TRANScending Voices is part of Funders for LGBTQ Issues' main podcast, Justice Ain’t Cheap. This mini-series is dedicated to sharing the stories and experiences of trans leaders who are not only living authentically but also reshaping the landscape of philanthropy and shifting the narrative around funding, visibility, and support. This mini-series is hosted by Alexander Lee (he/him), Deputy Director of Funders for LGBTQ Issues.
In our first episode, Alex interviews Rickke Mananzala. Rickke has been active in grassroots organizing, advocacy, and social justice philanthropy in service of racial, economic, and gender justice movements for more than two decades. He currently serves as the President of the New York Foundation, which supports community organizing and advocacy toward a more just and inclusive New York City. Before this role, he was Vice President of Programs at Borealis Philanthropy.

Justice Ain't Cheap: TRANScending Voices featuring Rickke Mananzala

This week a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay USAID partners for billions of dollars in foreign aid work completed before Feb. 13. The ruling also stated that the president does not have “unbounded power” in the realm of foreign affairs. This means that the U.S. government must spend the money that’s already been appropriated by Congress. We discuss whether this ruling will hold and what it will mean for U.S. foreign assistance. 

We also analyze the potential effects of evolving U.S. foreign aid policies on the World Food Programme's fight against global hunger and contemplate whether philanthropy will fill the gap left by governments. 

To dig into these stories, and others, Devex’s David Ainsworth sits down with Anna Gawel and Ayenat Mersie for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters:
https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

This Week in Global Dev: #88: What does the latest federal ruling mean for US foreign assistance?

Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, joins Chanda Smith Baker to expose philanthropy's hidden power dynamics. In a raw, unfiltered conversation, she reveals how Black women leaders strategically navigate and dismantle institutional racism, offering a masterclass in resilience, strategic resistance, and transformative leadership that challenges the very foundations of charitable giving. Inspired by the legendary Gladys Washington—who embodied unapologetic leadership, mentorship, and radical love—this episode is a blueprint for systemic transformation, told by a leader who has fought and won battles most never see. 

Learn:
* How to turn institutional barriers into strategic opportunities
* The art of influencing power structures from within
* Authentic allyship beyond performative gestures
* Why incremental change requires patience and persistent vision


The Gladys Method: How Black Women Leaders Navigate and Dismantle Institutional Barriers

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Bruce Weber, Willem Kooyker Dean of the Zicklin School of Business and a professor in the Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems & Statistics at New York's Baruch College. Previously, he was the dean of the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at the University of Delaware. He has an AB in applied mathematics from Harvard University and an MS and PhD in decision sciences from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

In this episode, Bruce talks about the early days of his career, which began at Zicklin, and the many things he's experienced and learned over the course of his remarkable time in academia, before returning to lead Zicklin in 2023. This delightful conversation touches on several topics relevant to today's academic leaders, including:

•the power of linking community colleges to four-year institutions
•philanthropy's importance in funding operations and initiatives 
•the uniqueness of the urban campus
•diversity
•faculty governance

Learn more about Bruce Weber: https://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/why-zicklin/zicklin-leaders/bruce-w-weber/

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.com

Thanks for listening.

-
Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

59: Bruce Weber (Baruch) on Knowing Thy Customer

Karla Henderson, the new CEO of Project for Pride in Living (PPL), joins Chanda Smith Baker to unpack her journey of unapologetic leadership. In a raw, powerful conversation, she reveals how to navigate complex challenges, stay true to community values, and transform unexpected opportunities into meaningful impact—all while redefining what it means to lead with resilience and purpose.

Project for Pride in Living (PPL):
https://www.ppl-inc.org/

www.conversationswithchanda.com   
IG @chandasbaker & @conversationswithchanda
Twitter/X: @chandasbaker

Anchoring Community with Unapologetic Leadership: A Conversation with Karla Henderson

Pierre Berastaín, Regional Director of CPI Center for Public Impact, is a Harvard-educated, gay Latino immigrant who turns personal barriers into blueprints for social transformation. In this raw, powerful conversation, he dismantles systemic barriers through personal resilience, revealing how marginalized communities can transform pain into profound social change. Discover radical strategies for healing, leadership, and reimagining government that will challenge everything you thought you knew about survival.

Centre for Public Impact:
https://centreforpublicimpact.org/

www.conversationswithchanda.com   
IG @chandasbaker & @conversationswithchanda
Twitter/X: @chandasbaker

Beyond Survival: Rewriting the Rules When the System Wasn't Built for You

Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common, joins Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to offer researched-based strategies leaders can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in their communities. Dixon founded the organization after the 2016 murder of his close friend, Jo Cox, a British politician who was slain for her opposition to Brexit. Today, More in Common helps political leaders and social-change movements in the United States and elsewhere devise strategies to strengthen their coalitions by including unlikely allies. 

