EP01

Decolonize Philanthropy

In this first episode, we unpack how American traditional philanthropy was founded, and how its very guiding principles have choked the industry from doing exactly what it’s meant to do—

Get the resources where they are needed, by means of the people who are affected by both the problem and the solution.

Listen & Scroll >>

Michele Kumi (久美) Baer
Kumi Cultural

Nick Tilsen
NDN Collective

EP01

Decolonize Philanthropy

In this first episode, we unpack how American traditional philanthropy was founded, and how its very guiding principles have choked the industry from doing exactly what it’s meant to do—

Get the resources where they are needed, by means of the people who are affected by both the problem and the solution.

Listen & Scroll >>

(about 31 minutes)

the gospel of wealth
Michele Kumi (久美) Baer
Kumi Cultural

imbalance of great power
Vu Le
NonprofitAF.com

elite views from the boardroom
Aaron Dorfman
NCRP

we are all related
Nick Tilsen
NDN Collective

EP02

Joy in Collective Giving

In this episode, we will hear from a few radical leaders, moving funds and resources through mutual aid and collective giving efforts.

Each guest embodies the very soul of what ancient forms of giving stood for.

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(about 37 minutes)

generosity from your bones
Sara Lomelin
Philanthropy Together

mutual aid in a crisis
Jenice Fountain
Yellowhammer Fund

tendrils in the community
Wit López
Philadelphia Assembly and Till Arts Project

art fueling revolution
Z and M
Operation Olive Branch

EP03

Unrestrict the
Funds

In this episode, we examine how unrestricted funding is a vital solution—freeing artists from the red tape of traditional grants and allowing them to focus on their craft.

By removing these financial barriers, we can create a future where art—and the people who make it—are truly valued and can thrive.

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(about 38 minutes)

artist labor is labor
Jessica Mele
Jessica Mele Creative

gift as you’d like to be gifted
Holly Doll & Joua Lee Grande
Waterers

building capital with unrestricted funds
Eddie Torres
Grantmakers in the Arts

guaranteed income for artists
Ricardo Beaird
Springboard for the Arts

EP04

Systems Change
Right Now

In this episode, we confront the urgent need for systems change within philanthropy.

Our guests go beyond the surface-level fixes and aim to uproot the systems that perpetuate oppression, ensuring that historically marginalized communities have control over their land, resources, and futures.

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(about 35 minutes)

will the revolution be funded?
Nairuti Shastry,
The Democracy Collab.
Zac Chapman,
New Economy Coalition

divest from the carceral system
Lorraine Ramirez
Funders for Justice

investing to build power and wealth
Cierra Peters & Alula Hunsen
Boston Ujima Project

together we rise
Hāwane Rios
Mauna Kea Education and Awareness

EP05

Appalachian
Futurism

In this episode, we’ll see how radical, collective giving can do what traditional philanthropy has not—restore, empower, and finally give back to the communities long asked and forced to sacrifice.

This is Appalachian Futurism, a tribute to the past and a blueprint for a new way forward.

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(about 42 minutes)

lay of the land
Joe Tolbert Jr.
Waymakers Collective

rematriating the land
Tiffany P. & Taysha D.
Appalachian Rekindling Project

rural queer stories
Rae Garringer
Country Queers

place justice in knoxville
Ty Murray & Kalil White
The Bottom

EP06

Organizing for
Narrative Power

In this last and final episode, we’re bringing this series full circle by confronting what’s at stake as we choose either to sustain the systems that uphold inequity or to dismantle and reimagine them.

Together, we’ll reflect on how narratives shape our beliefs, influence civic discourse, and define our paths to collective action. This is the call, the challenge, and the opportunity.

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(about 33 minutes)

just, pluralist narrative oceans
Bridgit Antoinette Evans
Pop Culture Collaborative

civic spaces in surprising places
Evan Weissman
Warm Cookies of the Revolution

i am live, creator of worlds
Rae Garringer
Country Queers