Introducing Rashanda Freeman

The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project welcomed a new team member this summer, Rashanda Freeman, Communications & Engagement Lead. Get to know Rashanda in the Q+A below.

Can you share a little about your journey to this work? 

I've always been a creative spirit. I grew up in an underprivileged part of Philly and my mom was big on after school programs, which meant me getting involved in a ton of arts and culture programs. I wanted to be a playwright, and that captivation with storytelling still runs through me. Like so many places, arts programs were always the first to get slashed in organization and school budgets in Philly. So eventually I found myself wanting to advocate for the services I had felt the impact of when I was a young person. That took me to working at a local level in an arts advocacy organization, which was meaningful but also draining to fight the same fight each year. Eventually my boss at that organization shared the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project job description with me; he knew I had more to contribute at a national level. It's only been a little over a month, but I'm already seeing how much impact this movement makes and feeling thankful to be a part of it. 

What excites you most about being a part of this movement? 

I've been on the nonprofit side for so long. I feel ready to reimagine philanthropy, reimagine what trust looks like, and break down all the power dynamics that need to dissolve in the process. This is a space where challenging and pushing the status quo is actually welcomed – where I don’t have to feel alone in that as a woman of color, an advocate, or a disruptor.  I genuinely feel I was guided to this work during such a critical time in our history. There is so much talk about racial equity, DEI, and how they apply to power dynamics… My North Star will always be service to community, and unapologetically pushing for sustainable change. The authenticity that I’ve already gotten to sink into is not just accepted, it’s needed to do the work well.  

Rashanda Freeman,

Communications & Engagement Lead

What does trust mean to you in the context of this work? 

For me, trust is always going to be aligned with safety. In navigating all sorts of professional and personal spaces, safety has always been the thing that I’ve held so deeply. Power dynamics complicate our ability to feel safe with each other. Part of what I’m so excited about in this work is that we’re real about that. When authenticity and breaking down power is the norm, it’s easier to build safe relationships with each other. It’s easier to build trust with honesty at the center. It feels like a huge privilege (and a rare one!) to be a part of a team that expects that level of transparency. 

What can you share about your vision for trust based philanthropy? 

Coming from nonprofit and arts spaces, and working with so many communities of color and LGBTQ folks, the biggest part of my job used to be helping people navigate the grant process. The thing that became really clear for most of them was this sense of, “We have to make the funder happy. We have to answer all their questions in the way we think they want to have it answered.”  And then COVID and George Floyd happened and it was this moment of collective reckoning. And suddenly, a lot of the groups and individuals I was supporting got relief funds. They had real resources to do their work for the first time! They got to pay themselves– what a concept! It felt like there was a trajectory of enough resources and less hassle from funders beginning to occur. But without a crisis to sustain that support, a lot of it has faded away. 

My hope is that the future of philanthropy takes on longer-lasting impact for the most vulnerable communities while exercising less power and control. It feels powerful to be a part of that shift and to be breaking down the traditional ways that philanthropy has worked for decades.