Philanthropy and Social Movements

Students from Harvard Kennedy School
Philanthropy and Social Movements

On Philanthropy and Social Movements, we examine the history and future of philanthropy’s relationship with radical social movements. We meet the funders and activists interrogating power, transforming philanthropic institutions, and imagining a new future. We hope that you listen to the podcast and share it widely!

Episodes

  1. 06/10/2020

    Funding Indigenous Resistance

    Indigenous organizers are at the forefront of revolutionary movements for sovereignty, environmental justice and land rights, movements that confront our largely ignored history of Native genocide and broken treaty promises. Yet, foundations, many who claim to support marginalized and underrepresented communities, spend just 0.4% of their annual funding on Native communities. Native causes are overlooked and underfunded by philanthropy. In this podcast, we hear from Indigenous organizer and tribal attorney, Tara Houska, and two social justice funders, Edgar Villanueva and Jason Franklin. We explore the tensions that arise when Indigenous activists seek grants to support their radical work and encounter funders that are hesitant to fund direct action, largely uneducated about Indigenous history, disconnected from struggles at the frontline, and financially linked to the industries that profit on the devastation of Native lands.

    45 min
  2. Individual Scholarships

    06/09/2020

    Individual Scholarships

    About This Episode What happens when social movement activists receive leadership fellowships? In this podcast, three Harvard Kennedy School graduate fellows discuss philanthropic scholarships and fellowships given to “change agents.” They review the major foundations who are funding fellowships, examine the history of how this type of giving came about, think aloud some critiques and alternatives, then chat about their personal connections to this topic. Hosts Becky Meris a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, and she has previously worked in criminal justice reform in the United States and abroad. Inayat Sabhikhiis a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Administration candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. She is associated with the Right to Information and Right to Food movements in India. Talk to her about gully rap and Zadie Smith. Samer Hjoujis a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, and he has previously worked in education in Palestine. Learn More Videos Rockefeller Fellowship on Social Innovation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t6JyGoDnzQOpen Society Foundation for South Africa Commemorative Scholarship and Fellowship Awards 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCyTHhShfjAFord Foundation International Fellowships Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=43&v=qqH3Cib-Y5Q&feature=emb_logo2019 Obama Foundation Fellows:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxPYxQ0KNkYEmerson Collective Dial Fellows:https://www.emersoncollective.com/organizations/emerson-collective-dial-fellowship/Harvard Lecture by Condoleeza Rice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLYCE4NU9HwProfessor Randall Westbrook on W.E.B. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wollGiMRCIEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnACmH2ueSU Books Capitalism: A Ghost Story by Arundhati Roy (2014)International Scholarships in Higher Education: Pathways to Social Change edited by Joan Dassin, Robin Marsh, and Matt Mawer (2017)The Lucky Few and the Worthy Many: Scholarship Competitions and the World’s Future Leaders edited by Warren F. Ilchman, Alice S. Ilchman, and Mary H. Tolar (2004)The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence (2007)Top Down: The Ford Foundation, Black Power, and the Reinvention of Racial Liberalism by Karen Ferguson (2013) Articles Beilke, Jayne R. (1997) “The Changing Emphasis...

    20 min
  3. Tech Philanthropy

    06/08/2020

    Tech Philanthropy

    About This Episode Lowell, MA; Hershey, PA, and… the Bay Area? Company towns don’t look like they used to, and tech hot spots are the company towns for today’s digital age. Heavyweights in philanthropy look a little different these days, too: tech phenoms unafraid of risk and hungry to problem solve, at times to a fault. Taking a historical lens to American company towns, we consider whether tech philanthropists can adopt and scale the blueprint a foundation used to innovatively revitalize a rural company town. From urban housing shortages to COVID-19, philanthropy’s human stakes have never been higher. In this podcast, we examine how the tech industry can get better at doing good. Hosts Amaya Bravo-France, MUP2020is an urban planner focusing on housing and neighborhood development, and has worked on environmental and housing issues at nonprofit organizations in California. Evita Chavez, MUP2 2020comes to Harvard after working as a Legislative Assistant in the California State Senate, where she staffed the state’s groundbreaking accessory dwelling unit law in 2016 and advised on various housing legislation for Senator Bob Wieckowski. Sophie Dover, MPA 2020split her early career between both U.S. coasts in roles which spanned technology, communications, government, and the arts. She is a concurrent Dartmouth MBA. John Joanino, MPP 2021began his career in tech philanthropy managing charitable crowdfunding partnerships with celebrities at Omaze.com and most recently led digital communications at a racial equity policy advocacy organization in Los Angeles, California. Learn More America’s Company Towns-Smithsonian Magazine Blue Sky Center (New Cuyama, CA) Partnership for the Bay’s Future (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) PICO California

    28 min
  4. Untying Knots

    06/07/2020

    Untying Knots

    Hundreds of years of racist federal and institutional policies have denied wealth to Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Two organizations in Boston are shifting the narrative around local funding and reimagining equitable community-driven change. In this episode of Untying Knots, we look at the ongoing process to transform financial inequity through anti racist funding. We speak with key leaders at the Boston Ujima Project and Haymarket People’s Fund to grasp how they envision and work to sustain internal and external accountable social change.

