Black Women in Philanthropy | Leadership and Innovation

The DEC Network at Redbird hosted the Black Women in Philanthropy 2024 event that brought together Black women philanthropists from across the DFW Metroplex.

Presented by the Reconciliation and Restoration Foundation, the event gathered iconic Black women in non-profit leadership to discuss furthering their roles in philanthropy.

Attendees included leaders from various organizations who shared their experiences and strategies for making a meaningful impact in their communities.

The event featured panel discussions kicked off by Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew and included Tiffanie Rice of Comerica Bank, Dominique Bryant-Howell of The Chris Howell Foundation, and Martine Phillippe of the City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture Department.

“We are encouraging the organizations that we serve to diversify their boards. It’s important to us to see the representation at the board level because we know the trickle-down impact is going to give positive benefits who are in the minority as well,” said Phillippe.

“We want to continue to build bridges from the city offices to the community so we always take advantage of these opportunities to have one-on-one or group discussions for folks that gets the opportunity to engage with us directly and ask the questions that maybe they haven’t had a chance to ask.”

The event provided networking opportunities, and workshops focused on fundraising, community engagement, and effective leadership.

Key topics included the importance of representation in philanthropy, addressing disparities in funding, such as unrestrictive funding, and building sustainable support systems.

“This is where you get fed, you get information, but you also find mentors, and even here we had funders. Building those kinds of relationships is going to help you. So when you’re starting out, you got to build networks and you got to get educated, you do those things it’s just a matter of time for your nonprofit to grow,” said Booker-Drew, board chair and founder of the Reconciliation and Restoration Foundation.

Booker-Drew further explained that for Black-owned nonprofits to receive funding, especially unrestricted funding, partnering with other organizations is essential.

“They’re going to have to partner, so how do you partner with a more established nonprofit where you all can go in together and decide how you can use those funds? That’s one. I think two, is looking at given circles, you know, we start a heritage given circle, there’s village, those are opportunities to get unrestricted funding,” Booker-Drew explained. “So it’s thinking outside of the box.”

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