“When it came to a new round of funding from the Andrus Family Fund, the foundation wanted to do something different. As part of its 20th anniversary, it launched the Visionary Freedom Fund, with an intention to include more young people in the grantmaking process.”
Read the entire article here.
On October 18th, 2021, grantee/movement partners of the Andrus Family Fund, Surdna Foundation, Wellspring Foundation, Youth First State Advocacy Fund, Communities for Just Schools Fund and the Visionary Freedom Fund were invited to attend a convening entitled, “Speaking Truth to Power: Narrative Change for Youth Power Building.” When discussing narrative change we were guided by Narrative Initiative’s definition:
A narrative reflects a shared interpretation of how the world works. Who holds power and how they use it is both embedded in and supported by dominant narratives. Successful narrative change shifts power as well as dominant narratives.
The convening gathered our nation’s most influential racial justice movement narrative change makers as they discussed the various strategies they employ in their respective work. Through a series of short TED-talk like presentations, organizers, narrative changemakers, journalists, strategic communications experts, filmmakers, screenwriters/producers, and cultural/art strategists shared their approaches to advancing racial justice.
Presenters included: Color of Change, PopCulture Collaborative, Constellations Culture Change Fund, Center for Cultural Power, Opportunity Agenda, Intelligent Mischief, PopShift, Revista Etnica, Colectivo Ile, SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective, Youth First, YR Media, Surdna Foundation, IllumiNative, Common Justice, Reframe Mentorship, Performing Statistics, Akonadi, Firelight Media, The Narrative Initiative, Padres y Jovenes Unidos, Black Futures Lab and MiJente.
The inspirations for this gathering included:
Our speakers shared that narrative change is rooted in shifting power and building power. Through the reshaping of stories, and identifying the locations where stories/words have the most impact, we collectively have the ability to reclaim, and define narratives that best serve the interests of our communities.
Amity Payne, Interim Director of Storytelling and Marketing at Color of Change posits “narrative strategy is a tool to restructure the way that people think and feel; and understand the ways that systemic racism causes harm to Black people. Narrative change must build power.”
Joseph Phelan of Reframe offered that we must move beyond tactical responses and develop strategic communications that support narrative power so we can start to shift the field. Strategic communications is defined as “consistently, persistently saying the right thing to the right people at the right time to mobilize social power and advance your narrative so you can accomplish short-term objectives and set up long-term victories.” This allows us to move past reactionary responses and think about the ways long-term narratives help move the needle towards justice. Again, narrative is about power-building for the purpose of creating change across time. Furthermore, he offered that diverse movements need to move in coordination and in collaboration in order to be effective. This work takes time and resources.
In 2020, we witnessed the “defund the police” narrative used to call for the reallocation of policing resources back into community stewardship and programs of care. This call was made across the nation and, as a result, we witnessed victories in the removal of police from schools in several districts across the nation and a ballot initiative in Minneapolis that called for disbanding the police force in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Simultaneously, we witnessed a national push back on localized efforts to defund police, and the weaponization of critical race theory in schools teaching history and civics. In 2020 we also witnessed the rise of harmful narratives and effective deployment of narrative infrastructure and institutions from the right, which catalyzed abortion bans, raising white supremacist violence, anti-trans legislation, the rollback of voting rights, and a lack of adequate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Black and Indigenous communities.
These real life victories and losses are examples of:
The convening also gathered leaders from the cultural sector to share ways that organizers are working hand-in-hand with artists to create immersive art experiences such as No Kids in Prison and support the coordinated efforts of the Pop Culture Collaborative to shift the stories that are consumed by mainstream America. Cultural leaders reminded us that the artist and cultural workers are vital designers of narrative infrastructure and critical deployers of narrative. Their contributions are often critical to organizing and power building yet underfunded or construed as tangential.
Artistic work can help catalyze the imagination and build understanding and investment in a vision for change that resonates and compels people into taking action to construct new solutions to systemic racial justice problems. To do so, we must use narratives that align and contend for the hearts and minds of many people and move us into new possibilities.
A key strategic theme that arose is the importance of meeting people where they are. This may mean defining your issue and busting myths on TikTok and other social media platforms, using cultural programming to connect hearts and minds, hosting podcasts, leaning into relational organizing techniques or educating those in the writer’s room to shape narratives in mainstream media. The goal is to amplify your message by identifying the most impactful location and messenger.
Movement partners shared that their narrative building needs are vast and often unmet. Many identified the need for consolidation of a shared narrative and coordinated dissemination. Access to opportunities to train and increase skills, along with resources, are needed in order to effectively integrate this request into the larger youth serving field. Community mapping is needed to support this work — who is doing what and where so that we can identify the gaps and move in strategic alignment. Additionally, it will be necessary to determine how to more effectively use data to tell stories that shift hearts and minds in order to support policy change. Rinku Sen shared that more impactful narrative strategies highlight the change or solutions and signal where these changes are already taking place, instead of hyper focusing on the data that reinforces what is already wrong. How we partner with cultural workers to amplify the messages they identify as key to movements will be an important component of the work ahead.
Narrative change is about coordination and collaboration. Coordinating across sectors and movements will take time and resources.
