The Catalytic Philanthropy Podcast

Discover how lean funders can nurture the fundamental conditions for any systems-change effort, no matter the specific issue or goal - by helping to build the civic culture of their community. By civic culture, we mean the ability of people in a community to come together, agree on a goal that is important to them, and get things done together. Our guest is Rich Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute, a 40-year old organization that equips people, organizations, and communities with the tools to bridge divides, build capacity, and tackle shared challenges. By playing roles of listening, coaching, and teambuilding over time, the Harwood Institute, often in partnership with lean foundations, helps people find new ways to talk with each other, create different relationships, different norms, and new ways of working together. ----more----

Richard C. Harwood is the President and Founder of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. His Turning Outward approach to catalzying community-led change has spread to all 50 states and 40 countries worldwide. He is also the bestselling author of nine books, including his latest,The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation.

Systems change requires understanding the entire landscape and ecosystem of an issue - the people and organizations who touch the issue in all sectors; the economic, social, and political dimensions of the issue; and new ideas and emerging solutions that hold potential and promise. Understanding the issue in its complexity is essential to seeing where a foundation can play a catalytic role in making a system more responsive to people's lives, more equitable, more just. Find out how Lauren Blitzer, Executive Director of the Leland Fikes Foundation, approaches learning as an ongoing practice, building learning and experimentation into the foundation's culture. Lauren shares how she engages her board in constant learning and adaptation, as the foundation hones its ability to drive positive, long-term change in the face of complexity and uncertainty.
----more----

Lauren Blitzer is Executive Director of the Leland Fikes Foundation in Dallas, TX, focused on Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice; Democracy; and Dallas-Area Human Services. She holds a BS in mathematics from Haverford College and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business.

----more----

The Steelcase Foundation in Michigan is taking an in-depth look over ten years, at how the social service and business landscape in their community impacts the lived experience of a cohort of working families. In this two-part Podcast, President and CEO Dr. Daniel Williams shares how this immersive, years-long inquiry, complemented by immediate support to reduce harm, is already revealing how nonprofits, government agencies, and business employers create policies, schedules, and other structural elements that create roadblocks for mothers and children. Over time, the experiences of the families in the cohort will illuminate, with clarity and specificity, how the system was designed with little consideration for the families' complex lived reality. The foundation expects the detailed insights that emerge, and the recommendations made by the families themselves, will empower the foundation, its partners, and the families to design a new model for targeted wrap-around support, to stabilize families and allow them to flourish. The work will reveal scalable solutions for policy, advocacy, and philanthropy. The essence, as Daniel shares, is to center families' experience and voices in systems design.

----more----

Working to advance justice through education, philanthropy, and community engagement, Dr. Daniel Williams believes deeply in the innate brilliance of community and the importance of centering the voices of those so often marginalized or ignored. As President + CEO of the Steelcase Foundation, Daniel leads strategies that elevate community voice and strengthen partnerships to drive broader social change. Previously, he advanced equity and innovation as President + CEO of the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and as co-founder + principal of Grand Rapids University Prep Academy. His work is grounded in justice, liberation, and equity-centered design, and extends to civic leadership through board service and state appointments focused on education, philanthropy, and opportunity.

The Steelcase Foundation in Michigan is taking an in-depth look over ten years, at how the social service and business landscape in their community impacts the lived experience of a cohort of working families. In this two-part Podcast, President and CEO Dr. Daniel Williams shares how this immersive, years-long inquiry, complemented by immediate support to reduce harm, is already revealing how nonprofits, government agencies, and business employers create policies, schedules, and other structural elements that create roadblocks for mothers and children. Over time, the experiences of the families in the cohort will illuminate, with clarity and specificity, how the system was designed with little consideration for the families' complex lived reality. The foundation expects the detailed insights that emerge, and the recommendations made by the families themselves, will empower the foundation, its partners, and the families to design a new model for targeted wrap-around support, to stabilize families and allow them to flourish. The work will reveal scalable solutions for policy, advocacy, and philanthropy. The essence, as Daniel shares, is to center families' experience and voices in systems design.
----more----

Working to advance justice through education, philanthropy, and community engagement, Dr. Daniel Williams believes deeply in the innate brilliance of community and the importance of centering the voices of those so often marginalized or ignored. As President + CEO of the Steelcase Foundation, Daniel leads strategies that elevate community voice and strengthen partnerships to drive broader social change. Previously, he advanced equity and innovation as President + CEO of the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and as co-founder + principal of Grand Rapids University Prep Academy. His work is grounded in justice, liberation, and equity-centered design, and extends to civic leadership through board service and state appointments focused on education, philanthropy, and opportunity.

