President’s Note
A Message from Susan...
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Greetings!
It's a busy time for us here at ABFE! As most of you already know, we are gearing up for our 2018 Conference,
The Fierce Urgency of Now
,
on April 14 - 16th in Memphis, TN! I'm looking forward to reconnecting with our members, friends and colleagues, as well as meeting new ones.
As we celebrate
Women's History Month
this March, I want to take the time to especially lift up the women in philanthropy. Our passion, our strength and our work must be acknowledged as we continue to advance the sector. Please take a moment to read
Sherece Y. Scantlebury-West's
(ABFE's 2017 James A. Joseph Lecturer) op-ed, titled "Philanthropy's New Priority: Black Women," below in this month's "Featured Member" section.
Again, I can't wait to catch up with you all in Memphis for the
largest gathering of Black professionals in philanthropy!
See you soon!
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Susan Taylor Batten
President and CEO, ABFE
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Member Notes
What's Happening at ABFE
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ABFE Conference 2018
We are so excited about this year's conference! From our thought-provoking plenaries to our signature event the 27th Annual James A. Joseph Lecture and Awards Program, there will be
plenty
of learning opportunities and networking at
The Fierce of Urgency of Now
.
Be sure to check out our site
ABFE-CONFERENCE.ORG
for up-to-minute info on speakers, schedule and more!
See you in Memphis on April 14th!
--ABFE Conference Committee
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Recap:
ABFE on The Hill 2018
Earlier this month, over 240 philanthropy leaders representing 32 states came to Washington, D.C. as a part of
Foundations on The Hill
(FOTH) to engage in more than 200 meetings with federal legislators and their staffs over two days. FOTH was a prime opportunity for philanthropy to speak with a strong, collective voice on Capitol Hill, kicking off a yearlong engagement with legislators back in their districts.
Taking part of this year's FOTH, ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities and Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies--in conjunction with Congressional Black Caucus--hosted its 2nd Annual
ABFE on The Hill
meeting on Thursday, March 15th. Participants included ABFE President and CEO
Susan Taylor Batten
, The Joint Center President
Spencer Overton
, Congressional Black Caucus Chair
Cedric Richmond
, CBC Executive Director Fabrice Coles and many other high-ranking CBC Members.
Participants and guests discussed criminal justice reform, economic equality, voting rights and other key issues in Black communities.
Photo credit: Sean Michael Love | The Joint Center
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Featured Members
What's Happening with our Members
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From L to R: ABFE President and CEO Susan Taylor Batten, Dr. Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury (2017 James A. Joseph Lecturer) and ABFE Board Chair Kenneth M. Jones | Photo credit: danielle c miles
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This month's featured
ABFE Member
is
Dr. Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury,
president and CEO for
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
(an ABFE Philanthropic Institutional Member). Sherece, who is also last year's
James A. Joseph Lecturer
,
recently penned a blog in honor of
Women's History Month
. Please take a moment to read this powerful op-ed titled "Philanthropy's New Priority: Black Women."
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News in the Field
What's Happening in Philanthropy
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How The Richest Black American And His Billionaire Partner Became Top Philanthropists
Source: Forbes Magazine, March 2, 2018
Every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas, billionaire
Robert Smith
and his wife, Hope Dworaczyk, invite a group of 30 former foster children to their Colorado ranch to spend the holidays with their family. The gesture is rooted in Smith’s days at Cornell University, where he met a former foster kid who was looking for a place to stay on campus during winter break because she had aged out of the foster care system.
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Gateses' Annual Letter Answers Ten Tough Questions
Source: Philanthropy News Digest, February 14, 2018
In their 2018 annual letter (
HTML
, 16 pages,
PDF
),
Bill and Melinda Gates
reflect on their
foundation
's focus, impact, and outsize influence, as well as some of the lessons they have learned over the last decade.
In their tenth annual letter, the Gateses each address "the ten toughest questions [they] get," ranging from "Why don't you give more in the United States?" to "Why are you really giving your money away — what's in it for you?" In the letter, Melinda Gates explains that the foundation spends more in developing countries because those investments can have a disproportionate impact — the $15.3 billion disbursed over eighteen years in support of vaccines has helped halve child mortality globally, for example — while Bill Gates highlights the foundation's
work
with the
U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty
, which is studying ways to improve economic mobility for millions of Americans.
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Community News: East Bay Community Foundation
Source: East Bay Times, March 5, 2018
The
East Bay Community Foundation representing Black-Led or operated nonprofit community organizations and businesses recently hosted more than 130 leaders from nonprofit, local businesses, municipal and civic communities to celebrate the launch of the
ASCEND: BLO Initiative, (Accelerating and Stabilizing Communities through Equitable Nonprofit Development of Black-Led Organizations). Speakers at the event included James W. Head, president and CEO, EBCF, and
Seitu Jemel Hart, Vice President of Membership and External Affairs, Association of Black Foundation Executives.
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ICYMI
In Case You Missed It...
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FLINT, Michigan, March 19, 2018 – After guiding the Ruth Mott Foundation’s pivotal shift to north Flint, President Handy Lindsey Jr. has announced he will retire in November 2018 or when a successor is found.
With gratitude for his four years of service in Flint, the Board of Trustees accepted Lindsey’s decision and will begin a national search in early April to find the next president.
Lindsey, 65, was instrumental in the development of the Ruth Mott Foundation’s long-term strategic plan, adopted in 2016, which will chart the course of the Foundation’s future in Flint. The Board applauds Lindsey and staff for their faithful and vigorous implementation of that plan.
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African-American donors going back to their political roots
The nature of philanthropy is becoming more diverse across the US
Source: Financial Times, March 9, 2018
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Check out
The State of Black Immigrants
report, presented by Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and the New York University School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic
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ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities
42 Broadway, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Main Number: 646.392.9877
ABFE Conference 2018 Questions:
Membership Questions:
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