About This Episode

Indigenous organizers are at the forefront of revolutionary movements for sovereignty, environmental justice and land rights, movements that confront our largely ignored history of Native genocide and broken treaty promises. Yet, foundations, many who claim to support marginalized and underrepresented communities, spend just 0.4% of their annual funding on Native communities. Native causes are overlooked and underfunded by philanthropy. 

In this podcast, we hear from Indigenous organizer and tribal attorney, Tara Houska, and two social justice funders, Edgar Villanueva and Jason Franklin. We explore the tensions that arise when Indigenous activists seek grants to support their radical work and encounter funders that are hesitant to fund direct action, largely uneducated about Indigenous history, disconnected from struggles at the frontline, and financially linked to the industries that profit on the devastation of Native lands. 

Hosts

Abhinaya Narayanan

is a medical student in the UCLA PRIME program and a Master in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her background is in community organizing, policy, and advocacy to fight for social, racial, and economic justice for marginalized communities.

Oscar Echeverria

is a medical student in the UCLA PRIME program and a Master in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. His background is in community health and health disparities work, along with advocacy for racial justice and health equity.

Nneka Onwuzurike

is a joint Master in Public Policy and Master of Business Administration student at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. Her background is in creative writing, institutional fundraising, and donor organizing for local social justice organizations.

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Follow our interviewees on Twitter:

• Edgar Villanueva: https://twitter.com/VillanuevaEdgar
• Tara Houska: https://twitter.com/zhaabowekwe
• Jason Franklin: https://twitter.com/fundingchange

Keep up with their work:

• What is Line 3? Winona LaDuke Explains Line 3
• Take action to Stop Line 3
• Keep up with the Giniw Collective
• Learn more about Native Americans in Philanthropy
• Learn more about the Solidaire Network

Protest Law, Divestment, and the Vision for Climate Justice:

• The Red New Deal, an indigenous vision for climate justice: “A Red Deal” by Nick Estes (Jacobin)
• Bans on critical infrastructure protest: 

About This Episode

What happens when social movement activists receive leadership fellowships? In this podcast, three Harvard Kennedy School graduate fellows discuss philanthropic scholarships and fellowships given to “change agents.” They review the major foundations who are funding fellowships, examine the history of how this type of giving came about, think aloud some critiques and alternatives, then chat about their personal connections to this topic.

Hosts

Becky Mer

is a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, and she has previously worked in criminal justice reform in the United States and abroad.

Inayat Sabhikhi

is a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Administration candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. She is associated with the Right to Information and Right to Food movements in India. Talk to her about gully rap and Zadie Smith.

Samer Hjouj

is a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, and he has previously worked in education in Palestine.

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Videos

• Rockefeller Fellowship on Social Innovation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t6JyGoDnzQ
• Open Society Foundation for South Africa Commemorative Scholarship and Fellowship Awards 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCyTHhShfjA
• Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=43&v=qqH3Cib-Y5Q&feature=emb_logo
• 2019 Obama Foundation Fellows:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxPYxQ0KNkY
• Emerson Collective Dial Fellows:
• https://www.emersoncollective.com/organizations/emerson-collective-dial-fellowship/
• Harvard Lecture by Condoleeza Rice: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLYCE4NU9Hw
• Professor Randall Westbrook on W.E.B. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wollGiMRCIE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnACmH2ueSU

Books

• Capitalism: A Ghost Story by Arundhati Roy (2014)
• International Scholarships in Higher Education: Pathways to Social Change edited by Joan Dassin, Robin Marsh, and Matt Mawer (2017)
• The Lucky Few and the Worthy Many: Scholarship Competitions and the World’s Future Leaders edited by Warren F. Ilchman, Alice S. Ilchman, and Mary H. Tolar (2004)
• The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence (2007)
• Top Down: The Ford Foundation, Black Power, and the Reinvention of Racial Liberalism by Karen Ferguson (2013)

Articles

• Beilke, Jayne R. (1997) “The Changing Emphasis...

About This Episode

Lowell, MA; Hershey, PA, and… the Bay Area? Company towns don’t look like they used to, and tech hot spots are the company towns for today’s digital age. Heavyweights in philanthropy look a little different these days, too: tech phenoms unafraid of risk and hungry to problem solve, at times to a fault. Taking a historical lens to American company towns, we consider whether tech philanthropists can adopt and scale the blueprint a foundation used to innovatively revitalize a rural company town. From urban housing shortages to COVID-19, philanthropy’s human stakes have never been higher. In this podcast, we examine how the tech industry can get better at doing good.