Narrative change infrastructure for power building is critical to the work of changing hearts and minds in our communities. It will also be essential to sustaining the change of which we aspire.
Our movement partners have shared that this body of work — a necessary limb of organizing, advocacy, and policy work — has been underfunded and under-resourced, leaving communities to struggle unnecessarily.
Below is a short list of organizations leading narrative change work or accounting for narrative change within organizing and policy work (listed in no particular order):
Youth Justice
Racial Justice
Narrative Movement Builders and Content Producers
If you are a funder and would like an introduction to any of these groups or would like to strategize or collaborate on narrative change investments, please reach out to info@affund.org.
On October 18th, 2021, grantee/movement partners of the Andrus Family Fund, Surdna Foundation, Wellspring Foundation, Youth First State Advocacy Fund, Communities for Just Schools Fund and the Visionary Freedom Fund were invited to attend a convening entitled, “Speaking Truth to Power: Narrative Change for Youth Power Building.” When discussing narrative change we were guided by Narrative Initiative’s definition:
A narrative reflects a shared interpretation of how the world works. Who holds power and how they use it is both embedded in and supported by dominant narratives. Successful narrative change shifts power as well as dominant narratives.
The convening gathered our nation’s most influential racial justice movement narrative change makers as they discussed the various strategies they employ in their respective work. Through a series of short TED-talk like presentations, organizers, narrative changemakers, journalists, strategic communications experts, filmmakers, screenwriters/producers, and cultural/art strategists shared their approaches to advancing racial justice.
Presenters included: Color of Change, PopCulture Collaborative, Constellations Culture Change Fund, Center for Cultural Power, Opportunity Agenda, Intelligent Mischief, PopShift, Revista Etnica, Colectivo Ile, SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective, Youth First, YR Media, Surdna Foundation, IllumiNative, Common Justice, Reframe Mentorship, Performing Statistics, Akonadi, Firelight Media, The Narrative Initiative, Padres y Jovenes Unidos, Black Futures Lab and MiJente.
The inspirations for this gathering included:
Our speakers shared that narrative change is rooted in shifting power and building power. Through the reshaping of stories, and identifying the locations where stories/words have the most impact, we collectively have the ability to reclaim, and define narratives that best serve the interests of our communities.
Amity Payne, Interim Director of Storytelling and Marketing at Color of Change posits “narrative strategy is a tool to restructure the way that people think and feel; and understand the ways that systemic racism causes harm to Black people. Narrative change must build power.”
Joseph Phelan of Reframe offered that we must move beyond tactical responses and develop strategic communications that support narrative power so we can start to shift the field. Strategic communications is defined as “consistently, persistently saying the right thing to the right people at the right time to mobilize social power and advance your narrative so you can accomplish short-term objectives and set up long-term victories.” This allows us to move past reactionary responses and think about the ways long-term narratives help move the needle towards justice. Again, narrative is about power-building for the purpose of creating change across time. Furthermore, he offered that diverse movements need to move in coordination and in collaboration in order to be effective. This work takes time and resources.
In 2020, we witnessed the “defund the police” narrative used to call for the reallocation of policing resources back into community stewardship and programs of care. This call was made across the nation and, as a result, we witnessed victories in the removal of police from schools in several districts across the nation and a ballot initiative in Minneapolis that called for disbanding the police force in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Simultaneously, we witnessed a national push back on localized efforts to defund police, and the weaponization of critical race theory in schools teaching history and civics. In 2020 we also witnessed the rise of harmful narratives and effective deployment of narrative infrastructure and institutions from the right, which catalyzed abortion bans, raising white supremacist violence, anti-trans legislation, the rollback of voting rights, and a lack of adequate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Black and Indigenous communities.
These real life victories and losses are examples of:
The convening also gathered leaders from the cultural sector to share ways that organizers are working hand-in-hand with artists to create immersive art experiences such as No Kids in Prison and support the coordinated efforts of the Pop Culture Collaborative to shift the stories that are consumed by mainstream America. Cultural leaders reminded us that the artist and cultural workers are vital designers of narrative infrastructure and critical deployers of narrative. Their contributions are often critical to organizing and power building yet underfunded or construed as tangential.
Artistic work can help catalyze the imagination and build understanding and investment in a vision for change that resonates and compels people into taking action to construct new solutions to systemic racial justice problems. To do so, we must use narratives that align and contend for the hearts and minds of many people and move us into new possibilities.
A key strategic theme that arose is the importance of meeting people where they are. This may mean defining your issue and busting myths on TikTok and other social media platforms, using cultural programming to connect hearts and minds, hosting podcasts, leaning into relational organizing techniques or educating those in the writer’s room to shape narratives in mainstream media. The goal is to amplify your message by identifying the most impactful location and messenger.
Movement partners shared that their narrative building needs are vast and often unmet. Many identified the need for consolidation of a shared narrative and coordinated dissemination. Access to opportunities to train and increase skills, along with resources, are needed in order to effectively integrate this request into the larger youth serving field. Community mapping is needed to support this work — who is doing what and where so that we can identify the gaps and move in strategic alignment. Additionally, it will be necessary to determine how to more effectively use data to tell stories that shift hearts and minds in order to support policy change. Rinku Sen shared that more impactful narrative strategies highlight the change or solutions and signal where these changes are already taking place, instead of hyper focusing on the data that reinforces what is already wrong. How we partner with cultural workers to amplify the messages they identify as key to movements will be an important component of the work ahead.
