I was so sad I could not make it to Chicago this past weekend for the 4th Annual Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) Conference, I had a marvelous time last year in LA. Thanks to social media and our friends at ABFE we know that the weekend was about solutions and addressing the needs of our communities! I don’t think the conference could have been held in a better place this year, hitting the Chicago streets the conference addressed Community Violence, Black Male Stereotypes and Celebrity Foundations just to name a few. Over 225 leaders and professionals in philanthropy including presidents, trustees, program officers, athletes and donors attended the fourth annual conference , at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago. The conference offered attendees strategic philanthropic solutions that impact Black communities. It put a spotlight on violence, negative images of Black males in the media, and innovative community re-development initiatives. The rarely engaged and often misunderstood topic of foundation operations, specifically finance, investment and grants management, provides a 101 course in institutional investing. Sessions were designed to help sports and entertainment philanthropist increase their understanding of the mainstream grantmaking process, an issue recently portrayed negatively in an ESPN news story.
Representatives of several organizations founded by athletes and entertainers attended, including Chicago Bears linebacker James Anderson. Robert K. Ross, M.D. President and CEO of The California Endowment will receive this year’s prestigious James A. Joseph Lecturer Award and John W. Rogers, Jr. Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments will receive the 2013 Trailblazer Award. Maya Wiley, Founder and President of the Center for Social Inclusion will give a keynote address and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland Baltimore County will close the plenary session.
The theme was: “Innovation + Investment = Impact” it encouraged members to leverage the power of philanthropy to address critical needs facing Black communities, including economic, educational and social inequalities. “Foundations move money,” said Susan Taylor Batten, President and CEO of ABFE, “and philanthropy is a powerful tool for positive, enduring social change.”
The Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) is an independent membership organization that counts among its members the most influential staff, trustees and donors of grant making institutions that promote effective and responsive philanthropy in Black communities. If you missed it like us, do make plans to attend next year in Hollywood, CA! For more info, visit www.abfe.org. Check out the photos courtesy of ABFE!
