As the new Regional Philanthropy Fellow at Pride Foundation, I am excited to be joining an organization that I have supported for many years, and to participate in the first-ever Momentum Fellow cohort.
The Momentum Fellowship—a program created out of Philanthropy Northwest’s CEO cohort on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (which our Executive Director, Kris is a part of)—works to create an entry point into the field of philanthropy for underrepresented communities, especially people of color.
I had the opportunity to meet the other fellows for the first time in September at our learning retreat, and will continue to stay connected to each of them individually. They are all bright, passionate, driven individuals—who have powerful stories—and I’m proud to work alongside each of them to change the way we do philanthropy. We each have differing roles, tenures, and work plans at our host foundations, but we come together monthly for learning calls, and quarterly for in-person retreats (you can learn more about all of the fellows, here).
I have been explaining my role and experience at Pride Foundation as “an inch deep and a mile wide,” which doesn’t seem to convey the full picture when I put it on paper. I am immersed daily in the impactful, strategic investments that Pride Foundation makes in our community. I have been able to participate in our annual grant making review and discussions, attend plays as a part of our partnership with Intiman Theatre, and read stories that gave me goosebumps, from our courageous community members across the region who simply want to live openly and safely in their home communities.
The work of Pride Foundation is deeply personal and deeply relational—and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to work alongside passionate people dedicated to empowering each person in our community to be who they are, where they are.
The philanthropic sector is small—only 20,000 people—but I believe that our field has the ability to drive change on so many levels. Philanthropy is an incredible tool, and I am looking forward to embarking on this new learning opportunity. I am proud to officially be a part of the Pride Foundation family and can forever say that this is where I got my start in the field of philanthropy!
Kim Sogge is Pride Foundation’s Regional Philanthropy Fellow. Email Kim.
Read the rest of the articles in the October eNews: