual donors please note that:

Moore Impact, our fiscal sponsor, is recognized as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Tax ID: 84-4714243). Contributions to organizations with 501(c)(3) status may be tax-deductible. Please consult your tax professional to determine deductibility.

Why did the Racial Equity Index choose to be fiscally sponsored in the United States?

For nearly one year (since July 2020), the BIPOC led Racial Equity Index collective has been an all-volunteer project run on pure sweat equity. We have been looking for ways to protect our work, to support our collective as we grow, and figure out how we can raise funds as a collective and manage operations and the best solution we landed on is fiscal sponsorship. Being fiscally sponsored allows us - a small consensus-decision-making collective - to be supported in our operations and management which allows us to continue to focus on our work and the build of the index. Fiscal sponsorship is not as common of practice outside of the United States so we sought to find a fiscal sponsor that aligned with our values and core beliefs. Moore Impact is that partner as they work to support leaders intimately involved in and committed to changing the status quo around perpetual inequity.

What is Racial Equity?

When we talk about Racial Equity we are referring to both a process and an outcome. Racial Equity as a process takes into deliberate consideration all the historic and present-day inequities experienced by individual racial and racialised groups and ensures these groups are meaningfully involved in the creation of institutional policies and practices that affect their lives. Racial Equity as an outcome results in a state of being where people of all races have fair and just access to socioeconomic and cultural benefits.  We talk about equity and not equality as we recognise that racial justice is more important than fairness. 

You can find definitions for more terms relating to racial equity in our Glossary.

Why are you focused on racial equity? Surely all equity is important?

2020 exposed the breadth and depth of racial inequity and injustice across the world and the extent to which the lives of Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) individuals and communities were being harmed. Whilst issues of gender, and to a lesser extent issues of class, ethnicity, age, sexuality and disability discrimination may factor into programmatic or advocacy work, explicit focus upon racial inequity, discrimination, harassment, and how this shows up in the global development sector and the lives of staff and communities,  has had very little visibility in strategy or programmes. 

Why is the global development sector so bad at racial equity?

This is a BIG question. The modern day global development sector has very deep roots in an ideology and practice that was the foundation of imperialist structures that gave birth to the Slave Trade and Colonialism.  This ideology and practice centers the power of White Supremacy and the Global North, with every other race, ethnicity, and community treated as subordinate. The modern global development sector has purposefully and routinely failed to interrogate and come to terms with its past, in spite of the calls for change from the communities and peoples who are most impacted. And so the sector continues to perpetuate these power dynamics and imbalances, and in doing so continues to harm the peoples and communities it claims to support. As we work through the process of building The Racial Equity Index we write about our experiences and reactions to current developments in the global development sector. You can follow those discussions on our Medium blog.

But what evidence do you have? 

Lots! You can visit our sector-wide Reckonings document which provides a snapshot of some atrocious behaviour from organisations in our sector, which were finally brought to light as a result of the BLM protests in 2020. You can also read this report by ACEVO highlighting the poor treatment of BAME staff in UK charities , or the work of our  strategic partner Charity SoWhite , or the myriad reports into sexual misconduct and exploitation of staff and women and children in ‘partner countries’ by aid workers. Or you could take our word for it, as Black, Indigenous, People of Colour with collectively over 50 years experience of  navigating the very white and very oppressive halls of global development. 

Aren’t other organisations working on this? What are you contributing to this issue? 

Not many. As of October 2020, our Landscape Assessment showed that only two (2) out of the seven (7) global indices on equity focus explicitly on racial equity, and these were primarily focused on the private sector.  The Racial Equity Index is also the only BIPOC created index and has been entirely volunteer-led since its inception. 

What is the methodology behind the Index?

We are at the very start of the build of The Racial Equity Index for the global development sector and are working on our first complete methodology document for our Global Mapping Survey that we are hoping to release in early 2021. Each stage of the build of the index will have a methodology attached to it for the simple reason that we endeavour to be as transparent as possible about each stage of the process. 

The overall build of The Racial Equity Index is noted below: 

Formalisation Strategy Discussion.jpg


Who is The Racial Equity Index targeting?

The Racial Equity Index tool will be targeting nonprofit, multilateral, philanthropist and private sector organisations and institutions working in the global development sector specifically their leadership and boards, who have the power, access and influence to effect change. As we develop and campaign around the tool, we are looking to partner with anyone with a genuine interest in racial equity and racial justice including practitioners in global development, academics, racial justice activists and advocates, and members of the general public who want to see real change. 

Why should the sector or my organisation care? 

Because it is part of the problem! The sector continues to perpetuate harm daily, and your organisation is contributing to this. If you are truly about your mission and purpose, you have no choice but to care.

I’m in! What can I do to support this cause? 

Welcome! There is a lot you can do:

My organisation is in! What can we do to support this cause? 

If you have additional questions about The Racial Equity Index please email theracialequityindex@gmail.com or connect on Twitter or LinkedIn.