From Mellon Foundation, “Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes was no stranger to the significance of Ashé Cultural Arts Center when she joined the non-profit as chief equity officer in January 2020.”

“’This was the first place that paid me to write a poem in my early 20s,’ says Ecclesiastes of the New Orleans non-profit organization that celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. “This is an organization that I have been around since its inception. I grew up alongside it.”

“A bona fide polymath, Ecclesiastes is driven by her commitment to and love for the history, culture, and people of her hometown—a city she justifiably calls ‘singular in terms of how much art and culture exists.’ Her commitment is of a piece with Ashé’s core philosophy: to support and celebrate people who make art and the BIPOC communities that inspire it while simultaneously addressing longstanding racial and socio-economic inequities that have plagued them.”

“Under Ecclesiastes’ watch, this has recently taken the form of I Deserve It!, a ground-breaking initiative that partners with Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans East Hospital, and other institutions to train and employ local artists and performers to serve as community health workers in a city where health outcomes vary depending on the color of your skin. Before the pandemic, there was a 25-year gap in life expectancy depending on a person’s race and zip code. Since COVID, that chasm has grown wider, including metrics such as infant and maternal mortality and various diseases.”

“To redress this imbalance, I Deserve It! takes an approach that differs radically from the “treat ’em and street ’em” approach that dominates the social service and healthcare sectors says Avis Gray, Ashé’s leader of health equity and the former assistant chief nurse for the state of Louisiana. Indeed, the “It” that one deserves encompasses a spectrum: safety, affordable housing, healthcare, food, community, education, art, and more.”

“I Deserve It! artists and culture makers sign a two-year contract to serve part-time as grassroots community health ambassadors in exchange for insurance and a full-time salary. Supported by an Ashé-coordinated network of nutritionists, nurses, and social workers, artists distribute health and wellness information at gigs, festivals, and second line parades. To encourage getting a vaccine or booster, they perform at vaccination sites-cum-celebrations where food is served, DJs spin records, and attendees leave with gift bags and balloons. They see to it that community members can access doctors, and often accompany them to appointments.”

Read the full article here.

“Today, Native Voices Rising (NVR) announced $3.5 million in grants to 114 Indigenous and Native-led advocacy and organizing groups. This year’s grant awardees work on an array of critical issues, including the promotion of Indigenous worldview, addressing trauma created by the U.S. Indian Boarding School policy, climate and water justice, and preventing incarceration in Native communities, to name a few.”

“Established in 2013, Native Voices Rising is a grantmaking collaborative between Native Americans in Philanthropy and Common Counsel Foundation. NVR has granted a total of $9 million in general operating support to Native-led grassroots and advocacy efforts that empower American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.”

“According to multiple studies, total philanthropic dollars dedicated to causes that benefit Native communities – let alone Native-led efforts – hovers in the range of 0.3-0.4% of all grantmaking by philanthropic institutions. Native Voices Rising seeks to remedy the historic and enduring underfunding of Native-led efforts by facilitating a process for non-Native donors and institutions to learn from and build relationships with Native grassroots leaders and support Native-led organizing and advocacy.”

“Native Voices Rising’s unique community-led and collaborative grantmaking approach engages funders and individual donors at all levels to directly invest in organizations led by Native people focusing on structural change. The process allows funders to support Native-led solutions and deepen community control within Native communities.”

Read the full announcement here.

“From Ferguson to Minneapolis, protests against racist policing have been catalyzed by videos of the brutality being spread on social media.” On a recent episode of the Slate Race and Identity Podcast, “Jason Johnson sits down with Dr. Ruha Benjamin to talk about her book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, and where social sciences and technology intersect.”

Listen to the episode here.

“To my esteemed colleagues,” begins Vu Le of Nonprofit AF, “On a webinar about Donor-Advised Funds that took place on October 19th, 2022, with Susannah Morgan, Ray Madoff, and Chuck Collins, I used words that were deeply offensive and hurtful. Words that included “the rich,” “white,” “hoarding,” “equity,” “SkyMall catalog,” and, most egregious of all, “hobby.” I am here to apologize, take accountability for my thoughtlessness and insensitivity, and humbly ask for your forgiveness.”

“During this unfortunate presentation, I said something to the effect of, ‘Philanthropy has often become a hobby for the rich, and it should not be.’ I also said that I considered a ‘family legacy of philanthropy’ to be ‘gross.’ I am truly sorry that I uttered such unconscionable words and brought trauma to you, your donors, as well as to anyone near you who may have accidentally caught glimpse of these vile invectives.”

“I caused indelible harm to donors and fundraisers by bringing up tactless and insensitive points such as that significant wealth has been built on slavery, stolen Indigenous land, worker exploitation, environmental degradation, and tax avoidance, and that nonprofit and philanthropy often serve as a conscience-laundering mechanism for the very inequity and injustice we are raising money to fight. I can imagine donors, each as pure and fragile as a newborn baby bird, hearing these cruel words and weeping for days.”

Read the full article here.

“To cultivate means to acquire or develop, and to harvest means to collect or obtain for a future use,” said Creatives Empowered. “Since the summer of 2020, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) has become ‘top of mind’ throughout the cultural sector, and a priority in funding. Who is cultivating and harvesting EDI, and the money that’s available for it And is the equity-seeking community actually being empowered in the process?”

A recording of the discussion, “Cultivating & Harvesting EDI,” presented on October 26, 2022 with panelists Jordan Baylon, Soni Dasmohapatra, Dinu Philip Alex and Pam Tzeng is available to stream here.

Crain’s New York Business released their 40 under 40 list which includes Salem Tsegaye. Tsegaye is a program officer for the New York Community Trust, and served as planning committee co-chair for the 2022 GIA Conference.

“New York is a city full of people who aren’t afraid of hard work, and this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees are no exception.

They are pioneering new ways to network and get around the city, breaking ground in fields from real estate to health care, entertainment to politics, as well as championing the causes of New Yorkers who don’t always have a voice.

Most of all, these young professionals will leave you confident that the future is in highly capable hands.”

Read the full announcement here.