2023 Impact Report by Maven Leadership Collective

A SPELL TO 2023

IN FOUR POEMS MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE

GROW A

THIS YEAR, MAVEN COMMISSIONED MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST ARSIMMER MCCOY TO CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF OUR IMPACT IN FOUR POEMS. The result is an annual impact report reimagined— going beyond a recitation of the past year, we’re elevating issues that inform the work and serve as a model for experimentation and operating more broadly. The title, A Spell to Grow a Garden, is a poem that was created in response to the prompt: “How does a thought get the right to exist? What does it take to nurture it?” As you read this report, our goal is to spark community dialogue on valuing the intentional pursuit of deep knowing that is brought about by introspection, interrogation, and play. What spell might we conjure together in our garden? How will we be more consistent gardeners? And what opportunities will be the fruit of our common endeavor? We hope the words and images that come to life on these pages inspire you to apply them to your own social impact practice.

INVEST IN IDEAS NOW Founder’s Note

COREY G. DAVIS (he | they)

IDEAS MUST HAVE THE AUDACITY TO EXIST. It is an act of liberation. The unhurried, uninterrupted, deliberately lush, iterative and expansive endeavor of pulling a conceptual thread with no other intention but to see where it takes us, is increasingly a pursuit that is off limits. Despite the indisputable benefits of capacity-building—the art and science of reimagining how to do what we do better—for many queer and trans social impact leaders of color, the urgent call to do supplants the need to daydream and experiment. The lack of financial and professional resources precludes it. For many organizations led by queer and trans social impact leaders of color, there is a growing access gap to much needed capacity building and technical assistance that typically benefits larger, better funded organizations as a matter of course. It’s the nonprofit’s version of the rich getting richer. That has consequences for everyone. It can look like people living with HIV falling out of care because navigating a hostile, overburdened healthcare system becomes too much; a microbusiness owner unable to hire because they lack access to financing; or an organizer who is protecting our freedom leaving the frontlines due to burnout. Leaders charged with their care are repeatedly forced to do so much with comparatively less. It’s a cycle that keeps many in the movement exhausted, broke, and with one eye towards the exit.

1. Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap. 2. Leading with Intent: Boardsource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. 3. Racial Equity and Philanthropy: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table. 4. 2021 Tracking Report: LGBTQ Grantmaking by US Foundations.

Experimentation requires proper resourcing and strong confidence that—irrespective of identity—the freedom to explore and fail is a protected and valued part of the learning process integral to shifting workplace culture. The illusionary urgency and imperative to constantly act rather than reflect on what comes with being a leader cannibalizes the ingredients necessary for building a culture that gives birth to ideation and experimentation. It’s no wonder 50% percent of executive ideas fail. The emotional labor and resulting fatigue of navigating issues of gender, sexual orientation, and race only compound the dynamics of organizational culture that have kept representation at the top of the social impact sector from reflecting the talent pool1 and it has stubbornly remained unchanged for two decades.2 On average, Black-led organizations like Maven operate with 24% less revenue than white counterparts conducting the same activities.3 In 2021, all LGBTQ funding for Black causes receded to just 7% from 12% in 2020.3 For every $100 awarded by US foundations, less than 4 cents supported transgender communities.4 Funding in the South has stagnated since 2018, leaving our community increasingly vulnerable to political and physical violence.4 What’s confounding is that the funding

available to organizations, like Maven Leadership Collective, that help institutions navigate these forces with greater ease and effectiveness is only 7% of all LGBTQ funding.4 LGBTQ funding is less than 1% of all U.S. charitable giving. Hardly seems like a fair fight, because it isn’t.5 While the sense of belonging we provide in our community of learners may be priceless, creating ease ain’t cheap and asserting agency in the philanthropic sector comes at a cost for unapologetic queer, trans, and POC leaders. Every change agent has the right to pursue the full expression of their thoughts. The more “what ifs” we get to pose, the more effective we are in ridding ourselves of the remaining vestiges of ill-gotten and misapplied power in our organizations and community. Maven Leadership Collective is a social impact ideas lab. Our tools are experimentation, dreaming, and catalytic questions. Our entire purpose is to dwell in the possible, even the unimaginable. The demands of navigating the nonprofit landscape and resisting a rising climate of erasure robs even ideas labs. This year, we returned to asking “what if “ in more expansive and intentional ways across our initiatives and partnerships. What does it look like to create out of an accrued deep knowing rather than forced out of adversity and uncertainty? Each time, pressure has accelerated our trajectory and created new opportunities for our community of learners: Maven Camp, an international respite for QTPOC leaders and allies on the frontlines of preserving democracy; the DEI Task Force, which sustains equity gains for NYC-area arts institutions; $250K+ in investments

