Nationally respected philanthropist Angelique Power transformed The Field Foundation’s funding structure to center on racial equity and strategic partnerships enabled Field to double its giving and expand programming.
Nationally respected philanthropist Angelique Power is leaving The Field Foundation, headed to Detroit to lead the education-focused Skillman Foundation.
Power, who has led Field as president since 2016, will step down in July, and the foundation will embark on a nationwide search for its next president, Field’s Board of Directors announced Monday.
Power is nationally renowned for steering Field toward a racial equity focus, even before the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer turned the spotlight onto structural racism in all sectors of American society.
Under her leadership, Field’s funding structure was transformed to center racial equity, and innovative strategic partnerships enabled the small but impactful foundation to expand its programming and double its giving to $4.5 million annually in grants across the Chicago region in the program areas of art, justice, media and storytelling, and leadership investment.
Power, who also championed and added mission-related investing to Field’s endowment, will take the helm at Skillman, a 61-year-old private foundation in September.
“Angelique Power is a once-in-a-generation leader, and we are excited for her new chapter in Detroit,” said Gloria Castillo, Field’s board president.
“She will be deeply missed, and there is no doubt that her impact and footprint will continue to strengthen Chicago for years to come. After a tough year for our communities, the urgency to support Chicagoans and elevate the call for racial justice has never been more important.”
Mark Murray, who has been with Field since 2003, most recently as vice president of programs and administration, has been promoted to chief operating officer and will lead the foundation as it conducts the search for its next president.
“The journey with the Field Foundation these past five years has been incredible,” Power said. “Our work has felt prescient, pressing and has transformed me as a person. I am deeply grateful to the staff, board and all of my partners across Chicagoland for what they’ve taught me. I will always carry it with me.”
Established by Marshall Field III in 1940, The Field Foundation provides support for community, civic and cultural organizations in the Chicago area and is considered one of the most impactful forces in Illinois philanthropy. Power is among the rare breed of powerful Black women heading up philanthropies nationwide and steering those entities toward grantmaking through an equity lens.
“Angelique’s legacy in Chicago includes not only her advocacy and thoughtfulness in the racial equity movement, but her genuine perspective to see how pieces of a broken system can once again work better together for the good of our community,” said Monique B. Jones, president and CEO of Forefront.
“I applaud her growth while at the same time acknowledging the space she will leave for us, her colleagues, friends and cheerleaders to manifest all she’s spoken into existence in her work in Chicago. Congratulations to the Skillman Foundation for getting such an awesome leader, know that she has a whole community pushing her to do what she does best-change the world!”
Cathy Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, called Power’s work on the Chicago philanthropy landscape “transformative.”
“Angelique led the Foundation to concentrate its effort on supporting the collective power of those most marginalized, in particular from BIPOC communities, highlighting the strength, resources and visionary leadership that exists in these communities,” Cohen said. “She will be missed by the Foundation and the city of Chicago.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3vGbHPn
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