Narrative change is about coordination and collaboration. Coordinating across sectors and movements will take time and resources.
Narrative change infrastructure for power building is critical to the work of changing hearts and minds in our communities. It will also be essential to sustaining the change of which we aspire.
Our movement partners have shared that this body of work — a necessary limb of organizing, advocacy, and policy work — has been underfunded and under-resourced, leaving communities to struggle unnecessarily.
Below is a short list of organizations leading narrative change work or accounting for narrative change within organizing and policy work (listed in no particular order):
Youth Justice
Racial Justice
Narrative Movement Builders and Content Producers
If you are a funder and would like an introduction to any of these groups or would like to strategize or collaborate on narrative change investments, please reach out to info@affund.org.
VFF distributes $2.5 million to 26 youth-led groups transforming the justice system and invites donors to join the movement to fund all 600 applicants
NEW YORK — The Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) today announced its inaugural cohort of grant recipients, distributing $2.5 million over two years to resource 26 youth-led organizations on the frontlines of transforming the youth justice system.
“Young people are articulating solutions and realizing wins to end our nation’s systemic punishment, criminalization and violence against Black, Brown and Indigenous youth,” said Manuela Arciniegas, director of the Andrus Family Fund, which launched the Visionary Freedom Fund. “Yet, few funders support youth justice movements, let alone give young people a say in what gets funded. In response, the Visionary Freedom Fund formed the Power Table where youth organizers collaborate with movement leaders and funders to set the grantmaking strategy and determine how VFF’s resources are deployed. Power Table members know firsthand what’s wrong with the youth justice system and what their communities need, so they’ve funded an inspiring group of grantees.”
Selected by the VFF’s Power Table of eight youth organizers, four adult movement leaders and 11 funders, this first round of two-year general operating grants will help organizations advance their long-term visions for a youth justice system that helps, not harms, young people, communities and society. All organizations and projects are led by Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, Queer and Trans and AAPI communities. The grantees are working on a range of efforts, including abolition, restorative justice, calls to divest from policing and prisons and invest in vital community services and building the leadership and power of young people.
“We know that the youth legal system has to change and that youth organizers like myself, who are impacted by this issue, have the necessary analysis and vision for how best to transform it long term,” said Andrea Colon, a youth organizer member of the Power Table and co-director of Sis & Non-Cis.
“As youth movement leaders, often we’re told to sit back and hope that our calls for funding and support will reach the right ears without a chance to have a voice in the process of distributing funds. So I was thrilled to seize the opportunity to lend my voice to the Power Table to help maximize the impact of these grants and support as many incredibly transformative groups as possible,” said Jemima Abalogu, former youth justice ambassador at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
“We are proud to kick off the Visionary Freedom Fund with this inaugural cohort of grantees and we are humbled by the overwhelming amount of interest and applicants,” said Bryan Perlmutter, VFF’s project coordinator.
“We are inspired by the innovative leadership of youth organizers supporting their communities and carving out paths towards collective healing,” said Jessica Pierce, VFF’s project coordinator. “The impressive pool of applicants makes clear that young people across the country are not only seeking resources for transformative change, but they are also fundamentally community leaders who are building a vision for a future that is for everyone.”
VFF received more than 600 applications from youth organizations across the nation, representing a variety of innovative approaches to transform the justice system—from campaigns and leadership development to healing justice, arts and community building efforts. “I have been supporting youth organizers across 14 states to build state campaigns and close prisons. Knowing that there were 600 organizations doing similar powerful work just reveals the glaring funding gap that we must all galvanize to close,” said Hernan Carvente-Martinez, national youth partner strategist at Youth First Initiative.
“As a funding community, we have the opportunity to fund all 600 applicants if we can raise an additional $24 million,” said Erik Stegman, director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, an adult movement and philanthropic leader at the Power Table. “Investing in youth traditionally left out of philanthropic resources, like Native youth, gender expansive youth, women and girls or Black youth, is a must for philanthropy. They carry the burden, live the impact and are the untapped and underinvested visionaries for change.”
“Together, by pooling our resources, we can boldly transfer power to young people and ensure that resources are deployed precisely to where and to whom needs them the most,” said Loan Tran, adult movement leader at the Power Table and co-chair of the Third Wave Fund advisory council. “We invite funders and donors to join the Visionary Freedom Fund and our learning community at affund.org/visionaryfreedomfund.”
You can also learn more about VFF on the latest episode of the Out Of The Margins podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear from members of the Power Table, including one of its youth leaders, and learn about the importance of funding youth-led organizing, the grantmaking process and lessons learned along the way.