Hosts

Amaya Bravo-France, MUP2020

is an urban planner focusing on housing and neighborhood development, and has worked on environmental and housing issues at nonprofit organizations in California.

Evita Chavez, MUP2 2020

comes to Harvard after working as a Legislative Assistant in the California State Senate, where she staffed the state’s groundbreaking accessory dwelling unit law in 2016 and advised on various housing legislation for Senator Bob Wieckowski.

Sophie Dover, MPA 2020

split her early career between both U.S. coasts in roles which spanned technology, communications, government, and the arts. She is a concurrent Dartmouth MBA.

John Joanino, MPP 2021

began his career in tech philanthropy managing charitable crowdfunding partnerships with celebrities at Omaze.com and most recently led digital communications at a racial equity policy advocacy organization in Los Angeles, California.

Learn More

America’s Company Towns-Smithsonian Magazine

Blue Sky Center (New Cuyama, CA)

Partnership for the Bay’s Future (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

PICO California

About This Episode

Hundreds of years of racist federal and institutional policies have denied wealth to Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Two organizations in Boston are shifting the narrative around local funding and reimagining equitable community-driven change. In this episode of Untying Knots, we look at the ongoing process to transform financial inequity through anti racist funding. We speak with key leaders at the Boston Ujima Project and Haymarket People’s Fund to grasp how they envision and work to sustain internal and external accountable social change.

Hosts

Nikhil Raghuveera

is a graduating MPA/MBA student at the Harvard Kennedy School and The Wharton School with a background in economic consulting, nonprofit management, cryptocurrency, and venture capital.

Erica Licht

is a graduating MPA student at the Harvard Kennedy School with a background in racial equity and organizational change, supporting nonprofit and public sector institutions, and community organizations.

Learn More

Haymarket People’s Fund: https://www.haymarket.org

Boston Ujima Project: https://www.ujimaboston.com

People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond: https://www.pisab.org

Asian American Resource Workshop: https://www.aarw.org

Music

“Beauty Flow” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About This Episode

Our guest, Dr. Irvin Leon Scott is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Scott served as the deputy director for K-12 education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the investment of $300 million in initiatives focused on transforming recruitment and development of teachers. 

Scott, an experienced educator takes us through his 20+ year journey as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, chief academic officer and deputy director at the Gates Foundation.

Hosts

Hassan Brown

is a Doctor of Education Leadership Candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education

Jamaji Nwanaji-Enwerem, PhD

is an MD/MPP candidate at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Onyema Nwanaji-Enwerem

is an MD/ MPP candidate at Duke University School of Medicine and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Learn More

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. SCOTT: 

• https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/irvin-scott
• https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/16/08/new-faculty-spotlight-irvin-scott

FOR MORE STORIES ON BLACK GIVING:

• https://cep.org/african-american-foundation-ceos-a-look-at-the-leadership-of-the-largest-foundations/
• http://abfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ABFE-The-Exit-Interview.pdf
• https://ssir.org/articles/entry/hacking_the_bias_in_big_bets
• https://www.buildingmovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ED.CEO_Race_to_Lead_Brief_.pdf
• https://www.philanthropy.com/interactives/20190709_LeadersOfColor
• https://theconversation.com/400-years-of-black-giving-from-the-days-of-slavery-to-the-2019-morehouse-graduation-121402
• http://www.philanthropic-giving.com/profiles/oprah-winfrey/
• https://ipromise.school/#slide-1
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/07/30/lebron-james-promise-school-akron-ohio/862159002/
• https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-jay-z-donate-to-covid-19-relief-975676/

About This Episode

In late 2017, Mississippi’s capital school district, Jackson Public Schools (JPS), was at risk of being taken over by the state. As the second largest school district in the state, the prospect of JPS being absorbed into the state’s Achievement School District was concerning for the community, City, and State, especially considering Jackson’s fraught racial history with education. All sides sought alternatives, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation helped to find a third way, by advocating for and allocating $3 million to form the Better Together Commission (BTC) – a community centric approach to school improvement. This podcast examines how JPS was almost taken over, what that meant in the context of JPS’s past, and highlights the role of the community, W.K. Kellogg and the other stakeholders in the BTC. 

