Against the backdrop of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, hundreds of donors, foundations, wealth advisors and industry leaders recently came together to hear valuable insights about philanthropy and its role in our democracy, economy, and education, health, and criminal justice systems.

Shaping the Future Together: Philanthropy as Change Capital was hosted by the Social Impact Exchange and Morgan Stanley. Here’s a peek at some of the compelling conversations we heard over two days.

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“One of the most underrated virtues in philanthropy is patience.” - Daniel Lee, Executive Director, Levi Strauss Foundation

“The crisis for news is local. It’s a very hard time to get information about where you live.” - Sam Gill, Vice President, Communities and Impact, and Senior Advisor to the President, Knight Foundation

“Those who are on the margins have the solutions. They haven’t been heard and haven’t been invested in by the sector.” - Edgar Villanueva, Vice President, Programs and Policy, Schott Foundation for Public Education, and Author of Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance

“We talk about inclusion as inviting people to dance. I think we need to change the music. You might have to learn some salsa.” - Efrain Gutierrez, Impact and Evaluation Manager, The Obama Foundation

“There’s something for everyone in criminal justice reform. I don’t care what’s motivating someone, if they’re getting to the right place, we need to seize on that.” - Sally Yates, Former Deputy Attorney General of the U.S. and Partner, King and Spalding

“We’ve got awesome people in both parties. We just don’t know how to help each other anymore. We don’t know how to listen to each other, we don’t know how to hold each other.” - Van Jones, Host, The Van Jones Show, and Founder, Dream Corps

“Make a bet on a leader. Find a person of color to take a chance on.” - Darren Isom, Founder and Executive Director, Memphis Music Initiative

“Control can limit innovation and limit outcomes.” - Lauren McCann, Executive Vice President, Stand Together Foundation

“We’ve had to change our mindset and really look at communities as partners.” - Leslie Boissiere, Vice President, External Affairs, Annie E. Casey Foundation

“The power of an ally is someone who speaks up even though they don’t have to.” - Efrain Gutierrez, Impact and Evaluation Manager, The Obama Foundation