The 26 organizations selected for VFF’s inaugural cohort are:
###
About the Visionary Freedom Fund:
The Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) seeks to ensure that frontline communities have the resources, capacities, supports, infrastructure and relationships that they need to develop and implement inspiring long-term strategies to transform the youth justice system. VFF’s Power Table is a youth-led collective whose members come together to inform values-aligned funders about how to support their long-term visions for youth justice. Together, they will help transform the way philanthropy partners with frontline communities by creating equal representation at the table where grantmaking strategies and decisions are made. VFF’s philanthropic partners include the Akonadi, Hazen, Heising Simons, Libra, Ms., Perrin Family, Pinkerton, Satterberg and Public Welfare foundations, as well as Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and the Andrus Family Fund. Learn more at affund.org/visionaryfreedomfund
About the Andrus Family Fund:
The Andrus Family Fund (AFF), a program of the Surdna Foundation, is a leading national social justice funder that believes that young people deserve more than one opportunity at a good, sustainable life. AFF supports youth ages 16-24 who are impacted by child welfare, youth justice or other disruptive systems. Learn more at affund.org
VFF distributes $2.5 million to 26 youth-led groups transforming the justice system and invites donors to join the movement to fund all 600 applicants
NEW YORK — The Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) today announced its inaugural cohort of grant recipients, distributing $2.5 million over two years to resource 26 youth-led organizations on the frontlines of transforming the youth justice system.
“Young people are articulating solutions and realizing wins to end our nation’s systemic punishment, criminalization and violence against Black, Brown and Indigenous youth,” said Manuela Arciniegas, director of the Andrus Family Fund, which launched the Visionary Freedom Fund. “Yet, few funders support youth justice movements, let alone give young people a say in what gets funded. In response, the Visionary Freedom Fund formed the Power Table where youth organizers collaborate with movement leaders and funders to set the grantmaking strategy and determine how VFF’s resources are deployed. Power Table members know firsthand what’s wrong with the youth justice system and what their communities need, so they’ve funded an inspiring group of grantees.”
Selected by the VFF’s Power Table of eight youth organizers, four adult movement leaders and 11 funders, this first round of two-year general operating grants will help organizations advance their long-term visions for a youth justice system that helps, not harms, young people, communities and society. All organizations and projects are led by Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, Queer and Trans and AAPI communities. The grantees are working on a range of efforts, including abolition, restorative justice, calls to divest from policing and prisons and invest in vital community services and building the leadership and power of young people.
“We know that the youth legal system has to change and that youth organizers like myself, who are impacted by this issue, have the necessary analysis and vision for how best to transform it long term,” said Andrea Colon, a youth organizer member of the Power Table and co-director of Sis & Non-Cis.
“As youth movement leaders, often we’re told to sit back and hope that our calls for funding and support will reach the right ears without a chance to have a voice in the process of distributing funds. So I was thrilled to seize the opportunity to lend my voice to the Power Table to help maximize the impact of these grants and support as many incredibly transformative groups as possible,” said Jemima Abalogu, former youth justice ambassador at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
“We are proud to kick off the Visionary Freedom Fund with this inaugural cohort of grantees and we are humbled by the overwhelming amount of interest and applicants,” said Bryan Perlmutter, VFF’s project coordinator.
“We are inspired by the innovative leadership of youth organizers supporting their communities and carving out paths towards collective healing,” said Jessica Pierce, VFF’s project coordinator. “The impressive pool of applicants makes clear that young people across the country are not only seeking resources for transformative change, but they are also fundamentally community leaders who are building a vision for a future that is for everyone.”
VFF received more than 600 applications from youth organizations across the nation, representing a variety of innovative approaches to transform the justice system—from campaigns and leadership development to healing justice, arts and community building efforts. “I have been supporting youth organizers across 14 states to build state campaigns and close prisons. Knowing that there were 600 organizations doing similar powerful work just reveals the glaring funding gap that we must all galvanize to close,” said Hernan Carvente-Martinez, national youth partner strategist at Youth First Initiative.
“As a funding community, we have the opportunity to fund all 600 applicants if we can raise an additional $24 million,” said Erik Stegman, director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, an adult movement and philanthropic leader at the Power Table. “Investing in youth traditionally left out of philanthropic resources, like Native youth, gender expansive youth, women and girls or Black youth, is a must for philanthropy. They carry the burden, live the impact and are the untapped and underinvested visionaries for change.”
“Together, by pooling our resources, we can boldly transfer power to young people and ensure that resources are deployed precisely to where and to whom needs them the most,” said Loan Tran, adult movement leader at the Power Table and co-chair of the Third Wave Fund advisory council. “We invite funders and donors to join the Visionary Freedom Fund and our learning community at affund.org/visionaryfreedomfund.”
You can also learn more about VFF on the latest episode of the Out Of The Margins podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear from members of the Power Table, including one of its youth leaders, and learn about the importance of funding youth-led organizing, the grantmaking process and lessons learned along the way.
