Errika Moore and STEM Funders Network are Standing Strong
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is “not an abstract concept.”
Rampant misconceptions and misinformation surround DEI, many of which surround the workplace (it only benefits certain groups; it “rewards” people who haven’t “earned” something). In reality, DEI benefits everyone — from ensuring the most qualified candidates are hired to paid parental leave, accommodations for individuals with disabilities, accessible buildings, closed captioning, inclusive learning opportunities, and veterans benefits — to name a few.
In short, DEI is a framework for tackling systemic barriers and building a more inclusive society where everyone can contribute, succeed, and thrive. During the first week of his second term, the current president issued a series of executive orders targeting DEI in the public and private sectors. The effects of these cuts touch upon nearly every aspect of American life, including philanthropy and education.
Those areas converge at STEM Funders Network (SFN), an MSC Fiscally Sponsored Project (FSP). Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is an interdisciplinary educational approach grounded in hands-on, problem-based learning. Founded in 2012, SFN seeks to create greater access to STEM learning and workplace opportunities for strategically undervalued groups (who are underrepresented in these fields) through philanthropic endeavors. SFN embraces high-impact grantmaking as a core funding strategy that can significantly shift the ecosystem by “allowing philanthropic institutions to truly understand the communities they serve” and uplifting those most impacted by funding decisions so they may determine which solutions best fit their needs.
Errika Moore, the inaugural Executive Director of SFN, is also board chair of both MSC and Inspiredu, an organization helping under-resourced learners develop the digital skills needed for education, career success, and economic mobility. As part of a career working at the intersections of education, workforce development, philanthropy, and industry, she served as Senior Program Officer at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, where she led education and workforce equity initiatives for nearly one million students. In 2024, she was named an inaugural awardee of the Kapor Foundation’s Research Fellowship.
We sat down with Moore to talk about how the administration’s crusade against DEI is affecting funders, affiliates, and the communities they invest in “from cradle to career.”
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MSC: How has the current climate and the administration affected STEM Funders Network’s (SFN) ability to carry out its mission in the wake of all these DEI attacks?
EM: The current climate, in short, has been challenging, but we started paying attention back in 2023 — we were having conversations about what was in the atmosphere, and the trends and the movements that were already starting to land in the space of very aggressive attacks against DEI.
By 2024, I was bringing legal representation into our meetings so that members could start really identifying how to build up the undergirding for what had the potential to happen.
We began to identify members who thought, that’s perhaps too far for us in terms of statements where we talked about the continued support of marginalized communities. People were really trying to politicize what marginalized communities were, who they represented, or even diminish them. It’s our role and responsibility as philanthropy to keep all aspects of marginalized communities in the conversation — the residual effect is that all communities are supported.
All of that was exacerbated in 2025, when we did see some funders depart from SFN. Because continuing to stand with us created vulnerability, I couldn’t blame them.
"Standing in solidarity and amplifying social media ensures philanthropy is in the conversation, and is at the table, and that people recognize it is absolutely the place where we're supposed to be."
MSC: Have you been able to persuade any new funders to come on board? Groups that are really interested in taking a stand against this administration?
EM: Normally we have biannuals in the spring and fall. By the time we had our 2025 spring biannual, we had met five times, and not just with SFN members. That didn’t necessarily translate into people who were funding to pay to be members of SFN, but it did mean that our strategic community with other funders expanded significantly.
When we had our 2025 fall biannual in Atlanta, we had over 60 participants. Normally, it’s maybe 30. During this time, there was an appreciation for our messaging and intent. Mutual interests fortified our relationship with the Education Counsel, our go-to for policy and perspective. Throughout the year, I was invited into several conversations to speak on behalf of philanthropy; my consistent message was “For Such a Time as This.”
But since this is basically a member-based organization, or a professional learning community, we took a financial hit. We don’t do grantmaking, so all the fees that come in are fully transparent, and are primarily to support having an administrator. I am the sole administrator for SFN. They hired me in 2021 as their inaugural executive director, to represent the organization, provide strategic direction and thought leadership, and to help prompt industry context that may not be on their radar. I’ve valued the commitment and partnerships of SFN for the past five years. However, in 2025, SFN felt the communal effects within the philanthropic, nonprofit ecosystem. As a result, we made sacrificial decisions to sustain the organization, including reductions in salary, benefits, and non-essential expenses.
MSC: What can folks do to continue to support your mission?
EM: Social media and financial support are two of the best examples. I would even say, the social media aspect more so than the financial. Standing in solidarity and amplifying social media ensures philanthropy is in the conversation, and is at the table, and that people recognize it is absolutely the place where we’re supposed to be.
My goal since 2021 has been focused on philanthropic transformation that establishes: This is how we show up, this is how we want to show up, or this is how we can improve how we show up. And most importantly: Please partner with us and tell us how you need us to show up.
