Nwamaka Agbo

Jul 16, 2024 | thefulcrum.us | Nwamaka Agbo

Agbo is the CEO of the Kataly Foundation and the managing director of the foundation’s Restorative Economies Fund. It’s another election year. Another year when the stakes are sky high and the promise of our democracy is in peril. Another year when people — primarily people of color — are asked to put aside differences and come together to save our country. What is the responsibility of philanthropy in yet another moment of political uncertainty?

Jun 6, 2024 | nonprofitquarterly.org | Nwamaka Agbo |Meredith Klenkel |Keecha Harris |Steve Dubb

Editors’ note: This piece is from Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine’s spring 2024 issue, “‘Stop Drowning Us, and Stop Making Us Disappear’: A Critical Report on the State of Black Woman Leadership.”I love strategy meetings. Collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving in a group are part of what most fulfills me in my work. So I remember entering a convening space one morning really looking forward to the conversation.

May 21, 2024 | nonprofitquarterly.org | Rebekah Barber |Nwamaka Agbo |Steve Dubb

Book bans have reached an alarming level across the country, particularly in the South, where books are targeted based on themes of race and gender. Among those most targeted by bans are books with LGBTQ+ themes. According to the American Library Association (ALA), a nonprofit that tracks efforts to ban books nationwide, of the 10 most challenged titles of last year, seven deal with LGBTQ+ themes. This uptick in bans coincides with an uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in several states.

Mar 5, 2024 | alliancemagazine.org | Nwamaka Agbo

Kataly Foundation’s experience suggests that leadership is less about being visible than in bringing visibility to othersCivil rights movement leader Ella Baker once said: ‘Strong people don’t need a strong leader.’ It’s a quote that’s often misinterpreted as being a rejection of the need for leadership. But what Ella Baker was calling for was grassroots leadership, grounded in the actions of ordinary people building power together.

Nov 20, 2023 | ssir.org | Nwamaka Agbo

In philanthropy, there is no shortage of debate when it comes to how funders can be most effective and enjoy the greatest impact. While the details of these discussions vary, one thing remains the same: As funders, we center ourselves in these conversations. One area of contention is whether a foundation should spend out its assets in the short term or exist in perpetuity. But this is a false choice and the wrong question.