The New York Women’s Foundation recently joined one of the largest convenings in philanthropy at the 2023 Unity Summit.
Supported by the Fondation CHANEL, The Foundation’s Dana Huber and Cecilia Cortes Vila co-created the “Community Coalitions in Philanthropy: Case studies from NY and CA”. The event highlighted the Brooklyn Economic Justice Project (BEJP)’s cooperative approach to achieve gender, racial, and economic justice – and the role of funders in realizing this goal.
This video showcasing the impact of the Micro-Granting program for the BEJP was presented alongside a panel discussion with Cecilia Cortes Vila (The New York Women’s Foundation), La’Shawn Allen-Muhammad (Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation), Sloan Leo (FLOX Studios), Huong Nguyen-Yap (Women’s Foundation California-Oakland), and Maricela Rios-Faust (Human Options).
The Foundation’s Sojourner Rivers attended a special session pre-conference hosted by the Funders for Justice (FFJ) who have been active in the #StopCopCity efforts in Atlanta, GA, which has led to philanthropic staff being arrested in actions raising awareness on the issues of gentrification, impact of practices on climate, police violence and Indigenous land displacement. The pre-conference session aimed to inform additional funders on the issues that are replicated in other parts of the country and in particular the lobbying power of Police Unions. Sojourner is an active member of the working group on prison abolition at the Funders for Justice.
The Foundation was also honored at the conference with the Smashing Silos award from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)! The Foundation was celebrated for modeling how to leverage multi-year, multi-use, and cross identity efforts through radical generosity and collaboration.
By gathering with participants of a wide variety of experiences and celebrating the impact of collaborations, The Foundation is working to deepen connections that will advance equity with an intersectional lens, while keeping community at the center.