Racial Equity in Arts Philanthropy Preconference: Every Child, Every Adult

GROUP B

SOLD OUT

Saturday, October 28, 8am-4pm
LaSalle B | Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

Grantmakers in the Arts debuts its new workshop on racial equity in arts philanthropy during this day-long preconference. The Center for Social Inclusion (New York, NY) will provide an overview of the systems that reflect our history and drive many of our current portfolios. Grantmakers in the Arts’ team of arts philanthropists will lead a discussion of how our grantmaking can impact change for African, Latino/a, Asian, Arab and Native American (ALAANA) artists and communities, signifying a new beginning of equitable philanthropy in the nonprofit arts sector.

Agenda

Presenter Bios

Denise M. Brown

Denise M. Brown is executive director of the Leeway Foundation in Philadelphia, which supports women and trans artists and cultural producers creating art for social change. She is a member of Grantmakers in the Arts board of directors and serves on the racial equity in arts philanthropy committee. Prior to Leeway, Denise was associate director of the Bread and Roses Community Fund and a consultant with Leeway and other cultural and social justice organizations in the Philadelphia area. She is currently a member of a number of boards including Bread and Roses Community Fund, Philanthropy Network of Greater Philadelphia (formerly Delaware Valley Grantmakers), Scribe Video Center, and PhillyCAM (Philadelphia Community Access Media).

Justin Laing

Justin is the managing partner of Hillombo, LLC, founded by Justin and his wife, Dr. Bonnie Laing. Located in Pittsburgh, Hillombo seeks to “Lift Black perspectives, negotiate and build alternatives to systemic racism and capitalism, in the memory of our ancestors, for the benefit of Black people.” The company works with foundations and nonprofits on issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Prior to Hillombo, Justin was the senior program officer in the arts and culture program of The Heinz Endowments for eleven years. He served as an officer and board member for Grantmakers in the Arts and chaired GIA’s first racial equity in arts philanthropy committee. Justin received his BA in black studies & political science from the University of Pittsburgh and has a master’s in public management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. He is the very appreciative son of Clarence and Susan Laing, the proud father of Kufere, Etana and Adeyemi, inspired husband of Dr. Bonnie Young Laing, and proud member of Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity Inc.

Kerry McCarthy

Kerry McCarthy is program director of thriving communities at the New York Community Trust, where she oversees arts and historic preservation grantmaking. She serves on the Grantmakers in the Arts board of directors and is a member of the executive committee. Before joining The Trust in 2009, she ran a consulting company serving city nonprofit arts organizations. She has more than twenty years’ experience in museum and performing arts administration with organizations as varied as the Queens Museum of Art and Jim Henson Productions. Kerry holds an MA in folk art studies from New York University and BA from Sewanee: The University of the South. She is a graduate of Coro’s Leadership New York Program, a member of the New York State Cultural Data Project Task Force, and past cochair of the City’s Dance Funders Group and of New York Grantmakers in the Arts.

Diane Sanchez

Diane Sanchez recently stepped down as director of grantmaking & donor services at the East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland. A veteran program officer, she continues to serve the field as a philanthropic and nonprofit advisor. She served as an officer, executive committee member, and board member for Grantmakers in the Arts. With much of her work focused on strategic change management and race and gender issues, her clients include a wide variety of corporations and community-based organizations. Diane has held senior management positions with J. Walter Thompson, Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation, and Bedford Properties. Throughout her career, she has been active in the community, serving on the boards of La Raza Graphics, The Spanish Speaking Unity Council, The City of Oakland Civil Service Commission, Goodwill Industries of the East Bay, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Jesse Villalobos

Jesse Villalobos is the coordinator of policy & advocacy at the new Race Forward. The new Race Forward is the union of two leading racial justice non-profit organizations: Race Forward and Center for Social Inclusion. As Coordinator, Jesse works with the program team on strategy, communications, and technical assistance toward structural racial equity. Informed and inspired by movements for social change, Jesse has worked for racial justice in partnership with numerous grassroots groups, community-based organizations, and colleges and universities. His former roles include leading regional policy and programmatic efforts at the National Conference for Community and Justice and heading the university’s social justice initiatives at The New School. As a seasoned consultant, Jesse has provided strategic support among activists and organizers, artists, policy makers, youth and students, educators, and media leadership, working to advance movements for transformative social change. Jesse holds a BA in social work and an MA in media studies & communications.