Deep and mutual relationships with communities and organizations that we support are vital to the work we all do together. We strive to operate with a humble posture of learning, which means recognizing that we don’t have all of the answers, consulting with and trusting the wisdom of our partners and the Divine, and being aware that we never do this work alone.
EMBRACING
COMMUNITY
THE CURRENT REALITY
Philanthropy has too often nurtured one-sided “relationships” that prioritize power and transactions over mutually transformative community building. This traditional dynamic sows distrust between funders and partners, depletes time and energy — precious resources when building movements for change — and puts organizations in the position of having to compete against their peers.
1. “The process of getting funding and reporting back about the results is a draining process. It can be a demeaning process… When it comes time for a site visit from a funder, I have to stand there and smile and speak to the experience of Black folks, shucking and jiving. That’s what we say when site visits come up. It’s time to shuck and jive. There’s something about site visits and the questions that funders ask that isn’t always about the work. It doesn’t feel like a space to talk honestly about what’s working well and what isn’t working well, because the risk that comes with being totally honest and transparent is losing funding.” (9)
Wayfarer Foundation longs to create deep, mutual, long-lasting relationships with our partners. One of the prime ways we accomplish this is by curating meaningful spaces for true connection and common experiences — the same way friends deepen relationships with one another. In 2022, we focused on creating two of these experiences alongside our powerful Native American partners:
1. In July, we invited 30 of our Indigenous partners to visit us in Chicago for four days of community building over shared meals, deep conversations, laughter, tears, singing, and touring the new Native Truths exhibit at the Field Museum (funded by Jessica and Steve Sarowitz).
2. In September, at the invitation of several of our Native American partners, our team visited the Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, and Pine Ridge Reservations. We ate buffalo and fry bread and wojapi, visited sacred (stolen) lands, built tipis (with a lot of help!), prayed in sweat lodges, and witnessed the work of our incredible partners. Most of all, we built relationships based on deep respect and trust.
It was an honor to experience their incredible hospitality and to learn from their deep wisdom. Wayfarer staff member Audrey Moy said, “Whether we found ourselves at someone’s home or school, or in a sacred space, every stop had significance, everyone and everything was meaningful.”
These opportunities to forge community are tantamount to Wayfarer Foundation’s work and mission, and are reflected in the achievements that are born out of our relationships with our partners.
THE WAYFARER WAY
Wayfarer Foundation —
Native organizations video
Highwood Library and Community Center
In a small town in the northern suburbs of Chicago, population 5,300, with nearly half the population being Latinx, there is a small library that was one of three in the country to win the National Medal of Libraries and Museums in 2021. This prestigious award recognized the vital and groundbreaking work of the Highwood Library and Community Center.
Not only do they provide a well-rounded offering of books in diverse languages, but they provide for the mental, physical, and emotional health of their patrons. From free bilingual health literacy classes, COVID screenings, and vaccinations to bilingual GED, financial literacy, mindfulness, and workplace training, they constantly look for new ways to create a hospitable space for all people and build the capacity of the community holistically.
(9) Anonymous interview pg. 107, Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva
Top banner, left and middle collage images: © Kelly Lacy