Bridging divides is top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders today. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofit executives say the nation’s divisions are making their jobs tougher, according to an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey. 

In this episode, Dixon shares solutions to overcome entrenched division.

Learn more about Dixon's organization, More in Common, at: moreincommon.com

Read the Chronicle's coverage of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors at: philanthropy.com

Nonprofits Now: Leading Today with Tim Dixon - Chronicle of Philanthropy

Sharon Bush, President of Grand Victoria Foundation, joins Chanda Smith Baker to challenge leadership norms. She reveals why sometimes the most radical act is choosing stillness over noise. Learn how an introverted leader transforms communities by listening deeply, building strategic power, and centering Black abundance—not just surviving, but thriving with purpose.

https://grandvictoriafdn.org/

www.conversationswithchanda.com   
IG @chandasbaker & @conversationswithchanda
Twitter/X: @chandasbaker



The Courage to Be Still with Sharon Bush, Grand Victoria Foundation

In this episode of Conversations with Chanda, Girl Scouts River Valleys CEO Marisa C. Williams and four-time bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones shatter the myths of perfectionism and self-doubt. They dive into the transformative power of borrowed courage, revealing how women and girls can silence their inner critic and step boldly into their purpose.

Girl Scouts River Valleys:
https://www.girlscoutsrv.org/

Luvvie Ajayi Jones Books:
https://luvvie.org/books/

https://conversationswithchanda.com/   
IG @chandasbaker & @conversationswithchanda
Twitter/X: @chandasbaker

Unleash Your Inner Troublemaker: A Conversation with Marisa C. Williams and Luvvie Ajayi Jones

As nonprofit leaders grapple with increasingly dire threats to their funding and missions, it’s more important than ever to understand what it takes to lead resilient organizations.

For a look at what skills are most important, we hear from Vanessa Priya Daniel, who interviewed 45 social-justice leaders for her new book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning.

Daniel combines her extensive research for the book with her own experiences as an organizer and founder of Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund — which together have distributed more than $100 million to over 200 organizations led by women of color and transgender people.

In a conversation with Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer, Daniel says her interviews led her to identify three all successful change agents possessed:
• Bold ideas. Incremental solutions don’t add up to enough to solve the tremendous challenges of today and tomorrow. 
• Generosity. Daniel says an “ethos of rising by lifting others” is what makes the women she interviewed successful.
• 360-degree vision. There’s never just one cause of a problem that’s complex and worth solving.

This podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.

The podcastNonprofits Now: Leading Today is hosted by Stacy Palmer, CEO of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. It is produced by the Chronicle's Emily Haynes and by Reasonable Volume's Mary Dooe, producer; Mark Bush, engineer; and Rachel Swaby and Elise Hu, executive producers. Additional support provided by the Chronicle's Margie Fleming Glennon, Andrew Simon, Nick Adams, Krista Niles, Kyle Johnson, and by Amaya Beltran of the design firm Salta With Us.

For the latest philanthropy news and analysis, subscribe to the Chronicle at" philanthropy.com/subscribe.

Nonprofits Now Leading Today Podcast with Stacy Palmer and Vanessa Priya Daniel

Justice Ain't Cheap is the podcast of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, a network of grantmakers working to increase the scale and impact of philanthropic resources aimed at enhancing the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities, promoting equity, and advancing racial, economic and gender justice.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is the essential source of news, commentary, networking and training opportunities for nonprofit professionals.

We're the world’s leading independent news organization covering global development.

Conversations with Chanda isn’t just a podcast — it’s a movement. Hosted by powerhouse CEO, philanthropist, and unapologetic truth-teller Chanda Smith Baker, this award-winning show cuts through the noise to confront the issues that shape our world: race, power, leadership, justice, and philanthropy. With a fearless voice and a deeply personal lens, Chanda brings listeners into raw, unfiltered conversations with national changemakers like, Robin DiAngelo, PhD, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Caroline Wanga, and Ibram X. Kendi, as well as the bold Twin Cities leaders shaking up business, community, and culture. Whether it's pushing past politeness or unpacking the quiet power behind real change, Conversations with Chanda is where leadership gets real — and personal. This is not just a listen. It’s a call to lead. Subscribe and download now — your next breakthrough starts here.

New tracks tagged #philanthropy