Webinar – Grantmaking for Disability
Where are the Dollars?
Click here for a transcript of this webinar
U.S. foundations have an urgent opportunity to expand equity and social justice by increasing their focus on disability. Disabled leaders have long been told by grantmakers that they “don’t fund disability.” Unfortunately, the data shows this is true. One in four adult Americans and an estimated 1 billion people globally experience disability, but only one penny of every $10 in U.S. grantmaking goes to disability rights and social justice.
Meanwhile, disabled people regularly encounter ableism that limits their social and economic prospects, well-being, and human rights. Through both data and storytelling, this session will illuminate why philanthropy cannot ignore funding for disability rights and justice.
CART will be provided. If you require another accommodation to fully participate in the webinar, please note it in your registration, or contact us at communications@disabilityphilanthropy.org or 407-917-6864. This free webinar is presented by the Disability & Philanthropy Forum.
About the Panelists
Moderator: Emily Harris, Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum
Emily Harris, Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, was the founding Executive Director of Disability Lead, the nation’s first disability civic leadership program, and a Senior Director at the Chicago Community Trust. In previous positions she focused on regional economic growth, open space conservation, early childhood education policy, non-profit strategy, and urban planning. Emily earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. She is President of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation and serves on Forest Preserves of Cook County Conservation and Policy Council, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago Advisory Board.
Panelist: Jen Bokoff, Director of Development, Disability Rights Fund
Jen Bokoff is the Director of Development for the Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund. She has dedicated her career to elevating marginalized voices, supporting community-centered solutions, and driving equity and effectiveness. Jen worked at Candid for seven years, where she led research on participatory grantmaking. She was identified by Onalytica in 2019 as a top 10 charity industry influencer and by Submittable in 2020 as a top 15 grantmaking-shaper. A graduate of Tufts University, Jen studied community health and sociology. She is a member of Disability Lead, the Board of Rhize, and the working group for the global Participatory Grantmaking Community of Practice.
Panelist: Steven Lawrence, Independent Consultant
Steven partners with funders, philanthropy-serving organizations, nonprofits, and others to develop the knowledge they need to make well-informed, strategic decisions. An expert on trends in U.S. and global philanthropy, he offers deep experience in creating custom research and learning resources, including landscape analyses, surveys, interview studies, literature reviews, and more. Throughout his career, Steven has led ground-breaking research on philanthropic support for priorities such as human rights, social justice, health equity, education reform, peace and security, and mission investing.
Panelist: Amoretta Morris, President, Borealis Philanthropy
Amoretta Morris is the president of Borealis Philanthropy. For the last 20 years, Amoretta has worked to build power, equity, and justice by supporting community-led change. She has innovated across sectors in philanthropy, nonprofits and local government. Prior to joining Borealis, Amoretta led national community change work at the Annie E. Casey Foundation for nearly a decade, partnering with local communities to build change from the ground-up. She serves on the boards of the Neighborhood Funders Group and Black Swan Academy. Morris earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and African studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University.