Kyle Kellams: The Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative, or ABPC, is hosting its fifth annual convening tonight at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock. The group began connecting underrepresented nonprofits in Arkansas and funders about seven years ago.
Kara Wilkins, program director for the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative, says this work began as part of a simple discussion that took place in 2018.
Wilkins: It did, following an event that happened at the Clinton School. There were a group of folks, Black philanthropy professionals who went and had a few drinks and said, “Hey, we should get together more often to talk about what are the ways that we can coordinate and collectively come together to think about how we can impact communities in Arkansas.” And so really, that's how it came about, was just sort of a group of folks sitting down and thinking about ways that we could be a little bit more cohesive in the ways that we impact communities.
Kellams: That was several years ago. Now, for the fifth year, is the convening. It takes place at the Clinton Library and Museum. What sort of happens at the convening, and how did this come about?
Wilkins: Every year since we were established in 2020, we host an annual convening, which brings together philanthropic professionals and nonprofit partners, because one of the needs that we keep hearing is that the nonprofit partners weren't connected enough into foundations and working with funders. And so this is our fifth convening. And usually at the convening, we mostly do informational sessions. We've had panels in the past where we've brought together HBCU presidents or Black mayors from across Arkansas.
But this year, because we wanted to be a little bit more celebratory, we brought in Charles Blow, who is a renowned author as well as former journalist, worked for The Washington Post and other places. And so he's going to be our keynote speaker. And then we're also going to present our annual Black Philanthropy Award, which is going to go to three individuals who are retiring who have worked tirelessly in the philanthropic community in Arkansas.
Kellams: Well, those three, yes, Dr. Charisse Scantlebury, Dr. Charlotte Lllewellyn Williams, and Dr. Nachman Williams.
It's interesting because they're retiring, and I don't think any of them will, you know, we'll still see them. They're connected folks. But it is sort of an interesting thing that it's a handing, a generational move, a handing over. It's a reminder, I guess, that there are those of us who have to step up as others take a different trek in life.
Wilkins: That's right. And really, honestly, that's one of the things that ABPC is about—how are we building a pipeline for Black philanthropic professionals to move into these spaces so that their voices are heard and that they're able to help our philanthropic community be a little bit more diverse in its thinking and its approach toward grantmaking.
Kellams: What are some of the challenges to making sure this communication can work statewide?
Wilkins: I think, as we always kind of talk about here in the state, most of our nonprofits—actually our underserved and underrepresented nonprofits—are located in the Delta. So unfortunately, they're not always connected to some of our philanthropic centers like Northwest Arkansas or central Arkansas. And so one of the challenges that we've consistently been working through with ABPC is how are we making sure that those nonprofits, again, who are usually the ones who are serving the folks with the greatest need, are actually getting the resources that they need in order to apply for funding and receive funding, and also be able to manage the funding once they get it. So that's one of our biggest barriers—how are we helping the nonprofits in the Delta be able to be better connected to the funding centers here in Arkansas?
Kellams: How else can someone be involved in the ABPC?
Wilkins: Our website is www.theabpc.org. On there we have a contact form. So if you will send us your information, that will get you connected to our listserv. We meet quarterly, and the meetings are usually virtual. Some of them are virtual and in person. So if you get on that listserv, you'll know more about our meeting cadence.
And then the other thing with ABPC is we do have a fund that sits at the Arkansas Community Foundation. It's called the Give Back Fund. And so we always encourage anyone—you don't have to be Black to give to the Give Back Fund—and so we always encourage anyone to go to the Arkansas Community Foundation website. Please feel free to make a donation. Those donations go directly to underserved and underrepresented nonprofits. They do not go to ABC's overhead. And so we encourage folks to donate there. And then we can get that money into the hands of the folks who need it the most.
Kellams: Kara Wilkins is program director for the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative. The organization's fifth annual convening is tonight in Little Rock.