MSC: At the end of the day, learners — in grades K-12, in college, from strategically undervalued communities, multi-language learners, neurodivergent learners, and so on — suffer if they lose access to education, especially in the STEM fields. How has SFN adjusted their approach to ensure these young people can still access STEM learning?
EM: In 2025, it was very hard January through March, because the philanthropic ecosystem knew it couldn’t close the education/STEM funding gap that resulted from defunding initiatives. Education funding has always required a partnership between institutionalized philanthropy, corporations, foundations, government, and individual contributors.
"I’m focused on understanding the role of philanthropy in addressing systemic barriers and disparities in STEM education."
If funders recognized we couldn’t close that gap before, now the gap was exacerbated. Initially, it was emotionally and psychologically challenging to embrace the situation. We asked, how do we start thinking outside the box? How do we not fall prey to the noise? As SFN’s executive director, I encouraged funders to think in terms of sustainability based on a five or ten-year plan. When people spoke in terms of getting to 2028, we focused on solutions beyond 2028.
Using 2020 as a basis, I encouraged funders to genuinely evaluate the decisions they were making in 2025. The decisions we make now need to extend at least five to ten years beyond 2025. I leveraged this same mindset in 2020 during the pandemic and the social justice period. As a senior program officer at the time, on March 16, 2020, I posed the same thought to a team of colleagues. I encouraged them to consider the residual effects of our decisions, because these decisions would affect the next five or ten years — at least — and would affect families and the students generationally. The prediction: Without forward thinking and inclusive strategies, the learning loss would be significant. The current National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP; a congressionally-mandated assessment typically given to students in grades four and eight] scores have upheld the 2020 predictions for marginalized communities. The “rebound” leaders presumed would occur hasn’t happened. For marginalized communities, the gap that already existed just grew.
To mitigate repetition and long-term effects, it’s been imperative to think innovatively, partner with Education Counsel, stay informed regarding policy implications, and identify adjacent coalitions for SFN members. The goal is to create sustainable STEM education options for all learners from cradle to career.
These students need champions. They need advocates. They need philanthropic leaders who will stand in the gap. For such a time as this, funders can and should do all of the above. I continually impress upon philanthropic leaders that our relationships are more than just a check. Philanthropy is about showing up for grantees, building strategic partnerships, providing access for grantees to their sphere of influence via their social capital, and introducing their grantees to other funders helping to create sustainable go-forward strategies.
MSC: You joined the MSC board, which wanted to ensure FSPs and their interests were represented in the space, in 2022. As of 2025, you’re now board chair. How has your time as an MSC board member helped amplify SFN’s mission?
EM: Serving on the board allowed me to become more versed on the nuances of FSPs and MSC. So as SFN members or other funders seek perspective about an FSP that aligns with their values, I can speak to them specifically about SFN’s relationship with MSC as a fiscally sponsored project and how MSC operationalizes its commitment to FSPs.
"The decisions we make now need to extend at least five to ten years beyond 2025."
I have a tremendous appreciation for the board’s thoughtfulness and intentionality — during our very first meeting in 2025, there was uncertainty regarding the impact of executive orders. That meeting gave me an opportunity to explain the direct impact from an FSP’s point of view. I was very transparent about the status for SFN, the aggregate impact to grantees, the financial impact to SFN due to member transitions, and the sacrificial decisions being considered at that time.
The board’s engaging response to that exchange and MSC’s unyielding commitment over the last year has heightened my desire to ensure MSC’s success in partnership with the board and MSC’s team.
This organization is doing amazing things to stand in the gap and keep its partners whole. Whether it’s ensuring and restoring funds owed to projects due to a defunct donation platform that defaulted on its payments, providing sustainability coaching, creating collaborative circles, or providing fundraising consultants, MSC is stepping up in this moment, being intentional, and making an impact. As challenges continue to move throughout the ecosystem, MSC is maintaining an open door to projects who need a new home.
MSC: During your first Q&A with us, you said: “Being a change agent has been my life’s charge since high school.” And obviously, that’s continued to carry over.
EM: I still stand with that. At that time, I was just starting a PhD program. I am studying the sociology of STEM education. This is my life’s work and I wanted to become more versed in the space. Within the history and sociology department at Georgia Tech, I’m focused on understanding the role of philanthropy in addressing systemic barriers and disparities in STEM education.
It is purely for my own edification. It’s an opportunity to stretch and broaden my thought leadership capacity as a STEM champion, change agent, and positive disruptor. This experience is enabling me to become more versed in something I love in service to the communities I serve. That mindset and that commitment still holds true. Basically, you can say I’ve doubled down on it.
You can follow STEM Funders Network on LinkedIn. If you are able, consider making a gift in support of their mission.
