At Philanthropy Women, we pride ourselves on being able to stay ahead of the curve in recognizing ideas, discovering significant trends, and identifying the people who make these things happen. We are pleased to note that the The New Yorker is now following our lead. Several years ago, PW ran an interview with Leah Hunt-Hendrix. As a reminder, Hunt-Hendrix is a scion of Hunt Oil, founded by her maternal grandfather.
The August issue of The New Yorker ran a story that touches on many of the issues discussed on these pages. Attached below is a link to the interview with Leah that PW published previously. Our interview focused more on the hard news angle, discussing her foundation, Solidaire, and the work it does while the New Yorker article is a bit more chatty, with anecdotes of her family, social status, and the problems presented by being a progressive who happens to be the heir to an oil fortune.
Since the creation of Solidiare was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring movements, it is not focused on policy-specific goals. Rather, the goal is to change the system as a whole. As the New Yorker article explains, Hunt-Hendrix has chosen to follow the philosophical example of the labor movement. While the labor movement had definable objectives, its overall goal was to realign the environment in which labor and management interacted.
As noted in our interview, Solidaire is particularly interested in supporting movements working for racial and economic justice, but feminist, ecological, immigrant, and other progressive movements are well represented.
“One of my favorites,” says Hunt-Hendrix of grantee organizations, “is The Debt Collective, which is a union of debtors that collectively bargains with creditors.” As The Debt Collective website notes, “If you owe the bank $50k, the bank owns you. But if you owe the bank $100 million, you own the bank.”
The New Yorker article provides interesting background and details about her upbringing and particularly her education, both academic and real-world. She has spent time in the Middle East and North Africa. It also touches on her mother, Helen LaKelly Hunt, a “feminist icon” whom we have followed here in PW.
According to a quote in the New Yorker, “She has better politics than anyone else who’s that rich, and she’s better at fund-raising than anyone else with her politics,” Max Berger, who worked on Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential campaign in 2020, told the magazine.
“Whatever you want to call my faction—the Bernie wing, the Warren wing, democratic-socialist, social democrat—we would have way less power if Leah didn’t exist.” If the faction had enough power to enact its full agenda, many of the richest people in the country would likely lose money and influence; a centerpiece of the agenda is the Green New Deal, which, if implemented in maximalist form, could help put fossil-fuel companies, including Hunt Oil, out of business.”
For some context, Leah is the granddaughter of H.L. Hunt who founded Hunt Oil, and made a fortune in Texas oil. For some years, Hunt was the richest man in the world, and was said to be the inspiration for JR Ewing, of the Dallas TV show.
Link to PW Interview:
Link to New Yorker story:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/what-should-you-do-with-an-oil-fortune
One: Philanthropist Alice Walton Launches $40 Million Initiative Reducing Barriers to Museum Visits
Inequality and inequity are reinforced in so many ways and on so many levels. The Art Bridges Foundation has launched a program to reduce the number of people priced out of cultural access by high museum admission charges.
Art Bridges Foundation is a national arts nonprofit founded by philanthropist Alice Walton. The foundation recently announced the launch of “Access for All,” providing $40 million in funding to 64 museums nationwide. The goal is to increase access to museums across the country and foster engagement with local communities by covering free admission costs and expanded free hours as well as programming, outreach, and community partnerships. Together, these steps will eliminate many common barriers to access.
Museums participating in the Access for All initiative span 36 states and Puerto Rico.
“Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to art. That’s why we started Art Bridges: to support museums in deepening their connections with local communities, and to pave the way for new audiences to experience the creativity and joy that comes with seeing art,” said Alice Walton, founder and board chair of Art Bridges.
“Access for All is our biggest and most ambitious effort to date, dedicating $40 million toward bridging gaps between museums of all sizes and their communities in order to foster meaningful connections and expand arts access in every region, from Peoria to Puerto Rico.”
Each museum will have the ability to tailor programs to the communities they serve. Possibilities include:
- Free admission on a designated days or hours, or full-time;
- Collaborating with local transit agencies and community centers to facilitate free and accessible transportation;
- Designing culturally responsive programs relevant to community interest;
- Providing bilingual interpretation, assistive listening systems, including Spanish, American Sign Language, and indigenous languages;
- Expanding outreach to local schools;
- Working with local organizations to help organize free community meals;
- Hiring new staff responsible for the creation of community engagement programming.
To read the full description of Access for All, please follow the link below:
https://artbridgesfoundation.org/access-for-all
To read more about Art Bridges, including its grant programs, see the webpage at the URL shown:
https://artbridgesfoundation.org/
Two: Women Leaders to Gather in Orlando to Examine Workplace Challenges, Advance Solutions
The hurdles to advancement in the workplace for women have never been greater, with burnout at an all-time high. The Linkage Women in Leadership Institute equips women leaders with actionable strategies to overcome these hurdles and advance in their careers while lifting those around them.
From Monday, November 13 to Thursday, November 16, Linkage and SHRM will host the Women in Leadership (WIL) 2023 institute in-person and virtually in Orlando, Florida at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Designed for individuals and groups, WIL allows women the opportunity to come together for a transformative leadership development experience.
WHEN: Monday, November 13 – Thursday, November 16th, 2023
WHERE: 1500 Masters Boulevard, ChampionsGate, FL, 33896
WHO:
- Shannon Bayer, VP, Revenue, Linkage
- Maggie Cook, CEO and founder, Maggie’s Salsas, LLC
- Anne Chow, former CEO, AT&T Business
- Molly Fletcher, pioneering female sports agent and CEO
- Carla Harris, senior client advisor, Morgan Stanley; co-chair, Women in Leadership Institute
- Jennifer McCollum, CEO, Linkage; Author, In Her Own Voice
- Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO, Moms First; Founder, Girls Who Code
Informationon attending the seminar is available at: https://www.linkageinc.com/event/women-in-leadership-2023/
The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 325,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 235 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org.