When board and staff of The Music Man Foundation shifted from funding immediate needs to focusing on long-term systemic change, the foundation went all-in. Engaging partners in open-ended conversations revealed opportunities to integrate music and the arts into the nation's fabric in new and permanent ways. The foundation chose one of these big ideas - the significant opportunity to embed music and the arts into the nation's healthcare practices, and committed itself. Executive Director Sarah Lyding shares how her staff and board pursued a strategy embracing convening, advocacy, and multi-year general operating support to advance the goal and build a new field of practice. Learn how a lean foundation can help drive big change with a razor-sharp focus, and the creative application of its unique powers.

----more----

Sarah Lyding is the founding Executive Director of The Music Man Foundation. Driven by the arts’ capacity to build empathy and promote understanding of diverse viewpoints, she has spent her entire career working in arts administration. Previously, she was Executive Director for The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

The Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund shifted its grant reporting process from written reports to inviting conversations with partners. Executive Director Lauren Scott approached these conversations by asking open-ended questions, and listening. What she and her staff heard offered a window into what nonprofit leaders across the city were struggling with. Hear how Lauren opened up these conversations, and the actions taken to respond. The foundation funded and also created capacity building programs for grantees and the wider community of nonprofits. As Lauren reflects on this work, she asks, "If our partners are asking for something, why wouldn't we provide it?"

----more----

Lauren Scott is Executive Director of the Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund, a place-based family foundation in Galveston, Texas. A systems thinker and coalition builder, she aligns mission and values with strategy to advance the community’s vision for its future, delivering outsized impact through trust-based philanthropy, innovative investments, and intentional partnerships.

During a year of massive funding cuts to the nation's social service providers, the Weissberg Foundation is challenging traditional assumptions in philanthropy about foundation spending. As Executive Director Ricshawn Adkins Roane puts it, "Five percent is a floor, not a ceiling." Find out why staff and board members decided to spend twice the amount originally budgeted, to support their nonprofit partners and the vulnerable communities they serve. Hear the case Ricshawn and her board make to other foundations.
----more----

Ricshawn Adkins Roane works at the intersection of philanthropy, public opinion, and policy for economic, racial, and gender justice. Since late 2021, she has served as Executive Director of the Weissberg Foundation, a family foundation rooted in Virginia that advances organizations and efforts building the power of those most negatively impacted by racism.

The Weissberg Foundation, a leanly staffed foundation in Virginia, chose to double its spending to support partners and communities in a year of massive funding cuts to nonprofit organizations. Executive Director Ricshawn Adkins Roane shares the staff and board's decision process for spending considerably more, and their goals for supporting communities facing unprecedented hardship and threats. She also shares how the foundation accelerated funding and streamlined application and reporting.

----more----

Ricshawn Adkins Roane works at the intersection of philanthropy, public opinion, and policy for economic, racial, and gender justice. Since late 2021, she has served as Executive Director of the Weissberg Foundation, a family foundation rooted in Virginia that advances organizations and efforts building the power of those most negatively impacted by racism.

In Oklahoma City, the Expressions of Hope Foundation, the corporate foundation for Express Employment International, leverages its ties to Oklahoma City businesses to build and strengthen nonprofits. Director of Corporate Philanthropy Jessica Gilmore shares how and why she finances memberships for nonprofits to the network of Chambers of Commerce across the city. The idea emerged while Jessica was doing listening interviews as a cohort member in Exponent's Intro to Catalytic Leadership Program. Jessica explores the very tangible and also the more intangible benefits that nonprofits gain from sitting at tables with the city's corporations.

