In this Q&A series, funders in the EOF network share how they are addressing economic equity and opportunity, the work they are the most proud of, and questions they’d like to engage with funders colleagues on.
Interested in participating in a EOF Funder Q&A? Contact Cema Siegel at [email protected].
Funder Q&A with Stephanie Davison, The Kresge Foundation
(August 2024)
“We try to be pragmatic when thinking about economic equity—we ask, how do we partner with families where they are and where they dream?”
Funder Q&A with Eesha Bhave, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
(July 2024)
“Our Gender and Reproductive Equity (GRE) grantmaking portfolio’s Economic Power strategy area supports an ecosystem of organizations that lead on policy solutions and their effective implementation for economic equity and advancement for women, such as equal and fair pay, paid family leave, quality childcare and a care economy that works for everyone.”
Funder Q&A with Chayenne Polimédio, William And Flora Hewlett Foundation
(May 2024)
“Our strategies aim to make sure that democracy, and government, are working for everyone; that all people can access government benefits and services equally and fairly; and that policy design and implementation is equitable.”
Funder Q&A with Mardell Moffett, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
(September 2023)
“I am proud of how truly intersectional our work is—how our straddling of program areas mirrors how interconnected life is, like a health program that includes theatre, for example.”
Funder Q&A with Marcela Montes, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
(August 2023)
“For us, it’s about the ability of a family to be self-sustaining – this means having access to a living wage, the mechanisms for building intergenerational wealth, power of choice and livelihood, and a stable environment where kids can get a quality education, healthy food, and a nurturing opportunity-rich environment.”
Funder Q&A with Josh Protas, formerly with MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
(March 2023)
“By promoting systemic change through better policies at the federal, state, and local levels, we seek to ensure that our elected officials understand and consider the needs of the millions of Americans who struggle with hunger.”
Funder Q&A with Asma Day, formerly with Blue Shield of California Foundation
(January 2023)
“The foundation takes a preventative approach to achieving equity—looking upstream to the determinants of health, with economic equity as a key pathway to health and wellbeing.”
Funder Q&A with Ianna Kachoris, The Chicago Community Trust
(October 2022)
“By addressing critical needs, connecting philanthropy to impact, and advocating for policy change, we’re working to grow household wealth, catalyze neighborhood investment, and build collective power.”
Funder Q&A with Tamara Draut, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
(September 2022)
“Our work is focused on supporting efforts to transform our nation’s economic systems, cultural norms, and beliefs so we can build an economy where all people living and working in America can meet their basic needs, realize their aspirations, and live in dignity.”
Funder Q&A with Michael Cassidy, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
(June 2022)
“We have a strong racial equity lens and focus on the significant ways economic policy creates barriers and obstacles to achieving this, and how properly designed policy can support it.”
Funder Q&A with Monica Hobbs Vinluan, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
(January 2022)
“We focus on drawing explicit connections between the economy and health. Positive health outcomes are being driven by, and determined by, income.”
Funder Q&A with Ria Pugeda, if
(October 2021)
“The philanthropic sector has power. We control and allocate resources. That is the dominant thread in our work relationships. How we address this has been part of if’s community centered transformation journey.”
Member Q&A with Mekaelia Davis, formerly with the Surdna Foundation
(September 2021)
“We believe in an inclusive economy, where people of color, especially Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities have economic power — from having access to a quality job with a livable wage and humane conditions, to having a voice in the conditions and terms of work, to owning enterprises and employing and investing in people.”
Funder Q&A with Nomzana Augustin, World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund
(June 2021)
“In our work to improve economic opportunity for immigrants and refugees, a bigger barrier is long-term systemic racism and discrimination, which greatly affects immigrants and communities of color. This leads to xenophobia and exacerbates employment barriers. We’re trying to shine a light on interventions that support individuals and communities facing those obstacles, so they can truly thrive.”
Funder Q&A with Omar Woodard, formerly with the GreenLight Fund
(February 2021)
“We need national, statewide, and regional funders to come together to rethink how we address poverty in urban and rural areas—how do we, as philanthropy, nudge policymakers to make lived experience more central to policies?”
Funder Q&A with Tracy Williams, Omidyar Network
(September 2020)
“We’re trying to build something new. There’s been no economic model in our history that worked for everyone—no multi-racial, inclusive economy. There are no playbooks or best practices for what we’re taking on. We’re in it for the long-haul.”
Member Q&A with Jidan Terry-Koon, formerly with the San Francisco Foundation
(August 2020)
“Building worker power to balance corporate power and the aggregation of wealth has long been an underpinning of our work, and now there’s the political momentum and interest for this to be more explicit.”
Funder Q&A with Padmini Parthasarathy, formerly with the Walter & Elise Haas Fund
(May 2020)
“Addressing economic security in the Bay Area is a critical part of helping people thrive, of supporting their wellbeing, and of enabling them to participate in their community.“
Funder Q&A with Caitlin Hamood, formerly with the Stoneman Family Foundations
(March 2020)
“Without equitably-raised adequate revenues we cannot have a functional and thriving society. This really touches all other issues we care about as funders. It’s not that every funder needs to fund tax policy but there is an invitation to all funders to look at how tax policy impacts their work and their ability to build a fair society.”
Funder Q&A with Pierre Joseph, formerly with the Solidago Foundation
(September 2019)
“We believe that the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power, and you can’t have political power without economic power.”
Funder Q&A with Nicky Goren, formerly with the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
(July 2019)
“At Meyer, we believe that philanthropic institutions have a responsibility to understand the history of society—why we are where we are, the role that our institutions have played in that, and how they’ve contributed to the issues that we’re trying to solve.”
Funder Q&A with Marcia Egbert, George Gund Foundation
(April 2019)
“We believe that it’s our moral responsibility to help drive greater public investment in basic human needs. So, we have prioritized our investments in informed public policy advocacy—lifting the voices of non-profit leaders and their constituents in policy debates at the city, county, state and federal levels. We think this can have far greater and more lasting benefit than our direct charitable grantmaking.”