A3. Prioritizing Equity in Learning, Inside and Out
Session Designer:
Carrie Boron and Deloris Vaughn, Everyday Democracy, a project of The Paul J. Aicher Foundation, and Angela Frusciante, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Session Description
Issues of diversity and equity are at the root of many of philanthropy’s learning and evaluation challenges and are embedded in questions such as these: Who defines and assesses what positive change looks like? How does learning happen among multicultural staff? Where can privilege hide in learning processes? How do we design meaningful learning? As grantmakers, we need to prevent privilege and power structures from impeding effective programs, knowledge sharing and nonprofit results. In this session, participants will discuss how learning and equity move inside and outside of foundations, and how you can embed equity and learning into philanthropic practice. As you explore different learning scenarios that raise key questions about equity, hear from two foundations that have developed more engaging and inclusive learning and evaluation agendas about their own experiences and struggles.
Primary Points Of Contact
Carrie, Boron
Angela, Frusciante
Session Designers
Carrie Boron, Everyday Democracy
Angela Frusciante, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Speakers
Carrie Boron, Everyday Democracy
Speaker Biography
Carrie Boron serves as the Organizational Effectiveness and Learning Officer at Everyday Democracy, an operating foundation that works locally and nationally for a stronger and more equitable democracy. She manages the organization's overarching programmatic strategies, planning and learning initiatives, helping to enhance organizational outcomes. In previous roles, Carrie has worked on strategic communications, social media and media relations on causes ranging from the safeguarding our federal courts, to social justice, to the prevention of gun violence.
Angela Frusciante, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Speaker Biography
Angela K. Frusciante, PhD serves as Knowledge Development Officer at the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, a family foundation that invests in community approaches to educational change. As a socio-political scholar, Angela focuses on knowledge construction and network learning in change initiatives. Angela has worked on learning and evaluation in the private, public and nonprofit sectors; in local, state and national contexts; and in community, intermediary, education and philanthropic organizations.
Deloris Vaughn, PhD, Everyday Democracy
Speaker Biography
Deloris works with Everyday Democracy of the Paul J. Aicher Foundation as an Evaluation and Research Specialist. She has also worked as an evaluation consultant for several years. A key focus of Deloris’ practice is evaluation capacity building and using evaluation for learning. At Everyday Democracy, she brings an evaluative lens to the study of the intersection of equity and learning within the organization and in their work with communities, partners and other national organizations on the front line of building a stronger more equitable democracy.