May Day, also called International Workers’ Day, takes place annually each May 1st as a commemoration of both the struggles and accomplishments made by workers. Celebrated mostly outside of the United States, the holiday born out of the fight for an 8-hour workday has since transformed to include many intersecting areas of economic justice including immigration reform, workers’ rights and police accountability.  

As the world begins to reflect on the history of this holiday, let us not forget that philanthropy plays a crucial role in bringing about economic justice and equity.  

Recently at the 2023 Just Economy Conference, NCRP President and CEO Aaron Dorfman moderated a plenary panel at the NCRC conference on philanthropy’s role in building a just economy. The panel included Allan Golston, President of U.S. Programs for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Asahi Pompey, President of Goldman Sachs Foundation. 

Dorfman wanted to dig into the strategic approach these organizations utilized and how their approaches contrasted with those who think building power is essential to creating a just economy.  

Their answers are a telling reminder of how some in philanthropy are approaching how best to fund those working to bring racial and economic justice in our changing world. 

Read the full article about how philanthropy can create a just economy by  Suhasini Yeeda at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.