Love in action in Southwest Washington: A conversation with Karen Morrison & Vanessa Gaston

The theme for 2023’s Black Philanthropy Month is “Love in Action,” an invitation to radically reimagine philanthropy through the lens of self-love, community love, and the love of Black people. 

To celebrate the deep roots of Black giving, we are featuring truthful conversations between Black grantees and Black funders. These conversations shed light on the relationships at the heart of philanthropy and showcase new ways of giving.

Funder to Grantee:

Vanessa: What do you feel is often misunderstood about the relationship between funder and grantee?

Karen: The lived experiences of those we are trying to serve are often left out of the conversation. When people don’t understand being marginalized, homeless, or struggling with mental health issues, sometimes that dialogue is not easily transferable into funding opportunities.

For instance, we at OWIES are always boots on the ground, and we prioritize giving our community partners opportunities to hear the voices of those that might be houseless, the voices of the youth, etc. We focus on sharing those stories with funders and anyone who is willing to listen so we can advocate for those that are hurting in our communities through their voices.

Many times when we go to funders, they tend to want to hear certain things that keep them feeling comfortable. But we focus on speaking our truth and trying to reach funders that can see and hear us in order to truly make an impact and difference in the work that we do.

Vanessa: How can we as funders better support our grantees beyond financial investments?

Karen: One of the biggest things funders can do to support is through outreach. Just the other day, someone mentioned OWIES with a group that had never heard of us, and that is great support. Word of mouth becomes an important part of supporting us, telling folks to give us a call or check out our website. So much of this work is based on reputation, people seeing what you do, reaching out, and understanding that you are there to help people in the community.

Vanessa: What has been the most empowering aspect of the relationship between OWIES and Clark County Community Services?

Karen: That’s easy to say, just look at Vanessa and look at myself. We come from a lens of lived experience as people who understand the hardships and challenges of every day. We respect each other.

What I like about the relationship is that it is always being elevated. There’s always that encouragement. “I saw what you did. I recognize who you are. I know that you're going to keep going and thank you for what you’re doing.” It's been a real blessing to have that kind of support, especially from people who look like me because they understand. I walk into the room and they scoot over to make space for me because they know we’re at the right table.

Grantee to Funder:

Karen: How does Black philanthropy differ from traditional philanthropic models?

Vanessa: In truth, I work in a part of the country and in an industry that is historically very white. When it comes to human services in the city and county I’m probably one of the few people of color in a leadership position. Very few foundations have a specific focus on helping the Black community, they tend to want to focus on “communities of color” and the issues that face the Black community specifically fall to the bottom.

In the Pacific Northwest I think this notion of Black philanthropy is new and exciting. After the murder of George Floyd, there have been more intentional conversations about institutional racism and anti-Blackness. I see Black leaders taking more ownership and saying, “We can’t wait for somebody else to do this for us. We’ve got to do this on our own,” and tapping into wealth in the community, as well as bringing the community to the table. It’s refreshing to see this intentionality. We don’t have to be shy when we talk about racism or anti-Blackness. We don’t have to whitewash our narratives to keep people comfortable. Let’s tell our truth, take some ownership, and get some dollars for our community.

Karen: What are ways you are attempting to influence your sector to increase investments in Black communities?

Vanessa: First and foremost, whether public or private, folks need to understand the historical trauma that Black communities have faced. You would be amazed at how ignorant people are around institutional racism and white privilege. Often people talk about being fair or equal but don’t think about equity. People think racism is one bad person doing something wrong, and not an entire system.

When you don’t see institutions funding Black organizations, it's essential that we ask the hard questions, get into the community, and give folks the information they need to apply. We have to remove barriers for organizations to receive funding, and empower organizations to advocate for themselves. As someone on the inside, I see it as my responsibility not only to bring diverse voices and perspectives to the table, but to also battle a culture of white supremacy.

Karen: What have you learned through our relationship?

Vanessa: One big thing I admire about OWIES is the boots on the ground outreach they do. Not all nonprofits are good at that, everyone claims to be doing outreach, but when you look at the data certain communities are constantly left out.

We really started working with OWIES and Karen during the pandemic and OWIES was easily one of the strongest organizations as far as outreach. The sheer number of people that they were able to connect to us, particularly in the Black community, was astounding. I appreciate that because it’s hard work — it’s heart work. They’re not just sitting in the office, they are truly embedded in the community. I want to thank Karen and her organization because they were instrumental in helping us in a crucial time of hurt.

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Odyssey World International Education Services (OWIES) believes in the power of collaboration. OWIES forges partnerships with community organizations, government offices, and educational institutions to address the issues impacting the resiliency of BIPOC and people with low-incomes. The organization is dedicated to reducing disparities in institutions, promoting cross-cultural understanding, and raising awareness about services, policies, and issues within our communities. OWIES strives to be the bridge that connects people — regardless of their background — to the resources they need to thrive.

Clark County Community Services supports all people in community to increase their well-being and economic security. Community Services is a department within Clark County Government that is responsible for administering grants, contracts, and programs for local behavioral health support and recovery services, veteran services, developmental disability, youth prevention, low-income home rehabilitation, housing, and homeless programs for Clark County. The department is one of the largest funders in the county with an annual budget of over $60 million, with 85% of funds received from federal, state, and local governments contracted out to community providers.