Three: PayPal Announces Recipients of Third Annual Maggie Lena Walker Award
The Maggie Lena Walker Award was named in honor of the first Black woman to charter a bank in the U.S. and serve as its president, the award celebrates the achievements of women in the U.S. who are economically empowering their communities and shaping a more inclusive world for all.
The 2023 award recipients are working to expand equitable access to capital for entrepreneurs and increase affordable home ownership opportunities, particularly for people in historically redlined neighborhoods.
Recipients are awarded a cash grant of up to $50,000 and access to resources and mentorship from the PayPal community to advance their impact and vision. In addition, recipients also receive a piece of artwork commissioned by PayPal from Alice Beasley, a renowned fabric artist based in Oakland, CA.
The PayPal Maggie Lena Walker Award was established in 2021 as part of the company’s commitment to advancing its mission of creating a more inclusive economy. Read more about past award recipients here.
Award recipients are chosen by a Selection Committee. Members of the committee included senior leaders in the PayPal Community: Ellen McGirt, Senior Editor, Fortune Magazine, Co-chair, Fortune CEO Initiative; and Liza Mickens, Walker’s great-great-grandaughter and co-founder of Vote Equality.
This year’s recipients are:
Achievement Award
Tulaine Montgomery, CEO, New Profit (Washington, D.C.)
Emerging Leader Award
Omi Bell, founder and CEO, Black Girl Ventures (Washington, D.C.)
Bree Jones, CEO and founder, Parity (Baltimore)
Arian Simone, co-founder and CEO, Fearless Fund (Atlanta)
Arian Simone, co-founder and CEO, Fearless Fund (Atlanta)
To read the full press release, use the link below:
To read more about the award, use this link:
https://about.pypl.com/values-in-action/mlwaward_about/
Four: Kimberlé Crenshaw’s New Book “#SayHerName” Released
Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s book, “#SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of State Violence and Public Silence”, was released in July 2023 by Haymarket Books. Dr. Crenshaw, is perhaps the most renowned scholar we have of critical race theory, and is also known for the concept of intersectionality.
This work is an analysis of the crucial intersection of race, gender, and state violence. Dr. Crenshaw gives voice to the unheard stories of Black women who have been victims of state violence and also provides an analytical framework for understanding their heightened susceptibility to such violence.
“#SayHerName” has already been recognized as a “powerful and inspiring” book by singer Janelle Monáe, a “national treasure” by actress Kerry Washington, and an “extremely important documentation” by activist Samaria Rice,
“#SayHerName” helps explain why Black women’s stories are often overshadowed in discussions on police brutality and state-sanctioned violence, and how the power of Black feminist storytelling can mobilize communities and empower them to advocate for racial justice
You can find the press kit at
https://bit.ly/SayHerNameMediaKit
Five: Rachel’s Network Announces Recipients of 2023 Catalyst Award
Rachel’s Network announced the recipients and finalists of its 2023 Catalyst Award. The award honors women leaders of color for their commitment to a healthy planet, and provides them with financial support, leadership services, and public recognition.
Rachel’s Network, a nationwide community of women environmental funders, is working to address this disparity. They launched the Catalyst Award in 2019 to shine a light on women of color carrying Rachel Carson’s legacy.
The annual award provides women environmental leaders of color with a personal prize ($10,000); a well-being stipend ($5,000); and an organizational grant ($10,000, if applicable).
“At the heart of this award is the conviction that caring for movement leaders, particularly those who’ve been marginalized, is vital environmental work,” said Rachel’s Network President Fern Shepard. Women of color are leading the environmental movement, advocating for clean air and water, building a green economy, fighting polluters, expanding access to healthy food, and much more.
As with so many women’s initiatives, they do not receive adequate funding, support, or recognition for their leadership. In 2020, less than 1 percent of foundation giving went to women and girls of color, and according to Green 2.0, organizations led by people of color received less than 1 percent of the multiyear operational budget grants in 2021.
Now in its fifth year, the Catalyst Award has supported over 100 individuals and granted over $1.3 million to recipients and their organizations. Final awardees are selected by a committee of former awardees. These women are some of our country’s most effective and committed environmental leaders.
The five recipients are:
Erika Allen, Urban Growers Collective, Chicago, Illinois
Helga Garcia Garza, Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dr. Tiara Moore, Black in Marine Science, Alpharetta, Georgia
Jacqueline Patterson, The Chisholm Legacy Project, Burtonsville, Maryland
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Children’s Environmental Health Network, Washington, DC
The ten finalists are:
Dr. P. Qasimah Boston, Tallahassee Food Network, Tallahassee, Florida
Chanté Coleman, National Wildlife Federation, San Diego, California
Charlene Eigen-Vasquez (Ohlone), Confederation of Ohlone People, Gilroy, California
Amyrose Foll (Penobscot/Abenaki), Virginia Free Farm, Kents Store, Virginia
Dr. Shelley Francis, EVHybridNoire/EVNoire, Atlanta, Georgia
Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee), Indigikitchen, Babb, Montana
Rozina Kanchwala, Eco.Logic, Chicago, Illinois
Dr. Suzanne Pierre, Critical Ecology Lab, Oakland, California
Jean Su, Center for Biological Diversity, Washington, DC
Violet Sage Walker (Chumash), Northern Chumash Tribal Council, Guadalupe, California
Recipients of the 2023 Catalyst Award Full Bios Here
Use the link below to visit the website and learn more about the organization:
Related:
It’s Official: Amplify Her Foundation Has Launched
45 Years, Millions of Lives: An Interview with Leah Margulies