The 26 organizations selected for VFF’s inaugural cohort are:
###
About the Visionary Freedom Fund:
The Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) seeks to ensure that frontline communities have the resources, capacities, supports, infrastructure and relationships that they need to develop and implement inspiring long-term strategies to transform the youth justice system. VFF’s Power Table is a youth-led collective whose members come together to inform values-aligned funders about how to support their long-term visions for youth justice. Together, they will help transform the way philanthropy partners with frontline communities by creating equal representation at the table where grantmaking strategies and decisions are made. VFF’s philanthropic partners include the Akonadi, Hazen, Heising Simons, Libra, Ms., Perrin Family, Pinkerton, Satterberg and Public Welfare foundations, as well as Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and the Andrus Family Fund. Learn more at affund.org/visionaryfreedomfund
About the Andrus Family Fund:
The Andrus Family Fund (AFF), a program of the Surdna Foundation, is a leading national social justice funder that believes that young people deserve more than one opportunity at a good, sustainable life. AFF supports youth ages 16-24 who are impacted by child welfare, youth justice or other disruptive systems. Learn more at affund.org
In 2017, the Andrus Family Fund welcomed our first cohort of community members, ushering in a new era of next-gen philanthropic leadership. We have since elected our first community member, C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser, to serve as Board Chair — the only Black woman to do so in AFF history. Under her leadership, AFF family and community board members have continued to advance trust-based philanthropic practices, racial equity and social justice grantmaking led by youth impacted by child welfare, youth justice and other harmful systems. Now, we have the opportunity to bring even more wisdom and lived experiences to the table by inviting four new community members, as well as one family member, to our board.
“The fight for racial justice requires all hands on deck, and it is integral that BIPOC, directly impacted, next-generation leaders are in a position to strategically direct the flow of philanthropic resources to communities. I am proud of the Andrus Family Fund’s commitment to sharing power and stepping into more accountability through these newly elected board members. These inspiring leaders embody a deep dedication to youth, transformative change and true power building.”
— Manuela Arciniegas, Director of the Andrus Family Fund
This new chapter at the Andrus Family Fund is a testament of our commitment to lean into more participatory grantmaking in order to shift power to directly-impacted leaders. Our board is a reflection of that commitment. As we continue to evolve as a funder, building a more inclusive board will make us more accountable to the communities we serve.
“One of the most powerful actions a family foundation board can take is to share its power with community members. It allows your foundation to be more responsive to grantee needs and move resources precisely where communities need them. The Andrus Family Fund has reimagined its board in service of its mission. It’s an innovative governance model for family philanthropy that centers racial equity in a concrete and authentic way.”
— Kelly Nowlin, Chair of the Andrus Family Philanthropy Program and Surdna Board Member
We entrusted two consulting firms founded and led by women of color to aid us in our nationwide search for community members: Forward Movement and Movement Talent. We are grateful that they introduced us to our 2021 cohort of social justice leaders.
Jesus Gonzalez
Jesus is a social political analyst, organizing strategist and Puerto Rican activist. He is one of the founding members of Make the Road New York (an AFF grantee partner), where he began as a Youth Organizer and later as its Political Director. Jesus currently serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Center for Popular Democracy (also an AFF grantee partner).
“Youth organizing has consistently been the spark that lights the flame in social justice movements. That fire that’s needed to make the necessary changes for communities of color throughout our country. Andrus is right there beside them, to nurture and support their leadership. I’m honored to join the board and help amplify the fund’s mission.”
Daryl Hannah
Daryl is the Senior Director for Narrative Strategy with the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity (AFRE). Prior to joining AFRE, Daryl was a Vice President at BerlinRosen, where he led strategic arts, media and culture campaigns to advance racial equity for non-profits, international foundations and cultural institutions.
“At a time when the dignity and rights of young people of color are under attack, it’s more important than ever to support organizations leading direct service, community organizing, advocacy and other capacity building efforts that connect young people to the positive supports and resources needed for long and successful lives. I’m honored to join the AFF board and to support the Fund’s bold reimagining of philanthropy and social justice.”
Elizabeth Olsson
Elizabeth has over 15 years of experience working with diverse groups of stakeholders to advance education equity and improve outcomes for marginalized children and youth. She recently served as a Senior Program and Policy Specialist for the National Education Association (NEA). Elizabeth earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University and a Master of Teaching from PACE University.
“I’m excited by AFF’s mission to foster just and sustainable change by supporting organizations working to improve outcomes for vulnerable youth. I’m eager to leverage my experience working with directly impacted youth and families to advance systems change to inform and support the Fund’s strategic direction as a community board member.”
Marcus Pope
Marcus is the Vice President of Youthprise in Minnesota, where he oversees grantmaking, development, policy advocacy, communications and special initiatives in service of young people. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Minnesota Council on Foundations and the Mardag Foundation, serves as Trustee for Wallin Education Partners, the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, Co-chair of the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood Community Council, and member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the U of M College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).
“It’s an honor to serve as a new board member for the Andrus Family Fund. I look forward to helping advance the Fund’s inspiring work that is truly a game changer for promising youth and the organizations that serve them.”
Zelpha Williams
Zelpha is a family member who participated in the Andrus Family Philanthropy Program, BETs, twice. She is a Johns Hopkins University graduate and taught high school mathematics through Teach for America at City on a Hill Charter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Zelpha is currently pursuing a law degree at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
“When it comes to advancing racial justice, it’s not only about what you fund; it’s also about how you fund and who is at the table. I’m delighted to welcome the Andrus Family Fund’s newest community and family board members. Together they bring the knowledge, community connections and diverse perspectives to make AFF’s grantmaking even more impactful.”