in POC social impact leaders, vendors, and organizations; and expansion into North Carolina. When we began, we attempted to imbue our participants with all the things we aren’t told when we are thrusted into leadership–all in an attempt to disprove the pipeline scarcity myth and protect them from missteps and disappointments along the way. It requires tremendous labor from people to change systems that were neither built for them nor contemplated anything other than their harm. As we introduced an increasingly robust ecosystem of support for our community of learners, we began to understand that we were weaving a unique safety net. And, that trust-based power-building and collaboration requires letting people go their own way–even if it means experiencing failure. The unique safety net of meaningful connections, investment, and thought partnership that Maven offers will catch them, if they want. Now we embrace posing the questions. It’s in our institutional DNA, the advantage that propels us to go deep quickly and unlock a meaningful shift.

5. The LGBTQ+ Index: Measuring Giving to LGBTQ+ Organizations

HOW ARE IDEAS BORN? WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR IDEAS TO SURVIVE? WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO PURSUE AN IDEA?

FOR MAVEN, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THIS IS THE WORK AHEAD.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

GOOD MORNING

WAR WOUNDS

BREAKING THROUGH THE CONCRETE

YOUR FEAR WILL KILL YOU

page 8

page 12

page 18

page 22

BUT IT DIDN’T THAT DAY page 24

AFTER THE FALL IS DONE page 28

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

A SPELL SUPPOSTA FLY TO GROW A GARDEN page 44

page 30

CONSISTENT GARDENERS

SALTWATER BLESSINGS

page 34

by Maven Denise Ghartey page 48

REQUIRED LIFELINES, REQURE LIKE MINDS page 36

BASED IN GRIT, GRACE, AND AUDACITY page 40

2023 HIGHLIGHTS page 50

DONOR LIST page 54

GOOD MORNING

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

Photographer Vanessa Charlot (she | her), REST campaign

I SAID GOOD MORNING AND I MEANT IT. WINDCHIMES SIGNALED THE COOLING OF EARTH’S SCALP. I tiptoed across terrazzo to the backdoor that leads out to my yard. A bee flew over and landed in Ms. Carolyn’s aloe. She waves to me for the 97th time and I feel eternal. Sun arrives to wash over my eyelids and skin. I come back inside, remembering her live oak soaked fingertips cutting through air,

AND ALL THE TIMES SHE CALLED ME “DAUGHTER”.

Audio and Video Options Available

Immerse Yourself: Watch “Good Morning” Visualizer, narrated by Arsimmer McCoy.

In the kitchen my lover croons, over onions and bell pepper, in cast-iron, coated with survival sweat and spells A brown baby girl Paints Eutopia. She drew a blue lake with lush grass. GOOD MORNING

a street broken up by budding fruit trees, breaking through the concrete. She painted her home the color of brass. Sketched a seat on a shaded porch, where she planned to write poems to her children. New words heard by the money men and forced them to watch the painter in process. They wept. Writings that made the aristocracy wash the feet Fresh water covered in of black and brown mothers. Bougainvillea. One woman hunched over and whispered, no es suficiente. It is not enough. Nuestras mentes necesitan la libertad para crecer.

OUR MINDS NEED THE FREEDOM TO GROW. DÉJANOS IR. LET US GO!

Prose recited from the classrooms to the boardrooms and across the cities, To the ears of greedy men, Who only know to seize and exterminate. To the ears of the tyrants. Language to teach them to listen to the world through cadence and key. Teach them that the world only feels settled when the notes are synched. My lover hums. I listen as I write on the front porch. The bee comes back to see what I wrote. “I said good morning today and I meant it”.

by ARSIMMER MCCOY

BREAKING THE

GOOD MORNING

THROUGH CONCRETE “She drew a blue lake with lush grass. a street broken up by budding fruit trees, breaking through the concrete.”

Keeping queer social impact leaders of color in Florida is becoming increasingly difficult. The reasons are many in a state that doesn’t want us to say gay or learn factual Black history, but even before these recent insulting betrayals, there was a problem—and it’s only going to get worse if we don’t name what is happening and hear from the people who have left.

