by ERIN LUHMAN and photos by David Turner

Many alumni volunteer for philanthropies, but few make the leap to actually working for a philanthropic foundation. And fewer still identify as minorities–the very constituents many of these foundations are responsible for supporting

Because of this dearth of minority leadership in philanthropies, the executive boards of many foundations do not adequately represent the communities they serve, affecting their direction and priorities

To address this disconnect, the Minnesota Council on Foundations and the Bush Foundation recently launched a three-year fellowship program to promote diversity in philanthropic leadership. In their first year they selected just four fellows, two of whom are Macalester alumni: Dameun Strange ’95 and Venessa Fuentes ’97. Both joined the Bush Foundation in January.

“The field of philanthropy has traditionally been pretty insular,” says Fuentes, a former grant writer and education associate at the Loft Literary Center who identifies as a writer, artist, and gay woman of color. “This fellowship allows me to have a new level of impact in the communities I believe in and want to support.”

“Venessa has a keen sense of humor and a genuine compassion for those around her, which makes for a wonderful working relationship,” says longtime Loft colleague Jerod Santek. “Those qualities will serve her well as a Philanthropy Fellow.”

Strange, who majored in English and music at Mac, comes from a background in music and arts fundraising. “Dameun was a consistent and enthusiastic member of all my classes and performance ensembles, always contributing positive work,” says emeritus music professor Carleton Macy. “I think he can appreciate the many marginalized musical venues we have in our communities.”

Recognizing Strange’s passion for music, the Bush Foundation placed him on a committee devoted to developing a new arts program, a sector the foundation struggled to sustain during the latest economic downturn. Strange is proud to be involved in shaping this initiative. “If we can offer the arts to communities as a healthy, unifying tool, then our communities will be much better off,” he says. “If I can be a part of providing funding to people looking to do that, I will be a happy, happy man.”

The Bush Foundation distributed more than $28.6 million across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations last year. By inviting Strange, Fuentes, and their two fellowship colleagues to learn the grant-selection process from top to bottom, the foundation hopes to equip them to establish themselves in the field of philanthropy while also improving its own level of inclusion.

“We’re excited and grateful to have their experienced voices on our team,” says Bush community innovation manager Mandy Ellerton. “We’re already better for it. They’ve made big contributions to our strategy around communications and program design. We’re already imagining the impact they’ll have in years to come.”

Both fellows work with Ellerton on the community innovation team, reviewing grant proposals, conducting site visits, participating in the grantee selection process, and helping craft evaluations.

Although the work is intense, says Fuentes, the position fits her well, providing a perfect outlet for her combined passions for the arts and social justice. She’s proud, she says, to play a small role in “breaking down the institutionalized racism that limits the potential of foundations to effect change.”

As for Strange, he’s already been challenged by his responsibilities as a program associate on the one hand and his natural sympathy for the underrepresented groups applying for funding on the other. “It’s hard to find that balance between being an advocate and working as part of your foundation’s team,” he says. “But to have the money stewarded well, we must have people who represent the larger community at the table.”

That challenge is one that both Strange and Fuentes have wholeheartedly accepted. The more they expand their professional networks, they say, the more they’ve come to realize that diversity in philanthropy is both necessary and attainable. “There aren’t a lot of people of color in philanthropy,” says Strange, who met some fellow Macalester alumni at a recent gathering of foundation professionals. “The fact that there are so many from Macalester makes for a remarkable story.”

November 5 2014

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