The Bahá’í Faith and a variety of spiritual traditions animate our work and bring us closer to the oneness of humanity. We are committed to personal and team spiritual practices and to embodying deep wisdom in our external work as we build deep connections to self, others, creation, and the Divine.
NURTURING
SPIRITUALITY
THE CURRENT REALITY
Due to many factors — including the inequities exacerbated by religion over time — the philanthropic sector often ignores spirituality.
1. “There are over 350,000 congregations and an additional 228,000 faith-inspired nonprofits in the United States doing secular work: everything from hate crime prevention to food banks, prison reentry programs to housing crisis relief. Together that’s 35-40% of the US nonprofit landscape… Yet, many institutional funders are skeptical of faith-inspired partners; as a result, these nonprofits are less likely to receive institutional grants than their secular counterparts. The 2020 Bridgespan report showed that only 2% of big philanthropy dollars went to faith-inspired organizations.” (8)
As a Bahá’í-inspired foundation, Wayfarer Foundation is in a unique position at the crossroads of these challenges.
THE WAYFARER WAY
Wayfarer Foundation values spiritual and material coherence and we believe that philanthropic efforts have more longevity when they acknowledge the spiritual components of an individual or community. Spirit-rooted work adds value to the larger philanthropic sector and we show the power of this process through several core practices:
1. Our interfaith team engages in weekly spiritual practices together and receives holistic benefits to center service, wellness and spiritual activities.
2. We encourage our partners to reflect on the spiritual dimensions of their work and to include funding spiritual initiatives.
3. We provide the Headspace app to all of our partners and staff to encourage mental and spiritual wellness.
Regardless of how our partners may identify with or practice spirituality, we hold in high regard the core values of interconnection, wisdom, and healing that launch us into the world to be agents of service and justice.
Faith Matters Network (FMN) envisions people living in communities rooted in wisdom, spiritual practice, and healing. They nurture spiritually grounded leaders by equipping them with resources and experiences to integrate their faith into care practices within their justice communities.
Faith Matters Network provides accompaniment and support to spiritual leaders on their journey towards deeper spiritual growth and vocational impact. Because FMN believes that no one can transform the world alone, their commitment is to fortify social movements in our current climate by facilitating effective training and programs centered on collective healing & sustainable action.
Faith Matters Network (FMN)
(8) Aspen Institute, 2021
Top banner image: © Kelly Lacy