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Philanthropy Series: Donor Perspectives on Reparations (OPEN TO ALL)
August 24, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
We’re delighted to announce Washington Women’s Foundation’s Philanthropy Learning Series. Beginning in March 2023 WaWF will host panel discussions with philanthropic leaders on various topics including how to build your giving plan, solidarity as an action, a critical lens on donor advised funds, impact investing, and donor perspectives on reparations in philanthropy.
Join us virtually on Thursday, August 24th at 12PM for the fifth and final session in WaWF’s Philanthropy Learning Series on Donor Perspectives on Reparations. Moderated by Cailtlin Lombardi of Columbia Legal Services, philanthropic leaders Hilary Giovale, Holly Marklyn and Beth McCaw will discuss their individual and collective actions on reparations through their current giving and future plans. Don’t miss this real and action-oriented discussion about reparative philanthropy and how we can collectively move forward together.
Beth McCaw is a co-founder of Bernier McCaw Foundation and is the founding funder of Threshold Philanthropy, LLC, through which she and a team of Black and Indigenous women have been returning resources to Black and Indigenous individuals and communities in Washington state and North and South Carolina for the past two years. Beth is originally from Eastern North Carolina and traces her roots there to pre-Revolutionary War times. She has lived in Washington since 1998 and it’s here, that she’s had transformative experiences as the former President & CEO of Washington Women’s Foundation and as a member of the Board of Directors of YWCA of Seattle/King County/Snohomish County, the Board of Directors of YWCA USA, and the Sisterhood, a community of seven white women and six Black women who are living into what it means to deeply reckon with white supremacy and the racial wealth gap.
Hilary Giovale is a mother, writer, and community organizer who holds a Master’s Degree in Good and Sustainable Communities. She has taught improvisational dance and has served on the boards of philanthropic, human rights, and environmental organizations. A ninth-generation American settler, she is descended from Celtic, Germanic, Nordic, and Indigenous peoples of Ancient Europe. For most of her life these origins were obscured by whiteness. After learning more about her ancestors’ history, Hilary began emerging from a fog of amnesia, denial, and fragmentation. For the first time, she could see a painful reality: her family’s occupation of this land has harmed Indigenous and African peoples, cultures, and lifeways. She is an active speaker, teacher, and reparative philanthropist. Divesting from whiteness, she bridges divides with truth, healing, apology and forgiveness. Hilary is the author of a forthcoming memoir, currently available for pre-order.
As early Microsoft employees Holly and Bill Marklyn accumulated first generation wealth which they are now looking to redistribute back into society in an equitable manner. They see wealth inequality, particularly racial wealth inequality, as a significant problem in our society, with intergenerational wealth transfer as a significant cause of the problem. As such, they do not intend to pass their wealth on to their children and are committed to redistributing their wealth in a racially equitable manner. They did not want to rely on traditional top-down donor control and decision-making, and so chose to establish a participatory grantmaking fund in which they cede grantmaking power to a BIPOC funding committee.
Caitlin Lombardi was raised in the Pacific Northwest with two sisters on the land of the Suquamish and Duwamish People. She is currently the Director of Development and Communications for Columbia Legal Services, a legal aid organization focused on systemic change alongside people who are incarcerated or undocumented. She have spent 15 years in development, DEI, and community engagement at organizations including The ACLU of Washington, The Riveter and The Post-Prison Education Program. These roles, along with growing up in an interracial family, many years working in restaurants, and numerous mentors – mostly women of color – have helped shape my commitment to race equity and community leadership in justice work. In addition to work, she leads presentations for the Civil Reparations Project, clean stalls at a barn near her house, and has three daughters who keep her pretty tired, incredibly amused, and humble.
Register here for Donor Perspectives on Reparations!
These events are free and open to the entire WaWF community, meaning they are open to all! We will record the discussions and share with those who register for viewing. For questions, please contact programs@wawomensfdn.org.