Advancing Social Justice Through Family Philanthropy

Are you a young person (age 18-35) with financial wealth and/or class privilege? Do you have a family foundation, donor-advised fund, or other family giving vehicle, and/or $1M+ in liquidable assets you’d like to give with your family?

This 2017 three-part webinar series for young people (18-35) involved in family philanthropy to deepen political analysis, strengthen leadership skills and connect to a national community of other young people involved in philanthropy. In this webinar series, you will explore how to apply a social justice lens to your grantmaking, connect your family philanthropy story to a greater context, and set goals around your own leadership in philanthropy.

Check out our national conference, Transforming Philanthropy, here. 

1. People’s History of Philanthropy — May 22nd, 3-4:30pm PT/6-7:30pm ET
Led by Allistair Mallillin from Bay Area Justice Funders Network and Michael Schmale, RG member-leader

Learn about the ways in which philanthropy has helped and hindered social justice movements and how that can be applied to your own philanthropy. In this highly interactive webinar, you will get a chance to connect your own family philanthropy story to a greater history of philanthropy and social justice, critically examine how institutionalized philanthropy has benefitted from tax cuts, and how to use this information to move your philanthropy forward.

2. Social Justice Grantmaking — June 12th 3-4:30pm PT/6-7:30pm ET
Allison Johnson Heist from Headwaters Foundation for Justice and RG member Hanna Mahon

In this webinar, you will explore some best and worst grant-making practices from a social justice perspective. This webinar will help you examine how race, class and other power dynamics impact your giving, and how to develop more authentic, transparent relationships with your grantees. You will leave this webinar with clear tools for applying social justice values into your family giving.

3. What Now? Responsive Family Giving in this Current Political Climate — July 10th 5-6:30pm PT/8-9:30pm ET
Iris Brilliant, RG Staff, Monica George and Sarah Frank, RG member-leaders

Are you hoping to figure out how to take on more leadership in your family giving? More than ever, we need young leaders in philanthropy to amplify their leadership and their giving to social justice movements. Explore how to take on leadership within your family giving and adapt your giving strategy to meet this current political climate. Hear from RG member-leaders who have strengthened their leadership within their family givng and responded to the more urgent needs of social justice movements.

Get group support on how to wrestle tough family dynamics. You will leave with concrete action steps for the year!

Resource Generation organizes young people (ages 18-35) with access to wealth and class privilege to work for the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power. We roughly define this as people in the top 10%, or whose families are in the top 10%. If this is you, we want to connect! To do so, fill out RG’s intake form.

The Bay Area Justice Funders Network (BAJFN) is an alliance of funders working to help advance a justice agenda and strengthen grantmaking for social justice movements in the Bay Area and beyond.

Headwaters Foundation for Justice is on the leading edge of philanthropy. We were created and endure from a simple and powerful truth: the people who experience injustice are essential to ending it.

Presenter Bios:
Allistair Mallillan is the Communications Manager at Bay Area Justice Funders Network. As the Associate Director of Programs and Services at Associated Grant Makers, he coordinated funder affinity groups, directed programs to increase fundraising capacity within nonprofits, and leveraged relationships to bridge the nonprofit and funding community. Additionally, as Executive Director for Asian American Resource Workshop, he set up systems and processes, built up sizable reserves, and tripled the organization’s budget during his tenure. Allistair previously also worked in fundraising for United South End Settlements, a multi-service nonprofit located in the heart of Boston.

Michael Schmale is an attorney and writer based in New York City. As part of Resource Generation’s NYC chapter leadership he focuses on organizing and empowering other young people involved in family philanthropy. He makes giving decisions with his family through their donor-advised fund.

Allison Johnson-Heist is a Program Officer at Headwaters Foundation for Justice and joined the staff in January 2015 as a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow through the Minnesota Council on Foundations. In her previous work as an organizer with Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, she built support and leadership for affordable housing and stronger communities. She’s trained, educated and mobilized people of faith to act for social justice in the Twin Cities and across the country. She is passionate about working alongside people as they transform their communities for the better.

Hanna Mahon is the 25-year-old President of the Pink House Foundation, her family’s foundation based in Washington, DC whose mission is to support transformative social movements that are working to advance social justice and sustainability for all communities. Hanna has taught courses at the high school and college level on social movements and has worked on political and issue-based campaigns related to workers’ rights, economic justice and racial justice. She is a proud member of Resource Generation, a student of herbal medicine, and companion to a senior Himalayan cat.

Monica George believes that through impactful organizing and thoughtful discourse, we can mobilize and empower communities to ultimately dismantle the systems built to oppress them. Monica’s philanthropic work includes serving as secretary and voting board member of her family’s foundation, Conant Family Foundation. Monica also serves as co-chair for Chicago Foundation for Women’s Young Women’s Giving Council which hosts fundraising events to raise money that is then granted out to organizations supporting women and girls. More recently she has joined Solidaire, a community of people with wealth who are committed to supporting progressive social movements that address crucial needs, and she has stepped into the leadership position of Resource Generation’s Chicago chapter.

Sarah Frank spends most of her time working as a teacher at a public high school in New York City. Sarah serves on the board of her family’s foundation, Conant Family Foundation, and is a member of Resource Generation and Solidaire. She is excited to connect with other family foundations and consider how collaboration in the family philanthropy space can increase our impact in this political moment. Originally from the Boston area, Sarah is a graduate of Oberlin College and Hunter College.

Iris Brilliant is a National Organizer and Coordinator of Family Philanthropy Programming at Resource Generation. She grew up in the Marin County, CA and currently lives in Oakland, CA. Iris has been engaged in institutional philanthropy and family giving for over a decade. After attending numerous philanthropy conferences as one of a few young adults, she realized the need for a stronger nextgen presence in philanthropy. She is passionate about supporting the leadership development of young adults in the philanthropic world and their implementation of social change values into philanthropy. She and her father have been collaborating on grant-making over the last decade via public foundations and their own personal wealth.