----more----

Jessica M. Gilmore is Director of Corporate Philanthropy at Express Employment International. Jessica is an Oklahoma native and community advocate, seeking to transform corporate philanthropy as a resource partner and community convener. She manages all the day-to-day aspects of corporate giving, and also oversees the management and administration of Express’ private foundation, Expressions of Hope. Jessica is a graduate of LOKC Signature Class 38. Her areas of service include Central Oklahoma Funders’ Roundtable, Exponent Philanthropy, Leadership Oklahoma City, and the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.

Lean foundations make bets on new, creative ideas for addressing social and environmental challenges. Learn how a foundation with one staff person helped tackle the childcare scarcity in Connecticut, by helping build a new incubator model to help women start and grow family childcare businesses. In this two-part Podcast, Kimberley Russo of the Fund for Greater Hartford shares, step-by-step, how the foundation uses its powers to convene, advocate, collaborate, and champion, to help catalyze a new vision and model for solving a critical issue, while building economic opportunity for women.

----more----

Kimberley Russo is Executive Director of The Fund for Greater Hartford. She is a founding member of the Connecticut Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, past board chair of the CT Network for Children and Youth, and a current board member of CT Voices for Children and the CT Council for Philanthropy. Prior to joining the Fund, Kim was with the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, serving most recently in the role of Director of Community Investment.

Lean foundations make bets on new, creative ideas for addressing social and environmental challenges. Learn how a foundation with one staff person helped tackle the childcare scarcity in Connecticut, by helping build a new incubator model to help women start and grow family childcare businesses. In the 2nd part of her Podcast, Kimberley Russo of the Fund for Greater Hartfordshares, step-by-step, how the foundation uses its powers to convene, advocate, collaborate, and champion, to help catalyze a new vision and model for solving a critical issue, while building economic opportunity for women.

----more----

Kimberley Russo is Executive Director of The Fund for Greater Hartford. She is a founding member of the Connecticut Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, past board chair of the CT Network for Children and Youth, and a current board member of CT Voices for Children and the CT Council for Philanthropy. Before joining the Fund, Kim was with the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, serving most recently in the role of Director of Community Investment.

No matter their mission, culture, or focus, every foundation's first steps toward Catalytic Leadership follow a similar path. A foundation staff person, trustee, donor, or family member ventures into the community to listen, get to know people, and become immersed in an issue. Immersing oneself and getting close to people with knowledge reveals opportunities to use grants and the foundation's other resources in targeted, powerful ways. In this Podcast, we explore these early stages in funders' evolution from grantmaker to changemaker through the lens of funders' experience in Exponent Philanthropy's Intro to Catalytic Leadership Program. The program provides skills training in deep listening and asking powerful questions and then guides participants as they venture into their communities to do listening interviews across the landscape. The experiences of Fayth and Jennifer offer an insider's look at how listening leads to transformation.

Podcast Guest Bios

A program officer at the Hau'oli Mau Loa Foundation, Fayth Paekukui leverages over 12 years of expertise in program management, philanthropy, and development. Fayth is dedicated to fostering impactful initiatives and enhancing opportunities for underserved communities. She balances her professional pursuits with family time, travel, and a deep love for her four beloved dogs.

A registered nurse by training, Jennifer Barborak serves as Executive Director of Buhl Regional Health Foundation. The foundation builds upon collaborative efforts to address health disparities and overcome inequities. Jennifer founded Shenango River Watchers, the City of Sharon Beautification Commission, Friends of MERP, WaterFire Sharon, and the Sharon High School Robotics Team.

Want to Learn More?

Join Exponent Philanthropy's upcoming cohort, Intro to Catalytic Leadership Program, beginning March 26. Learn more and register here >>

Leanly staffed foundations can influence how other foundations practice philanthropy. By working in creative, entrepreneurial ways, these agile funders make new or non-traditional practices more accessible for their peers. Newman's Own Foundation is a lean foundation breaking the mold of corporate philanthropy. Paul Newman's legacy of giving 100 percent of the profits from the food company he established, sets the foundation apart from most models of corporate giving, where the norm is giving five percent or less. Join Alex Amouyel, the foundation's President and CEO, as she explores Newman's vision of generosity, and the unique arrangement established between the foundation and the business to amplify that vision.

