Orange County Grantmakers

Strategic Plan

At Orange County Grantmakers, we envision a future in which every person who lives, works, and calls Orange County home has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive, regardless of their background.

In Orange County, we have the financial capabilities, people, and partnerships needed to create positive outcomes for our most impacted communities. But to lead the way on racial and economic equality and build a stronger, more equitable Orange County, we must come together to close the gaps for the people and places being left behind.

As part of our equity journey, OCG has taken bold leadership in fostering cross-sector dialogue and collaboration and in building a culture in which social, economic, and racial equity is discussed—not as an after-thought but as a central focus.

Equity Framework: From Inclusion to Justice

Orange County Grantmakers recognizes that equity requires the alignment of systems and relationships to move from inclusion towards justice.

Inclusion

Impacted communities gain access and/or opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their lives

Providing
Help

Representation

Impacted communities gain a non-token seat at the decision-making table

Justice

Impacted communities gain the authority and resources to set their own priorities and make their own decisions

Sharing
Power

Equity Framework: Advancing equity from direct services to systems change advocacy

Strategies must be aligned to impact root causes of inequity, and there is a role for everyone.

Making systems work equitably (e.g., policies to increase the amount and accessibility of affordable housing)

Building capacity to navigate existing systems (e.g., how to navigate affordable housing programs)

Addressing immediate needs (e.g., by providing rental assistance or legal representation)

Addressing
Root Causes of Inequity

Increasing impact from individual to community

Addressing
Effects of Inequity

Orange County Equity Report

To better support our strategic decisions and equity programming, OCG partnered with USC Equity Research Institute (ERI) in 2019 to develop An Equity Profile of Orange County. The report not only examined demographic trends and indicators of equitable growth, but also highlighted strengths and areas of vulnerability in relation to the goal of building a strong, resilient economy.

A highly anticipated update was released in 2025, offering a look at how economic and racial/ethnic disparities threaten future growth and prosperity in Orange County.
Read the Orange County Equity Profile 2025
View the 2019 Equity Profile

Moving from Inclusion to Justice

With a strategic framework rooted in recognizing the root causes of inequities, OCG brings together stakeholders working in sectors including early childhood, education, workforce development, immigration, food insecurity, housing, and healthcare.
There is a role for everyone on the path forward. Through ongoing dialogue and strategic alignment among a diverse community of stakeholders, we can take the bold steps needed to create a more inclusive, fair, and just Orange County — one where there is meaningful economic opportunity for all, equitable access to quality education and healthcare, and policies in place to address structural inequities.

8 Equity Goals

Goal #1

Create Power Sharing Spaces with the Nonprofit Community

Goal #2

Align OCG Affiliate Groups Around The OCG Equity Commitments

Goal #3

Serve as a Hub for Funders to Connect to Organizations doing Equity Work

Goal #4

Target Outreach for Capacity Building and Training to Geographies and demographics of highest need.

Goal #5

Advance Equity Internally and Externally by Integrating a Focus on Equity, Justice and Systematic Racism Into all our Programming

Goal #6

Promote Best Practices

Goal #7

Engage with Native Nations

Goal #8

Develop a Sustainable Leadership Pipeline for Bipoc Foundation Leaders and Staff

How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? WAJAHAT ALI knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change. The beloved TED speaker has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic about our urgent issues—immigration, politics, parenthood—with boldness, hope, and humor. His memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, follows his life as a Muslim Pakistani-American on a surprising, emotional, and challenging quest for the good life. Iconic journalist Katie Couric says that “we are all so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his intellect, his humanity, and his heart.”

Wajahat Ali

“With wit and charm, Ali delivers a masterful meditation on growing up brown in America...he gives us a clear-eyed affirmation of the country America could be.” — Mara Gay, New York Times

Mara Gay, New York Times

Wajahat Ali uses his platform to fight tirelessly for the social change we need in our country—and he isn’t afraid to get personal while doing it. The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer, TED speaker, award-winning playwright, and Peabody-nominated producer of the documentary series The Secret Life of Muslims offers us his experiences of triumph over hardship as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of life’s impossible situations. From his experiences of Islamophobia growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American to his two-year-old daughter’s liver cancer diagnosis, Wajahat is living proof that when we share our authentic stories, we build the America we wish to live in.”

In his memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, Wajahat teaches us how to create our own superhero origin story, invest in hope for the future of America, and enact real social change. The book was called “biting and funny and full of heart” by NPR. Representative Ilhan Omar called Wajahat’s work “hilarious” and “deeply moving”, and legendary writer Dave Eggers said it was the book he’d “been hoping Wajahat Ali would write for ten years—hilarious, stylistically fearless, deeply humane.”

Wajahat is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as a national correspondent for Al Jazeera America, where he told stories about communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.

As Creative Director of Affinis Wajahat Labs, he worked to create social entrepreneurship initiatives to support and uplift marginalized communities. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. Wajahat initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. For his work, he was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and recognized as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 

He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. His writing appears regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and Auburn Seminary and co-host of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.