Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog – Philanthropy Potluck

By Karen Kelley-Ariwoola

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is the first of two parts written by MCF member Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, a Minneapolis Foundation donor advisor and community leader. She is the former Vice President, Community Philanthropy, at The Minneapolis Foundation, and a former MCF board chair.

Every year as the seasons change, I anticipate eagerly my spring ritual of attending the annual conference of the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), the largest convening of Black professionals in philanthropy.

For my nearly two decades in “formal” philanthropy, I attended ABFE to feed my soul, to be validated for my contributions to the field, and to celebrate those of my peers around the country. But most important, over the years I have been reminded that our work, which is often hard, messy and long-term, matters immensely. Each year I emerged, like the buds peeking out of the dirt, ready to face community-building with joy, new tools and a renewed sense of urgency.

This year my need for support and renewal was greater than ever — coming on the heels of a major job transition and following the recent untimely deaths of my sister and mother just a few weeks apart.

The ABFE conference exceeded my expectations. The conference theme, “Innovation + Investment = Impact,” drew hundreds of staff, CEOs, trustees, donors and others interested in creating positive and lasting impact in Black communities around the country. Attendees were sobered by the fact that just blocks from the downtown convention hotel, Chicago’s neighborhoods had been riddled with violence — particularly homicides of black adults, children and babies.

Philanthropic Strategies to Achieve Equity
Conference sessions aligned with ABFE’s Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities (RPBC) framework. This agenda for change provides context about the historical and structural barriers to equity of Black communities, along with corresponding philanthropic and policy strategies designed to improve the condition of Black people and increase investments in Black communities. These strategies (primarily directed at grantmakers) include:

• The engagement of Black communities in the design of effective strategies
• A focus on systemic causes of disparities and building on the strengths of Black communities
• Building leadership capacity in Black communities and strengthening their core institutions
• The use of disaggregated data to inform planning and policy
• Evaluation that is both quantitative and qualitative
• Communication strategies that minimize negative images of Blacks in the media

One of the core concepts of the RPBC framework is the notion of “targeted universalism,” a concept that suggests that the whole community can benefit even as we focus to meet the needs of a specific group. A classic example that illustrates this concept is the “cut outs” in sidewalks: First designed to accommodate wheelchairs but universally used by runners, bikers, people pushing baby strollers, and those crossing the street at an icy Minnesota intersection.

Because Blacks, especially Black males and low-income Black families remain overrepresented on almost every negative indicator of wellbeing in this country, it makes sense that we should embrace targeted strategies to close the gaps, while also believing that our entire community will benefit by lifting up this part of the population.

Building on the RPBC Framework, the rich variety of ABFE sessions included:

• Examining foundation finance and investments through an equity lens,
• Preparing a pipeline of Black leadership in philanthropy,
• An “Innovation Market” introducing unconventional and promising ideas that are taking shape in Black communities,
• A “Donor Salon” that convened Black donors from community foundations around the country (me included!),
• And numerous other powerful presentations on community development, educational equity, Black men and boys (including launch of a new website with resources on funders who care about this issue), and strategic communications to combat negative media portrayals of Blacks.

As if being led and taught by some of the best and brightest in philanthropy with whom I also share a cultural bond was not enough, I was also lifted up by the special track of workshops for Black trustees who serve on foundation boards and, of course, the annual James Joseph Lecture. Tomorrow I’ll write more about those experiences — and what inspired me the most as I returned back to Minnesota.