— Don Chen, President of the Surdna Foundation
The following article is co-authored by Manuela Arciniegas, Director of AFF, Bryan Perlmutter and Jessica Pierce of Piece by Piece Strategies. Manuela is also a Philanthropic Partner of the Visionary Freedom Fund, an AFF initiative that seeks to ensure that frontline communities have the resources, capacities, supports, infrastructure and relationships they need to develop and implement inspiring long-term strategies that will transform the youth justice system. Bryan and Jess serve as Project Coordinators for the Visionary Freedom Fund.
Society is battling threats on multiple fronts: The pandemic, ongoing police brutality and anti-Black violence, rapid climate change — and the cascading effects are falling squarely on the shoulders of Black, brown and Indigenous youth and their communities.
Despite facing mounting challenges, young people and community organizing groups are articulating solutions and realizing substantial wins — and have been doing so for decades.
Youth-led organizers have championed the call for divesting from prisons, defunding the police and investing more in education, housing and social services. They have helped elevate these demands to the mainstream dialogue, contributing to momentum behind a new federal bill called the BREATHE Act and some public schools ending their contracts with police.
Grantee partner Young Women’s Freedom Center. Photo by Brooke Anderson.
We in philanthropy who work closely with young leaders know that resourcing youth organizing groups is part of the formula for social change. Yet, foundations give roughly $200 million per year to youth organizing — a drop in the bucket compared to $1.8 billion in funding for youth development. And few funders give youth a direct say over where and how these funds should be deployed.
So why aren’t more funders giving youth organizers more grants over the long haul? Why are we afraid to follow the leadership of young people and cede decision-making power?
White supremacy is holding funders back
Philanthropic refusal to listen to grantees and, beyond soliciting advice, formally committing to position directly impacted people at the decision-making table, is our largest deficiency as a sector. For far too long, too many funders have talked about sharing power with grantee partners, only to end up stalled in the land of theory and no action.
Communities would rightfully pull our grant and refuse to fund us ever again were the power dynamic to be reversed. Yet, while we have seen a number of participatory grantmaking models in action, most foundations have delayed creating formal mechanisms that give communities a direct say over grants.
A large reason why is the continued influence and power of white supremacy.
Inherent to white supremacy is that Black, Latinx, Asian American and Indigenous youth and their communities are unequal to white communities and unworthy of equal power, access and economic investment. White supremacy has excluded BIPOC communities and their intellectual powers from the mainstream narratives and closed doors to the rooms where decision-making happens, treating them as incapable of managing their own economic and political power.
Philanthropy, much like our national identity and economy, was originally constructed on a foundation of white supremacy. Like it or not, it has and continues to shape how foundations work. Most philanthropic institutions fund organizations that they believe have the best ideas, strategies and shots at success. Often, their confidence is rooted in the false narrative that wealth equals expertise and that, as a result, some community-based nonprofits, especially in BIPOC communities, can’t possibly have better solutions than their foundation colleagues.
However, what would happen if we widely practiced a philanthropic model that requires funders to resource organizations that movement groups believe are best positioned to lead and deserve resources?
What would happen if we acknowledged the white supremacist elephant in the room, let alone do something about it?
The opportunity to build aligned, lasting power
The question of stewardship of resources and decision-making power is where philanthropy can contest white supremacy. In reflecting on philanthropy’s practices, funders have the opportunity to transform themselves from the inside out.
Grantee partner FCYO’S 2020 Youth Organizing Snapshot: A Field Poised to Lead.
In doing so, they can transfer power to directly impacted youth and build long-term power for BIPOC communities. More importantly, we can ensure that resources are deployed precisely where they are needed most — from the perspective of communities who carry the burden and live the impact.
Here are 6 steps funders can take to challenge white supremacy, shift power to communities and support youth-designed transformative, visionary freedom:
1. Reckon with racism, white supremacy and power.
Funders must make time to do the personal work of learning about and undoing racism, white supremacy and power.
There is a wide gap between the lived experiences of those with more access to wealth and low-income, BIPOC communities, which is evident in the family philanthropy sector. To bridge this gap, trustees and staff must commit to education and set aside the time to become anti-racist.
Board and staff must take this learning journey together to understand, identify and actively change the policies, behaviors and beliefs that perpetuate racism. This will help heal the harm caused by institutional and generational racism often shouldered by communities and staff of color.
It will also open foundations to a culture of not just listening but acting accountably. It can widen the entry way for traditionally overlooked and excluded youth and communities to participate democratically and begin the accountability and healing process required to truly end the harm caused by racism.
2. Bring youth and communities to the table.
Sometimes funders believe it’s not possible to include youth voices in decision-making. But in reality, there are several funder collaboratives that closely engage BIPOC youth organizing groups so that those closest to the problem inform funding to their communities.
These models build relationships and skills for youth and funders and root decisions in the lived experiences and realities of those who will directly benefit from the change being funded.
The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing, Grantmakers for Girls of Color and the Communities for Just Schools Fund are exemplars of how to consult, involve and value the voices of youth organizers.
The Native Voices Rising Fund has committees of youth and community members who actively direct grantmaking. The abundance of investment opportunities shows that we only need to unlock the willingness to share capital with communities in poverty.
