Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Keecha Harris

President and CEO | Keecha Harris & Associates, Inc.

Keecha Harris is President and CEO of KHA Inc, a national consulting firm. She leads organizational development, project management, and evaluation projects for publicly and privately funded efforts across a broad range of topics. Currently, she serves as Director for InDEEP- Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Environmental Philanthropy. Dr. Harris is a former board member for the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation. She has received alumni honors from her undergraduate and graduate institutions – Iowa State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.


Presentations from Facing Race 2018

Beyond Lip Service: Aligning Racial Equity Frameworks and Impact in Philanthropy

Racial equity has been en vogue in philanthropy for several years. However, recent research shows that the philanthropic landscape continues to be inequitable, with less dollars flowing to African/Black, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Arab/Middle Eastern, and Native American-led, community-based organizations than to White-led, Eurocentric institutions. Knowing that systemic change is neither quick nor easy, how can both grantmakers and grantseekers better understand the entrenched inequities in the philanthropic sector, and make commitments to help course correct in our current cultural moment? This interactive workshop will provide attendees with the opportunity to workshop solutions with philanthropic practitioners. Questions to be explored include: How is it that philanthropy is talking so much about racial equity (e.g. recent “ALAANA” and “DEI” initiatives) while the funding landscape is actually getting more inequitable? What strategies exist to address how philanthropic frameworks (and their resulting practices) perpetuate racial inequities within/through philanthropy? Grantmakers and grantseekers alike will leave this session with an understanding of current racial equity initiatives in philanthropy, barriers to and opportunities for change, and skills and strategies for interrupting inequitable practices and promoting equity in/through philanthropy.

Speakers: Michele Kumi Baer, Keecha Harris