Insight from Systems Change Leaders: Accept outcomes, pacing, and processes from the lived experience of BIPOC folks and communities

An interview series by SVP International Philanthropic Partnerships Manager, Naheed Jadavji

Core to the work needed by funders as we reimagine giving is lifting up voices closest to the issues. As part of that work, we asked our inaugural Reimagine Fund awardees to share how donors and partners can work towards more equitable and accountable philanthropy. Katie Kissinger, a member of the Executive Council of The Threads of Justice Collective in Portland Oregon, shares how community-connectedness can bring us to better support those that philanthropy has traditionally left out.

** This is Part 3 of our Insight from Systems Change Leaders series — please read Part 1 and Part 2 **

Q: What does systems change look like for the movement work you do?

A: Our vision is that inclusion and justice are the core of all early childhood systems and practices. This translates into many layers and approaches grounded in culturally relevant and respectful practices that recognize the existence of oppression in most existing systems and practices.

Q: What do you need from philanthropy to achieve change? What kind of philanthropy do you need?

A: We are a very small informal and at this point all volunteer organization. We need funding that accepts a non-dominant culture way of working and other pro-bono resources — all with a non-dominant culture approach. And we need donors to accept voices, ways of doing business, outcomes, pacing and process as lived and expressed by BIPOC folks and communities.

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Join us as we reimagine giving. The Reimagine Fund is a global collective action movement mobilizing resources to support frontline leaders and their systems-changing efforts. Threads of Justice Collective was a round 1 awardee of the Reimagine Fund.