3. Nurture and fund interdependence.
We must prioritize funding in intersectional, interconnected and collaborative ways, and support networks of organizations to steward resources together.
This approach promotes interdependence and collective problem-solving. The California Funders for Boys and Men of Color aligns resources and networks held by the CEOs from the state’s leading philanthropic institutions to support a constellation of groups serving BIPOC men and boys, helping lessen competition and support collaborative approaches.
Justice Funders have developed a Resonance Framework to support foundations in democratizing power and shifting economic control to communities while reducing extraction and promoting a just transition.
4. Be accountable to communities.
In practice, the threshold for movement leaders to be deemed expert enough to sit on philanthropic advisory boards is inequitable, by far surpassing the requirements to sit on family philanthropy boards.
If philanthropy wants to catalyze change beyond grant life cycles, it must be willing to cede decision-making power to those directly impacted by how those dollars will flow to youth-led work. The Decolonizing Wealth Project regularly educates donors on the imperative of shifting power and returning resources to communities as a path towards collective healing.
Electing directly impacted youth community board members, building funding advisory councils and moving resources to participatory grantmaking vehicles are just some of the necessary commitments that would proactively support youth leadership.
Hiring staff from the organizations and communities they fund and creating leadership pipelines for young people for these positions would not only provide additional support, but also help increase foundations’ accountability to communities and the movements that sustain them.
5. Engage in solidarity philanthropy.
Funding visionary work requires a deep level of trust, and the burden is on funders and trustees to extend trust to their partners — especially young people.
Many of the antiquated rules funders follow slow grantees and funders down. Part with these practices! Trust-based philanthropy outlines a set of six principles that we can collectively use. We must create diverse learning and action spaces dedicated to building solidarity relationships with movements, like the Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) or Funders for Justice.
To follow the lead of directly impacted communities and learn how they are networked and collaborate, funders must build authentic relationships with those communities and examine biases against youth leadership. Foundation staff should do the heavy lifting.
6. Join the Visionary Freedom Fund learning community.
The Andrus Family Fund’s recently-launched Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) is an example of participatory grantmaking that moves decision-making power to young people directly impacted by the youth justice system. VFF’s Power Table has convened 8 youth organizers with a broad vision of what their communities need to thrive, 4 adult movement leaders and 11 funders to collaboratively determine where the $2.6 million initiative should distribute its resources.
As we embark on this experiment to design new grantmaking structures rooted in collectivism, interdependence, transferring power, right relationship and creative visioning, we invite other funders to join the VFF Learning Community. Together, we can learn and act toward transformative change for youth and their communities.
The following article is co-authored by Manuela Arciniegas, Director of AFF, Bryan Perlmutter and Jessica Pierce of Piece by Piece Strategies. Manuela is also a Philanthropic Partner of the Visionary Freedom Fund, an AFF initiative that seeks to ensure that frontline communities have the resources, capacities, supports, infrastructure and relationships they need to develop and implement inspiring long-term strategies that will transform the youth justice system. Bryan and Jess serve as Project Coordinators for the Visionary Freedom Fund.
Society is battling threats on multiple fronts: The pandemic, ongoing police brutality and anti-Black violence, rapid climate change — and the cascading effects are falling squarely on the shoulders of Black, brown and Indigenous youth and their communities.
Despite facing mounting challenges, young people and community organizing groups are articulating solutions and realizing substantial wins — and have been doing so for decades.
Youth-led organizers have championed the call for divesting from prisons, defunding the police and investing more in education, housing and social services. They have helped elevate these demands to the mainstream dialogue, contributing to momentum behind a new federal bill called the BREATHE Act and some public schools ending their contracts with police.
Grantee partner Young Women’s Freedom Center. Photo by Brooke Anderson.
We in philanthropy who work closely with young leaders know that resourcing youth organizing groups is part of the formula for social change. Yet, foundations give roughly $200 million per year to youth organizing — a drop in the bucket compared to $1.8 billion in funding for youth development. And few funders give youth a direct say over where and how these funds should be deployed.
So why aren’t more funders giving youth organizers more grants over the long haul? Why are we afraid to follow the leadership of young people and cede decision-making power?
White supremacy is holding funders back
Philanthropic refusal to listen to grantees and, beyond soliciting advice, formally committing to position directly impacted people at the decision-making table, is our largest deficiency as a sector. For far too long, too many funders have talked about sharing power with grantee partners, only to end up stalled in the land of theory and no action.
Communities would rightfully pull our grant and refuse to fund us ever again were the power dynamic to be reversed. Yet, while we have seen a number of participatory grantmaking models in action, most foundations have delayed creating formal mechanisms that give communities a direct say over grants.
A large reason why is the continued influence and power of white supremacy.
Inherent to white supremacy is that Black, Latinx, Asian American and Indigenous youth and their communities are unequal to white communities and unworthy of equal power, access and economic investment. White supremacy has excluded BIPOC communities and their intellectual powers from the mainstream narratives and closed doors to the rooms where decision-making happens, treating them as incapable of managing their own economic and political power.
