what’s fresh?
Inspired by Danyel Smith’s hrdlist, I've shifted the Fresh Phillanthropy list to substack. My hope is to continue to share enlightened perspectives and narratives that you can add to your reading, thinking, speaking and experiences with philanthropy. Let me know if you like it.
Everyday Givers.
Most philanthropists are not billionaires… I say it over and over again because I don’t think we hear it enough.
Mainstream conversations about philanthropy tend to be limited to three key themes. The topic never dominates the headlines as much as when some nonprofit scandal is afoot, a celebrity gets behind a cause or some fantastically wealthy individual is doing the giving. Is it a reflection of our appetite? Is that all we care to know?
Black-led giving circles are a special group of everyday givers that deserve a greater share of the spotlight— because what they do and how they’re doing it can be replicated to bring positive impact in communities around the world.
New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP Charlotte) stay ready so they don’t have to get ready.
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In the midst of the national call to address the root causes of inequality, working with Black-led giving circles like African American Legacy Fund of Indianapolis makes sense because “They’re already working in [the] community, by hook or by crook, and getting it done.”
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The Black Giving Circle Fund at the Hartford Foundation hosted a conversation with Nikole Hannah- Jones and LaTosha Brown on Black Philanthropy’s Role in the Social Justice.
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Black lives have always mattered to us. Black Benefactors celebrates 13 years.
Black Philanthropy Month.
August is Black Philanthropy Month [#BPM2020] and Fresh Philanthropy is raising funds to support Black-led giving circles working in communities around the country, building community, pursuing social justice and working to meet pressing needs caused by COVID-19.
This convo…
STILLMAN. VIRGINIA UNION. TOUGALOO. DILLARD. CENTRAL STATE. TALLADEGA COLLEGE. DELAWARE STATE.
Accompanying the flurry over billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s recent gifts, is a discussion about HBCU giving that is lively and ponders jealousy, sustainability, alumni giving, awareness and white people.
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For Black led, Black serving nonprofit organizations: Register for Give 8/28 Day
Art. Culture.
In the history of western aesthetics, making monuments and being depicted in monuments are normally the purview of men. Rarely do women get to make or be in monuments, even more rarely Black women. —Dixon Li
The Story of Monuments and Black Women’s Monumental Labors adds perspective to ongoing public monuments debates.
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A survey of 760 museum directors warns that the impact of COVID-19 on the cultural sector could shutter 12,000 institutions permanently.
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In conversation with Abraham Riesman for Jewish Currents, Amy Schiller gives her insights on evaluating impact and due diligence.
There’s an issue here of trust. When you get institutional funding from big foundations, they try to solve for that with an emphasis on quantifiable results. I would err more on the side of the idea that if you want to trust the efficacy of your donations, then you should keep them to organizations and communities where you’re in relationship with those people—where you don’t need the recipients to somehow re-prove and re-demonstrate and re-earn your trust because you’re already involved in community-building with them. You might want to focus on a local group where you consider yourself a member and a volunteer. What worries me about the language of “due diligence” is that it presumes a kind of power and trustworthiness and agency on the part of the donor that it doesn’t necessarily afford to the recipient. That’s a power dynamic that I would like to see disrupted. —Amy Schiller
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After making history as the first African-American photographer to shoot a cover of Vogue, 25-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell talks about photography’s power in protest.
Justice.
Policy change is a key element in achieving social justice: H.R 40 addresses reparations. Examine the policy goals of protest: whether you want abolition or reform, please vote.
The founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killings [M.A.S.K.] is the subject of a new documentary about her fight to prevent people from being killed by gun violence in the Englewood section of Chicago.
Joy.
Thank you @ALongWalkHome for your #blackgirllove on #selfcaresunday
”When we think about Aisha B Wormsley’s work and the girl at ALWH in the future. We wish black girls to be free. And the closest thing we have to freedom is play.” - @shertillet