Ushering Philanthropy into the Just Transition: Play, Power, and a 100-Year Vision with Justice Funders Network

Host Kristine Michie interviews leaders Dino Foxx, Lora Smith, and Fernando Abarca about reimagining philanthropy to better serve communities. They discuss trust-based funding, breaking outdated rules, and how play and creativity fuel social change. This inspiring episode challenges conventional philanthropy, envisioning equitable resource flow, housing justice, and joyful movement work.

Key Takeaways:

• Justice Funders is committed to a 100-year transition vision, guiding philanthropy toward a just and regenerative economy where philanthropy, ultimately, there is no longer any need for it.
• Play and imagination are integral to movement-building, and Justice Funders uses creative approaches like theater exercises, writing prompts, and storytelling to foster engagement and trust.
• Trust is a foundational element in long-term movement work, especially in philanthropy, where shifting financial resources to communities requires deep relationships and shared vision.
• Philanthropy must recognize that communities already have the wisdom and solutions they need—the role of funders is to remove obstacles and provide resources, not dictate solutions.
• The transition toward justice is not a future aspiration but a present reality, happening in communities now through cooperative housing models, tenant takeovers, and creative economic solutions.
• Integrating play into serious work, from icebreaker questions to Theater of the Oppressed exercises, fosters creativity, sustains activists, and strengthens relationships.
• The act of “ushering” philanthropy into the just transition acknowledges that systemic change is inevitable and invites institutions to actively participate rather than resist.

"The transition is happening now—and the work [happening in] communities nationwide is proof: tenants taking over buildings, starting co-ops, creating what we call ‘building the new.’ This isn’t a distant future—it’s happening now." — Lora Smith