***

Alex Amouyel is President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation whose mission is to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity. She leads the foundation’s efforts to utilize 100% of the profits from the sale of Newman’s Own products in service of this mission.

Developing knowledge and insight into a specific issue positions foundations to catalyze change. Learning deeply about an issue reveals gaps and leverage points where you can target foundation resources in the smartest ways. Malcolm Macleod, Board Chair of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, highlights a powerful way to acquire knowledge and insight - recruiting people in the community and field who have deep knowledge and lived experience, to serve on your foundation board. Malcolm explores how board recruitment has transformed the philanthropy, and how the foundation positions itself to find extraordinary leaders.

***

Malcolm Macleod was born in Canada, practiced law there for 25 years, and became president of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation in 2001. He transitioned to board chair in 2020. Malcolm is the author of The Practice of Philanthropy, A Guide for Foundation Boards and Staff. He consults, speaks, and volunteers for foundations and nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada.

Foundations practicing Catalytic Leadership understand that making deeper, lasting progress on a priority issue requires working with organizations across all sectors, and with community members directly. Catalytic leaders use their unique powers to connect, convene, and support collaboration. In this Podcast, President and CEO Debra Jacobs of the Patterson Foundation shares how her foundation applies this systems approach to helping children achieve grade-level reading by the end of third grade. Debra and her colleagues engage and support the persistent involvement of not only educators, but parents, families, caregivers, after-school programs, local businesses, local media, and other people who play a role in childrens' early school success. Fundamental to Debra and her colleagues' approach is to invite conversations across sectors, and elevate understanding and empathy, so community members can work together around shared aspirations.

***

As President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, Debra Jacobs champions the cause of creative collaboration. She has steered the foundation to work with partners to accelerate positive change by sharing fresh perspectives, contributing innovative ideas, and providing critical resources. Debra has advocated for community development throughout her career. Prior to joining The Patterson Foundation, she served as President of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation in Sarasota, and before then in leadership roles at Ringling College of Art and Design and SunTrust Bank, Gulf Coast.

Staff and board of theCrimsonbridge Foundation know that scholarship dollars have long played an important and familiar role to support student participation in tuition-based education. They've invested in building the capacity of schools from kindergarten through college to create welcoming, inclusive institutions that foster the sense of belonging needed to support student success. So when they looked for solutions to increase the participation of Hispanic students in Catholic schools, they proposed outreach, engagement, and communication strategies that went beyond traditional scholarships. These "beyond the grant" strategies not only increased school capacity, but student enrollment and family engagement.

***

Danielle M. Reyes is President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation. She has led the strategic development of the foundation’s operations and programs since its founding in 2015, and guides the philanthropic strategies of its affiliates Crimsonbridge Group and Crimsonbridge LLC. At Crimsonbridge, she has co-created an innovative entrepreneurial philanthropy model that integrates inclusion, equity, and communications strategies to foster authentic community-based partnerships that drive change in Education, Leadership Development, Communications Capacity Building, and the Environment. Danielle serves as the Board President for the DC Bar Foundation and has contributed her expertise to local organizations and national boards including the Taproot Foundation and Asian Americans Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

Danielle Reyes, President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, observes that many times, discussions about improving philanthropy call upon foundations to minimize their presence and agency. Danielle invites us to take a more complex view of foundations' role. In a series of Podcasts, she reminds us that money alone is not enough to make deeper, longer-lasting systems change. She observes that social sector organizations want their funders to do more - to step up and take actions that draw upon foundations' unique abilities, assets, and position. In Part 2, Danielle shares an example how the foundation goes far beyond grants to break through barriers to change, in the field of leadership development for nonprofit leaders of color.

