Philanthropy’s Quest for Equity: Past. Present. Future.

Examining milestones in the history of American philanthropy

We can’t move forward without looking back.

Covering over 150 years, this session will present a historical timeline to describe and analyze milestones in the history of American philanthropy. We will weave perspectives to analyze modern philanthropy’s quest for equity as practice, process, and vision.

Following this presentation, participants will be invited to explore how this shared context shapes their own work, and then to envision what may be in store for the future of equity in philanthropy.

This course will help participants:

• Understand historical context for equity in philanthropy to reach an individual and shared understanding of the future needs to advance equity.
• Build confidence and patience in persisting in their individual and organization’s journey to advance equity.
• Identify barriers to the equity process and approaches that have been effective.
• Consider their own organization’s future by addressing changes in paradigms, wealth, and power.

Participants will leave the session with historical context, ideas shared by participants for advancing equity, and a resources/tools reference list to explore further in their work.

 
Who should attend this course?
This interactive workshop is designed for anyone currently working in the field of philanthropy. The session will NOT be recorded.

Questions about this event or about your registration?
Call 616-331-7585 or email emily.brenner@gvsu.edu.

Jen Bokoff is the director of development for the Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund. Jen has dedicated her career to elevating marginalized voices, supporting community-centered solutions, and driving equity and effectiveness. Through frequent writing, public speaking, facilitation, and consulting, she enjoys naming tensions and connecting people to resources, ideas, and one another. Learn more about Jen.

Gladys Hairston, M.A., is the director of learning, research, and evaluation at the John Rex Endowment. At the Endowment, Gladys supports grantees on their current initiatives, refines and implements internal and external learning practices to support the gauge of impact on grantmaking, and follows philanthropic landscape trends for equitable evaluation purposes. Prior to her time at JRE, Gladys worked as a civil rights and African American history researcher as well as a program officer at the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont in Virginia. Learn more about Gladys.