Philanthropy, much like our national identity and economy, was originally constructed on a foundation of white supremacy. Like it or not, it has and continues to shape how foundations work. Most philanthropic institutions fund organizations that they believe have the best ideas, strategies and shots at success. Often, their confidence is rooted in the false narrative that wealth equals expertise and that, as a result, some community-based nonprofits, especially in BIPOC communities, can’t possibly have better solutions than their foundation colleagues.
However, what would happen if we widely practiced a philanthropic model that requires funders to resource organizations that movement groups believe are best positioned to lead and deserve resources?
What would happen if we acknowledged the white supremacist elephant in the room, let alone do something about it?
The opportunity to build aligned, lasting power
The question of stewardship of resources and decision-making power is where philanthropy can contest white supremacy. In reflecting on philanthropy’s practices, funders have the opportunity to transform themselves from the inside out.
Grantee partner FCYO’S 2020 Youth Organizing Snapshot: A Field Poised to Lead.
In doing so, they can transfer power to directly impacted youth and build long-term power for BIPOC communities. More importantly, we can ensure that resources are deployed precisely where they are needed most — from the perspective of communities who carry the burden and live the impact.
Here are 6 steps funders can take to challenge white supremacy, shift power to communities and support youth-designed transformative, visionary freedom:
1. Reckon with racism, white supremacy and power.
Funders must make time to do the personal work of learning about and undoing racism, white supremacy and power.
There is a wide gap between the lived experiences of those with more access to wealth and low-income, BIPOC communities, which is evident in the family philanthropy sector. To bridge this gap, trustees and staff must commit to education and set aside the time to become anti-racist.
Board and staff must take this learning journey together to understand, identify and actively change the policies, behaviors and beliefs that perpetuate racism. This will help heal the harm caused by institutional and generational racism often shouldered by communities and staff of color.
It will also open foundations to a culture of not just listening but acting accountably. It can widen the entry way for traditionally overlooked and excluded youth and communities to participate democratically and begin the accountability and healing process required to truly end the harm caused by racism.
2. Bring youth and communities to the table.
Sometimes funders believe it’s not possible to include youth voices in decision-making. But in reality, there are several funder collaboratives that closely engage BIPOC youth organizing groups so that those closest to the problem inform funding to their communities.
These models build relationships and skills for youth and funders and root decisions in the lived experiences and realities of those who will directly benefit from the change being funded.
The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing, Grantmakers for Girls of Color and the Communities for Just Schools Fund are exemplars of how to consult, involve and value the voices of youth organizers.
The Native Voices Rising Fund has committees of youth and community members who actively direct grantmaking. The abundance of investment opportunities shows that we only need to unlock the willingness to share capital with communities in poverty.
3. Nurture and fund interdependence.
We must prioritize funding in intersectional, interconnected and collaborative ways, and support networks of organizations to steward resources together.
This approach promotes interdependence and collective problem-solving. The California Funders for Boys and Men of Color aligns resources and networks held by the CEOs from the state’s leading philanthropic institutions to support a constellation of groups serving BIPOC men and boys, helping lessen competition and support collaborative approaches.
Justice Funders have developed a Resonance Framework to support foundations in democratizing power and shifting economic control to communities while reducing extraction and promoting a just transition.
4. Be accountable to communities.
In practice, the threshold for movement leaders to be deemed expert enough to sit on philanthropic advisory boards is inequitable, by far surpassing the requirements to sit on family philanthropy boards.
If philanthropy wants to catalyze change beyond grant life cycles, it must be willing to cede decision-making power to those directly impacted by how those dollars will flow to youth-led work. The Decolonizing Wealth Project regularly educates donors on the imperative of shifting power and returning resources to communities as a path towards collective healing.
Electing directly impacted youth community board members, building funding advisory councils and moving resources to participatory grantmaking vehicles are just some of the necessary commitments that would proactively support youth leadership.
Hiring staff from the organizations and communities they fund and creating leadership pipelines for young people for these positions would not only provide additional support, but also help increase foundations’ accountability to communities and the movements that sustain them.
5. Engage in solidarity philanthropy.
Funding visionary work requires a deep level of trust, and the burden is on funders and trustees to extend trust to their partners — especially young people.
Many of the antiquated rules funders follow slow grantees and funders down. Part with these practices! Trust-based philanthropy outlines a set of six principles that we can collectively use. We must create diverse learning and action spaces dedicated to building solidarity relationships with movements, like the Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) or Funders for Justice.
To follow the lead of directly impacted communities and learn how they are networked and collaborate, funders must build authentic relationships with those communities and examine biases against youth leadership. Foundation staff should do the heavy lifting.
6. Join the Visionary Freedom Fund learning community.
The Andrus Family Fund’s recently-launched Visionary Freedom Fund (VFF) is an example of participatory grantmaking that moves decision-making power to young people directly impacted by the youth justice system. VFF’s Power Table has convened 8 youth organizers with a broad vision of what their communities need to thrive, 4 adult movement leaders and 11 funders to collaboratively determine where the $2.6 million initiative should distribute its resources.
As we embark on this experiment to design new grantmaking structures rooted in collectivism, interdependence, transferring power, right relationship and creative visioning, we invite other funders to join the VFF Learning Community. Together, we can learn and act toward transformative change for youth and their communities.