***

Danielle M. Reyes is President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation. She has led the strategic development of the foundation’s operations and programs since its founding in 2015, and guides the philanthropic strategies of its affiliates Crimsonbridge Group and Crimsonbridge LLC. At Crimsonbridge, she has co-created an innovative entrepreneurial philanthropy model that integrates inclusion, equity, and communications strategies to foster authentic community-based partnerships that drive change in Education, Leadership Development, Communications Capacity Building, and the Environment. Danielle serves as the Board President for the DC Bar Foundation and has contributed her expertise to local organizations and national boards including the Taproot Foundation and Asian Americans Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

Danielle Reyes, President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, observes that many times, discussions about improving philanthropy call upon foundations to minimize their presence and agency. Danielle invites us to take a more complex view of foundations' role. In a series of Podcasts, she reminds us that money alone is not enough to make deeper, longer-lasting systems change. She observes that social sector organizations want their funders to do more - to step up and take actions that draw upon foundations' unique abilities, assets, and positions. In Part 1, Danielle explores why the Crimsonbridge Foundation uses all the assets and powers. Parts 2 and 3 highlight examples of how Danielle's team goes far beyond grants to break through barriers to change, in two specific focus areas - leadership development for nonprofit leaders of color, and first-generation college student success.

***

Danielle M. Reyes is President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation. She has led the strategic development of the foundation’s operations and programs since its founding in 2015 and guides the philanthropic strategies of its affiliates Crimsonbridge Group and Crimsonbridge LLC. At Crimsonbridge, she has co-created an innovative entrepreneurial philanthropy model that integrates inclusion, equity, and communications strategies to foster authentic community-based partnerships that drive change in Education, Leadership Development, Communications, Capacity Building, and the Environment. Danielle serves on the Board of the DC Bar Foundation and has contributed her expertise to local organizations and national boards including the Taproot Foundation and Asian Americans Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

Some say the highest and best use of philanthropy is to drive innovation and creativity. Champions of this role emphasize foundations' and donors' freedom to support - with grants and also connections - entrepreneurial people seeking to develop, test, and scale new approaches to the toughest issues. In this Podcast, meet Brett Howell and Kirsten Midura, the founder and lead staff of the Howell Conservation Fund (HCF). HCF is a lean funder dedicated to supporting innovation and market-based approaches in the environmental field. Across the U.S. and globally, nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs have visionary ideas that can take social and environmental problem-solving to new levels. Often, these leaders cannot find investors willing to back a new approach. Brett and Kirsten remind us that lean funders are perfectly positioned to be "the first funder." Get inspired about driving breakthrough innovation among your grantee partners.

***

Related Blogs:

https://www.exponentphilanthropy.org/blog/venture-philanthropy-and-the-worlds-most-plastic-polluted-beach/

https://www.exponentphilanthropy.org/blog/network-weaving-a-key-factor-in-my-philanthropic-success/

It was a win-win solution, hiding in plain sight. Community colleges could serve more parents with young children, if parents had easier access to affordable childcare. Head Start Centers, for their part, want to serve more families. Idea: If more community colleges could host Head Start Centers right on their campuses, eligible parents would have immediate access to free child care, colleges could better tap into a population of potential students, and Head Start centers could get free space and access to aspiring teachers. Abigail Seldin, founder of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, did what leanly staffed foundations are perfectly positioned to do - she saw the potential of a great idea, and took the initiative to act on it. Abigail brought together the Association of Community College Trustees and the National Head Start Association, and engaged another small funder, the ECMC Foundation, to provide a modest but critical grant to design ways for more Head Start Centers to locate to community college campuses. The idea is already attracting enthusiastic support from community colleges, Head Start programs, Federal Government agencies, and other potential partners. In this podcast, Abigail explores how the idea and vision emerged, and the steps her small foundation took to help make it a reality.

***

Abigail Seldin is CEO of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation (SHSF). Under her leadership, SHSF seeded Kids on Campus, a new effort with the National Head Start Association and Association of Community College Trustees to relocate Head Start centers to community college campuses. At SHSF, Abigail also launched a partnership with Getty Images to create new stock photos of today’s college students and published new data on transit inaccessibility that has generated bipartisan legislation. Abigail co-founded and sold a tech start-up and studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.