Reimagining Philanthropy to Advance Equitable Communities

Workshop

• Power and Capital

• Reimagine Systems

• Deliver Equity and Inclusion

Women of Color, Equity Design, Inclusive Communities

While women of color are the fastest growing population in the U.S., we are also the most under resourced and the highest impacted by the struggling economy, unstable job markets, and discriminatory practices and policies. As our cities strive to recover from the pandemic and to become more equitable and inclusive communities, we must address the deep economic disparities facing Black and Latina, and other women of color. Even though as a society can recognize many of the challenges that WOC face, nonprofits with missions center women and girls of color only receive an average of 2% of philanthropic funding annually. Women of color have the most lived experience navigating obstacles to attain economic wellbeing but are often excluded from the processes, power brokers, and resources allocated to solve these challenges. Without Black and Latina women engaged in creating solutions, ineffective programs and policies are funded and implemented. To create more equitable communities, we need to start with equitable community building and resourcing. Zora’s House – the first and only community space and leadership incubator in Ohio created by and for women and non-binary people of color – works to dismantle barriers of systemic racism and sexism, and to ensure the full participation of women of color (WoC) in the civic, economic, and cultural life in their communities. Our organization is simultaneously using the moment to ask powerful questions about how WOC-led organizations transform communities alongside their donors. Zora’s House is doing notable equity design work and creating thought leadership within the philanthropic space, where WoC are grossly underrepresented to change donor engagement and train funders and allies on impactful ways to advocate, engage, and evolve as donors in racial justice movements. This interactive session, led by the Founder/CEO and Director of Development at Zora’s House will share learned lessons and best practices as well as engage participants in how we can design solutions to effectively close the gender and racial gap. Through the presentation we will highlight: ENGAGING IN RADICAL COLLABORATION: This session on Equity Design intends to start the conversation on how collaborative efforts can shift power dynamics so that the expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences of women of color are intentionally ingrained into decision making and equitable solutions in the community. REIMAGINING POWER AND CAPITAL STRUCTURES THROUGH INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS: Zora’s House was funded this year through a local community partner, The Columbus Foundation, to develop and deploy an innovative donor engagement and philanthropic initiative that centers racial equity, economic opportunity, disparity reduction, and system change. This very unique grant is allowing us to explore how trust-based philanthropic partners can engage with and build alongside WOC-led organizations for better community outcomes. Through our presentation we will share some learned lessons and best practices from our innovative partnership. DELIVERING EQUITY AND INCLUSION THROUGH SUSTAINED ACTION: We invite participants to engage in ideas and processes of how we can disrupt the status quo and uproot oppression with us by prioritizing the dreams, leadership, and radical imagination of women of color. Women of color are the backbone of communities and a conduit to transformative liberation for all. For WoC to thrive, deep systems of oppression must be uprooted through sustained action and holistic programs. Equity design drives participants to question and think critically about the deeper, underlying prohibitors to sustainable and successful solutions. Through this session, we will use the following questions to guide how we reimagine our philanthropic communities: - What do donor engagement, education, and allyship look like in a community-driven, social justice organization? - What frameworks need to be re-imagined in the relationship between wealthy white donors and non-profit leaders of color? - What frameworks need to be envisioned, piloted, embraced in order to incorporate giving structures that exist historically and presently in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color? - How can power authentically be shared equitably among all community stakeholders (i.e. funders, nonprofits, clients)?

• Allocators (Family Offices, HNW Individuals, Foundations)

• Artists & Culture-makers

• Entrepreneurs