Resources: DEI Toolkit: Budgets

Budgets

Budgets are statements of organizational values; resource allocation demonstrates what an organization prioritizes. When our organizations affirm that diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, accessibility, and justice are priorities, we must dedicate sufficient resources to doing the work of DEI.

Secure Funding for DEI

DEI work costs money.
Budgeting for DEI is an essential part of doing the work.
Pay people for their time, contributions, and expertise.
Build regular DEI practice into the budget for staff and program development.
DEI is an essential tool for our organizations to stay relevant.

Create a budget for DEI

Commit a percentage of your department or organizational budget to DEI – start small with 0.5% or 1%.
Determine how your organization will spend the dedicated percentage: staff training, staff time to dedicate toward specific internal DEI projects, program development, etc.
Evaluate your DEI spending. Create measurable benchmarks and track the growth of your organization’s DEI work. Demonstrate results to resource allocators.

Make the most of your DEI budget

Create a feedback loop that allows your organization to prioritize and improve a budget that serves DEI.
Evaluate your organization’s previous year’s spending on DEI, and the progress the organization has made toward its DEI goals.
Understand and prioritize your current year DEI goals.
Solicit feedback from employees and customers, clients, and visitors.

Sources

People Matters. (2022). The Case for DEI Budgets. Retrieved from: https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/diversity/the-case-for-dei-budgets-beyond- programmes-33200

Triangle Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Alliance. (2021). The Business Case for Diversity Equity and Inclusivity. Retrieved from: https://www.triangledei.org/blog/the- business-case-for-diversity-equity-inclusivity