Videoconference Participants Get Insider Tips on Ethnic Philanthropy
Washington
When it comes to ethnic philanthropy, a couple of
things need to be clear. First, the color that really counts is not
Black, White, Brown, or Red, but green – as in dollar green. Second,
without know how and persistence, pleas for funding will likely not be
heard regardless of the nobility or desperation of the plea.
The underpinnings of these and other views were provided by a
first-of-its-kind panel of ethnic philanthorpy experts on a
recently-aired teleconference.
“Ethnic Philanthropy,” the initial offering in the 1997-98 series of
Black Issues in Higher Education videoconferences, provided the
first-ever opportunity for such a diverse representation of ethnic and
racial groups to come together to talk about minority giving.
The panel, which was moderated by Kojo Nnamdi, included: Rodney
Jackson, publisher of The Black Philanthropy Newsletter; Marjorie
Fujiki, executive director of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in
Philanthropy; Steven Paprocki, associate director of research for the
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy; Mildred Hudson, a
fundraising consultant who was a former program officer of Dewitt
Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund; L. Steven Zwerling, senior director of
education, media, arts and culture for the Ford Foundation; Ana
Rivas-Vasquez vice president for development and external relations at
St. Thomas University, and a member of the board of Hispanics in
Philanthropy; and John Maestas, vice president for university
advancement at the University of Southern Maine and president of the
organizations American Indians in Philanthropy and the Fundraising
Consultants Association.
Many challenges face development officers and others seeking funds
for institutions today, members of the panel observed. One challenge is
to improve the current climate toward giving, which is shifting from an
emphasis on the higher education level to an emphasis on the K-12
level. The apparent reason for the shift is the growing belief that by
giving at the front end of the educational pipeline, there will be
better students – and less need to give – at the higher education level.
Another challenge is the decline in the popularity of – and the
increase in lawsuits challenging – ethnic-based scholarships. This has
become increasingly troublesome since the 1994 Fourth U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeal’s ruling against a publicly-funded African American
scholarship program at the University of Maryland. Last month, the
Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, citing the court
decision in Maryland, also ended a scholarship program at a two-year
college in Virginia which used private funds. (Seepage 16 for related
story.) The University of California system’s Board of Regents has
ended all racebased admissions and scholarship policies as well.
