Surdna Foundation

In the sixth episode of Becoming The Vision, we welcome Don Chen, President of the Surdna Foundation! In this episode, Don frames commitment to racial and social justice as an "Oath"— a long-term pledge to stay grounded in vision, focused on root causes, and sustain a shared identity and purpose despite our differences and disagreements. Don shares how this oath guides his leadership at Surdna, and we acknowledge the personal qualities and competencies that support it. Thanks for joining us, Don! Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gS3qTN-d #Philanthropy #FreedomDreaming #CollectiveLiberation #RacialJustice

As fires rage across Southern California, we urge #workers to know your rights during wildfires and in evacuation zones. Under #California law, your employer is required to protect you from the dangers of #wildfire smoke, including providing you with PPE and moving you to a work location with clean air. If your job is in an evacuation zone, by law you can refuse to work there without retaliation. As #ClimateChange increases the chance of natural disasters, it's critical that workers are able to stay safe without losing their livelihoods. Worksafe: Safety, Health, & Justice for Workers California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation California Labor Federation https://lnkd.in/esSfU-fB #RightToRefuse #CAWildfire #PalisadesFire #EatonFire #LosAngelesFire #Wildfires

Check out Don Chen in conversation with Chera Reid, PhD, Efrain Gutierrez, and Trinel Torian, PhD on the Becoming The Vision podcast. Don discusses his approach to racial and social justice as an "oath”— a pledge to support and sustain structural change over the long haul. Listen to the full convo here:  https://lnkd.in/gnvJWgHJ Becoming The Vision from Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy exists as a platform for visionaries from the field of philanthropy and beyond who believe and practice the idea that we must change ourselves in order to change the world. #BecomingTheVision #FreedomDreaming

You may have noticed a new face around Surdna—we're thrilled to welcome KaSelah Crockett as a National Urban Fellows (NUF) on our team for the year! KaSelah is focusing on social justice grantmaking, mid-strategy reviews, and special initiatives with the Vice President of Programs Patrice R Green. A community advocate and social entrepreneur deeply dedicated to uplifting marginalized populations, KaSelah also supports teams across Surdna programs while learning how philanthropic strategy is applied to environmental and economic justice and racial equity in this evolving climate. Learn more about KaSelah--> https://lnkd.in/eYS89Vb8

As the year winds down, we're feeling full of hopeful energy after many moments of connection with grantees, peers, and partners in the past few months. Racial justice is more than possible—it is certain—with dedicated people like you all moving this work forward. It's been a joy to be in community with you! Tag yourself or your friends!

For Stanford Social Innovation Review, our friends at The Bridgespan Group—Darren Isom, Cora Daniels, and Lyell S., spent some time imagining the future of equitable philanthropy with partners & peers, including Don Chen. They came up with five truths to move donors forward: 1. Movements need to be durable to allow focus on the long term. 2. Our differences are our superpower. 3. Sustainable progress is only possible through cross-racial solidarity. 4. The best way to disrupt a broken narrative is to replace it with a more beautiful and compelling one. 5. The prospect of winning should outweigh the risk of failure. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gHNzxhNQ

Leaders at The Bridgespan Group share five truths to help donors committed to equitable philanthropy continue to push forward:   1. Movements need to be durable to allow focus on the long term. 2. Our differences are our superpower. 3. Sustainable progress is only possible through cross-racial solidarity. 4. The best way to disrupt a broken narrative is to replace it with a more beautiful and compelling one. 5. The prospect of winning should outweigh the risk of failure. Darren Isom, Cora Daniels, and Lyell Sakaue (Lyell S.) write: “In our 2022 SSIR article, ‘What Everyone Can Learn From Leaders of Color,’ we documented the assets and skills that leaders of color bring, because of their identity, that make them highly effective leaders and critical to social change. … Now, the continuation of that work is to learn from those leaders, to see and understand what philanthropy looks like when those assets are leveraged. Doing so reveals models that all funders can follow in their pursuit of equitable philanthropy.”

Shout out to Sophy Yem for representing Surdna Foundation at Foundations on the Hill with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees earlier this year! Give a listen to an interview I conducted with her to dig into her experience as a funder getting involved in advocacy work 👏 🎧 https://lnkd.in/gW_qKFcF #philanthropy #advocacy #immigration

Thanks to ImpactAlpha’s David Bank for your coverage of the Illumen Capital Catalyst Fund close. Thanks to our entire team including Maria Lopez Rosas, Leila Mengesha, Katie Twomey, MBA, Joanna Kuang, Jeremy Sookhoo, Octavio Sandoval, CFA, CAIA, Jason Henning, Amani Ahmed, Jo Nazareth, Malia H. and Daryn Dodson for working to achieve this important milestone. Grateful to our investors including the Ford Foundation and the Health Forward Foundation for their continued commitment to our mission to address #racialbias and #genderbias in #assetmanagement. Thanks to all of you who are part of the movement to unlock impact and economic value.

Good reminder for #NationalNativeAmericanHeritageMonth and every day.