    40 min
  5. Giving Black

    06/06/2020

    Giving Black

    About This Episode Our guest, Dr. Irvin Leon Scott is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Scott served as the deputy director for K-12 education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the investment of $300 million in initiatives focused on transforming recruitment and development of teachers.  Scott, an experienced educator takes us through his 20+ year journey as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, chief academic officer and deputy director at the Gates Foundation. HostsHassan Brownis a Doctor of Education Leadership Candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education Jamaji Nwanaji-Enwerem, PhDis an MD/MPP candidate at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Onyema Nwanaji-Enweremis an MD/ MPP candidate at Duke University School of Medicine and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Learn More LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. SCOTT:  https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/irvin-scotthttps://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/16/08/new-faculty-spotlight-irvin-scott FOR MORE STORIES ON BLACK GIVING: https://cep.org/african-american-foundation-ceos-a-look-at-the-leadership-of-the-largest-foundations/http://abfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ABFE-The-Exit-Interview.pdfhttps://ssir.org/articles/entry/hacking_the_bias_in_big_betshttps://www.buildingmovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ED.CEO_Race_to_Lead_Brief_.pdfhttps://www.philanthropy.com/interactives/20190709_LeadersOfColorhttps://theconversation.com/400-years-of-black-giving-from-the-days-of-slavery-to-the-2019-morehouse-graduation-121402http://www.philanthropic-giving.com/profiles/oprah-winfrey/https://ipromise.school/#slide-1https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/07/30/lebron-james-promise-school-akron-ohio/862159002/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-jay-z-donate-to-covid-19-relief-975676/

    30 min
  6. Finding the Third Way

    06/05/2020

    Finding the Third Way

    In late 2017, Mississippi’s capital school district, Jackson Public Schools (JPS), was at risk of being taken over by the state. As the second largest school district in the state, the prospect of JPS being absorbed into the state’s Achievement School District was concerning for the community, City, and State, especially considering Jackson’s fraught racial history with education. All sides sought alternatives, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation helped to find a third way, by advocating for and allocating $3 million to form the Better Together Commission (BTC) – a community centric approach to school improvement. This podcast examines how JPS was almost taken over, what that meant in the context of JPS’s past, and highlights the role of the community, W.K. Kellogg and the other stakeholders in the BTC.

    33 min
  7. Shelter In Power

    06/04/2020

    Shelter In Power

    The COVID-19 public health crisis has revealed and exacerbated massive vulnerabilities and inequalities in the United States. In the absence of federal leadership, local communities across the country are developing their own responses and fighting back against xenophobia and racist violence. How do communities build power for the post-pandemic future? Andrew Fan and Sydney Fang explore how Bay Area-based Asian American organizations have been nimble and responsive to the emergent needs of vulnerable Asian Americans during this time through mutual aid and policy advocacy strategies that promote solidarity against forms of white supremacist violence, including worker exploitation, evictions, and discrimination against people with disabilities. Guests: Alvina Wong Organizing and Campaigns Director at Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Ken Wang Policy and Compliance Counsel at Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)

    35 min
  8. Faint of He(Art)

    06/03/2020

    Faint of He(Art)

    A podcast about the role of arts and philanthropy in moments of crisis. Together with community artists, scholars, and funders we consider key questions: what value does society place on the arts during crises, and how does this shape philanthropic responses? What lessons about resilience, funding, and survival does the arts community teach the philanthropic sector, and us all, as we imagine and create “new normals” post COVID-19?

    26 min
  9. Philanthropy and Black Maternal Mortality

    06/02/2020

    Philanthropy and Black Maternal Mortality

    Our podcast discusses the role of philanthropy in responding to black maternal and infant mortality. We interviewed Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, Founder and President of the National Birth Equity Collaborative. In the interview, we discuss what motivated her to start an organization dedicated to addressing this challenge, whether or not philanthropy can close this gap, and the importance of imagination for creating a just world. At the end of the podcast, Dr. Joia gives us her thoughts on philanthropy in the age COVID-19. To learn more about Dr. Joia Crear-Perry and the National Birth Equity Collaborative, visit birthequity.org.

    24 min
  10. Radical Redistribution

    06/01/2020

    Radical Redistribution

    In 2018, Americans gave away $428 billion dollars, with 30% of it coming from the top half of the 1% of earners. More than $142 billion went to causes dictated by only a small number of Americans–a power that some consider undemocratic in a democracy. Now, envision a world with philanthropy that is structured radically differently – or perhaps doesn’t exist at all. The question stands: how can we disrupt hierarchies that currently exist and who is already doing so? What successful practices can we lift up? Where should the field of philanthropy go from here? In this podcast, we explore these questions with Gara LaMarche, President of the Democracy Alliance and long-time advisor to and critic of traditional philanthropy, and Holly Fetter, a member of Resource Generation, an organization of young people with access to wealth who are pushing for those with wealth and class privilege to be more accountable to communities experiencing oppression and inequality. This podcast was brought to you by Liz Weingartner, Karl Kumodzi, Sophie Dover, and Barbara Bush. The music was created by Charles Copley. An enormous thank you to Gara LaMarche and Holly Fetter for their participation and to Professor Megan Ming Francis for her thought-provoking scholarship and class.

    37 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

On Philanthropy and Social Movements, we examine the history and future of philanthropy’s relationship with radical social movements. We meet the funders and activists interrogating power, transforming philanthropic institutions, and imagining a new future. We hope that you listen to the podcast and share it widely!

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