Hosts

Yumeka Rushing

is the Chief Strategy Officer for the NAACP and is a former W.K. Kellogg Foundation Program Officer. She helped spearhead the creation of the BTC.

Michelle Henry

is a proud parent of four JPS students who is actively involved with the P-16 community engagement committee and the local PTA.

Deeneaus Polk

is a Master’s in Public Policy candidate and hails from the great state of Mississippi who is focused on education and workforce development at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Katie Stenclik

is a Master’s in Public Policy candidate focused on social and urban policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Phoenix McLaughlin

is a Master’s in Public Policy candidate focused on rural economic development at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Learn More

To learn more about the threat of the Jackson Public School (JPS) Takeover, visit: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/jpstakeover/

To learn more about the Better Together Commission, visit: https://bettertogether.formississippi.org/

To learn more about the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s work in Mississippi, visit: https://www.wkkf.org/what-we-do/where-we-work?#mississippi

To learn more about the historical inequities JPS schools (and public education in general) has faced, visit: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/22/public-education-ms-underfunded-centuries-brown-v-board-of-education-segregation-school-funding/2910282002/

About This Episode

The COVID-19 public health crisis has revealed and exacerbated massive vulnerabilities and inequalities in the United States. In the absence of federal leadership, local communities across the country are developing their own responses and fighting back against xenophobia and racist violence. How do communities build power for the post-pandemic future?

Andrew Fan and Sydney Fang explore how Bay Area-based Asian American organizations have been nimble and responsive to the emergent needs of vulnerable Asian Americans during this time through mutual aid and policy advocacy strategies that promote solidarity against forms of white supremacist violence, including worker exploitation, evictions, and discrimination against people with disabilities. 

Guests: 

Alvina Wong

Organizing and Campaigns Director at Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)

Ken Wang

Policy and Compliance Counsel at Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)

Hosts

Sydney Fang

is a candidate for Masters in Public Policy and Masters in Urban Planning degrees at Harvard University. She has spent the past ten years advancing grassroots organizing and policy campaigns for racial, gender, and environmental justice. 

Andrew Fan

is a Master of Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. His background is in journalism, with a focus on criminal justice issues and racial equity.

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Resources and Background Reading

Relief Resources

• Relief funds for undocumented workers in California: A list updated weekly by Legal Aid at Work
• COVID-19 Resources for Undocumented Immigrants: Financial, medical, food, legal, mutual aid resources, including nationwide and state-specific resources
• “Unmasking Yellow Peril” zine by 18 Million Rising and the Asian and Asian American Institute at University of Connecticut

Ways to support

1.  Subscribe to COVID19 news updates from APEN for Bay Area, California, National, and International news and resources. https://apen4ej.org/covid-news/

2.  Consider sharing your check and donate to the mutual aid funds to support Nan-Hui Jo, APEN, and CPA. 

• Support Nan-Hui’s Survival #SurvivedAndPunished
• CPA COVID-19 Emergency Stabilization Fund
• Since recording this podcast, APEN has paused collecting contributions to their stabilization fund

About This Episode

A podcast about the role of arts and philanthropy in moments of crisis. Together with community artists, scholars, and funders we consider key questions: what value does society place on the arts during crises, and how does this shape philanthropic responses? What lessons about resilience, funding, and survival does the arts community teach the philanthropic sector, and us all, as we imagine and create “new normals” post COVID-19?

Hosts

Yohana Beyene

MPP ’20

Eva Heinstein

MC/MPA ’20

Brooke Wages

MPA/MBA ’21, HKS/MIT Sloan

Kamille Washington

(MC/MPA ’21)

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Credits

Timothy Patrick McCarthy, scholar, activist and Harvard faculty member

Michal Rubin, Vice President of Development at the Cambridge Community Foundation

Ashleigh Gordon, violist and co-founder of Castle of our Skins

Tanya Kalmanovitch, violist and Associate Professor at The New School and faculty at New England Conservatory

Music:

“Done Wit It (Gunna x Young Thug x Travis Scott Type Beat)”

“Stay True (Future x Young Thug x Lil Baby Type Beat)”

By NtheLAB Productions: nthelabproductions.beatstars.com 

A special thanks to Dr. Megan Ming Francis and our fellow students in DPI 367: Philanthropy and Social Movements: Will the Revolution be Funded?