The genetic code linking violence toward Asian Americans and the murder of George Floyd

Prejudice against Asian-Americans is nothing new. Sadly it is as American as apple pie and Jim Crow.

Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyRev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, President of Auburn Seminary and Cathy Kim, Board Member, Asian Americans for EqualityFebruary 7, 2022anti-Asian Racism, Asian Americans for Equality, pandemic, racial injustice, Racism, grantmaking, grantee, power, peace building, philanthropic sector, philanthropy, impact, post covid, Prejudice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Networks, New Year, NYC, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., nonrofit, COVID-19, community, democracy, equity, Foundation, governance, social justice, Sterling Network NYC, leadership, human rights, organizations, social impact, trustComment

A nonprofit thought leader’s resolutions for a new year: To follow and to fail

Although the New Year came in without much fanfare, amidst the pandemic and uncertainty, I did make a few resolutions that will guide how I do my work and live my life this year.

A New Generation of Foundation Leaders Need to Act Like Community Organizers, Not Gatekeepers

I am feeling something like hope these days. After many dark months and unthinkable trials, New York City is seeming more like itself again, or maybe like a wiser version of itself.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted…

…Vacation, have to get away. Those lyrics, from the aptly named “Vacation” classic summer anthem by The Go Gos, feel spot on for this moment in time.

We Won’t Forget, But We Will Move Forward

Subways are creeping back to pre-pandemic ridership levels, sports arenas have fans cheering on their teams, airplanes are full of travelers, malls have shoppers carrying bags filled with purchases, restaurants are bustling with energy, laughter, and happy tummies, and increasing numbers of people are back in their offices.

Funders: It’s Time to Talk to Our Legal Teams About Power, Compliance, and Trust-Based Philanthropy

For philanthropy to have more equitable practices, we must examine and reimagine the way we do our work.

April: All The Fellows Are Weavers, And Some Of Us Are Guardians

Several weeks ago during a network committee checkin, I introduced myself to a consultant who had joined us in this way, “I’m Trish and I serve as the Sterling Network Organizer.

Getting Back to Normal-ish? So Many Feelings.

Here in New York City we’re enjoying a verdant and vibrant Spring season – leaves in all tints of green, magnolias, cherry blossoms, forsythias, daffodils, tulips, bluebells and hostas are all poking out of the soil.

For All of Us in Philanthropy, the Moment of Rebuilding Is Here

Last year I spent the first Passover of the pandemic quarantined in my bedroom racked with a fever and body aches.

Chronicle of Philanthropy, Covid-19, Face Plant, FFIS, Flexible Funding Impact, Foundation, Getting to Know You, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyLisa Pilar CowanApril 20, 2021Chronicle of Philanthropy, community, COVID-19, Covid-19, racial injustice, grantmaking, Grants, grantee, Getting to know you, organizations, General Operating, governance, pandemic, Racism, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, travel, Trust-Based Philanthropy, trust, NYC, social impact, social justice, social change, Sterling Network NYC, Funding, Endowments, democracy, Foundation, Headwaters Foundation, equity, New York City, Networks, new year, human rights, philanthropy, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., social and systems-level change workComment

What One Grant Maker Learned in This Pandemic Year: Keep Asking Questions

I did not intend to become a columnist for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, nor did I imagine becoming a cartoon character.

The genetic code linking violence toward Asian Americans and the murder of George Floyd

Prejudice against Asian-Americans is nothing new. Sadly it is as American as apple pie and Jim Crow. Whether it’s the “yellow peril” of the late 19th century that gave rise to the Chinese Exclusion act, FDR’s establishment of Japanese-American internment camps or Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, bigotry toward Asian Americans is as baked into the fabric of American life as the hatred that has claimed so many black lives in recent years.

It’s Not Advice My Grantees Need. They Need My Access to Power and Money.

My godmother Nina is not a warm and fuzzy fairy godmother. She is more of a lawyerly godmother.

How a Relatively Small Foundation Leverages Resources for Optimal Impact

Denver: Since 1952, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation has been committed to helping create a vibrant New York City — one that is strong, healthy, livable, and just. It is also one of the leading adherents of a concept called trust-based philanthropy.

Charity Navigator’s New “Impact Score” Tells Us Little About a Nonprofit’s True Value

The nonprofit watchdog group Charity Navigator last fall announced a new feature it designed to provide donors with an improved measure of nonprofit effectiveness.

Taking Off Blinders: How the Insurrection at the Capitol Changes My Grant-Making Perspective

I had a clever column worked out to open 2021, one that would detail my New Year’s resolutions to be a better grant maker.

Foundation, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark, Trust-Based PhilanthropyLisa Pilar CowanJanuary 19, 2021philanthropy, Trust-Based Philanthropy, Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, racial injustice, systemic racism, social and systems-level change work, equity Comment

What Can Philanthropy Do to Fix Democracy? Listen and Learn.

I have been taking the Stanford Daily Coronavirus Survey for months. I started it in April, and the questions are the same every day.

Foundations That Are Serious About Achieving Equity Need to Rethink How They Work

Before I had kids, I never saw playgrounds. But once I was pushing a stroller around town, I noticed that they were everywhere.

Meet Trish Adobea Tchume, our Sterling Network Organizer: Part Two

Psychologically, I think so many of us are still sort of operating in triage mode right now, and rightly so. While in many ways things have calmed down from the height of the pandemic, we still suffered the most deaths due to the virus by far of any state in the nation. People are still holding that trauma and will be for a long time.

Covid-19, Foundation, Getting to Know You, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyElisabeth Anderson RapportOctober 6, 2020foundation, philanthropy, Trust-Based Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, nonrofit, Getting to know you, Sterling Network NYC, leadershipComment

Meet Trish Adobea Tchume, our Sterling Network Organizer: Part One

Elisabeth: Tell me a bit about your professional background, and what led you to the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.

Trish: My career reflects movement back and forth between a focus on deep individual leadership development and developing/supporting broader networks.

Getting to Know You, Foundation, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, Robert Sterling Clark, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyElisabeth Anderson RapportSeptember 29, 2020Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Trust-Based Philanthropy, philanthropy, nonrofit, Sterling Network NYC, grantmaking, leadershipComment

All of Us in Grant Making — Not Just the Financiers — Need to Pay Attention to Investments (Dispatches)

I developed a case of math phobia in eighth grade, moving from the front to the back of the classroom and rushing through my homework in the cafeteria before school.

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New York, NY 10065

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135 East 64th StreetNew York, NY 10065

135 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10065