In a series of interviews, Maven Leadership Collective spoke with five queer social impact leaders of color in our network who have left Florida. Their stories underscore cost of living struggles, poor pay, lack of growth opportunities and an ecosystem of local philanthropy that is disinterested in systems change work and shifting power. (facing) Maven Gaby Garcia-Vera (all pronouns), JOY campaign

JUAN FRANCISCO HIDALGO (he | him) moved to Miami in 2018 from Chile to be closer to his family who were already there. He joined a firm whose mission was to provide more access to Black and people of color businesses from large institutional contracts. “My background is in industrial engineering and more broadly I’ve worked in strategy and consulting for larger organizations. I’ve worked with banks, mining corporations and agriculture,” he said. “When I moved to Miami I knew I wanted to work more in the social impact space particularly around equal opportunities.” With just over three years in the city, Hidalgo said he was ready to make a move to Chicago. “There were a few things that made me hesitate about staying in Miami. There’s a lot of friction in Miami—you have the cost of living issue, it’s an expensive city that does not have robust public transportation.” he said. “It makes working in nonprofit and social impact

industries harder because those industries tend to have lower wages.” In addition, he said the city’s largest philanthropic funders tended to skew safe and predictable in what they chose to invest in even if outwardly they expressed supporting equality of resources for communities that have historically been under-resourced. “A lot of the philanthropy in Miami which are the sources for seed grants and growth capital were not focused on creating equality in Miami, “ said Hidalgo. “Many of the grants are not directed to the Black community at all, the money is staying in the same circles.”

Many of the grants are not directed to the Black community at all, the money is staying in the same circles. — Juan Francisco Hidalgo (he | him)

Maven Juan Francisco Hidalgo (he | him)

Maven Vi Andrews (they | them). Courtesy of Vi Andrews.

Maven Tremaine Jones (he | they)

I didn’t see myself in the picture Miami was painting about itself. — Tremaine Jones (he | they)

For TREMAINE JONES (he | they) who was born and raised in Miami, his recent move to Texas was not without deep consideration–after all he’s a third generation Miamian who is descended from some of the early Bahamians who helped build the physical foundation of Miami in the early 1900s. “My roots are here so it’s really hard to leave. It’s cliche but that ‘3-0-5 til I die’ is real, especially when you are a multi-generational person from Miami,” said Jones. “I always loved that Miami had a large Caribbean community. My culture was represented throughout Miami growing up going to the [Bahamian] Goombay Festival or having family members visit from the Bahamas.” While family life kept him rooted, as a young professional in Miami—a Black queer man of Caribbean descent—he was often blocked from ascending to higher, better paying jobs in the organizations he worked with or received lip service about growing in leadership positions, but was provided with no support to do so. “People only support you if you fit a certain mold—heterosexual or Latino or skinny, if you don’t look a certain way, speak a certain MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

way, people won’t support you, even if you have the experience to do the work,” said Jones. “There were times I’d be in meetings and I’d be the only Black person and only queer person.” Jones says if he’s honest with himself, he should have left Miami in his 20s but fear of the unknown and his love for his family kept him in place. This year, at 35 years old he finally left his home city for Houston, Texas. “I felt that for me as a Black person, I didn’t see myself in the picture Miami was painting about itself. Black folks were being pushed out of their historic communities, I just saw me and people who looked like me being erased,” he said. A similar story is playing out throughout the state where queer social impact leaders are saying “Florida is simply not for me anymore.”

Maven Christopher Cuevas (they | them)

CHRISTOPHER CUEVAS (they | them) called Orlando home for ten years. They considered it their home where they grew politically and professionally by organizing at the intersections of race and gender justice. When they were ready to leave their executive director role they didn’t find what they were looking for in wanting to shift how philanthropy gives. “There are community foundations in Florida, but many are fairly conservative or don’t want to challenge their donors,” said Cuevas. “I had to look elsewhere to work in a philanthropic sector challenging the status quo.” At the same time Cuevas said their peers were also leaving Florida in droves. “It felt like a graduation almost,” said Cuevas. “That period of time right before you graduate and everyone is saying their goodbyes, that’s how it felt for me watching my peers get opportunities and go

Florida is on fire and people are burning out or hitting a wall.

to other places. The folks having some of the biggest impact in strategy and on the policy level were going elsewhere—Florida is on fire and people are burning out or hitting a wall.” Cuevas moved to Durham after researching about the history of queer liberation in the city and also finding a position within a foundation that was actively looking to give away all of the wealth it had acquired off the backs of Black and Brown people. Cuevas said there were clearer opportunities around progressive ways of thinking about philanthropy outside of Florida. “So many things need to change in [Florida],” they said. “We need a stronger arm of progressive actors working as comrades and not who see each other as competition.”

— Christopher Cuevas (they | them)

There’s a lot of heaviness as a Black person in Miami. You don’t have space to dream beyond the present. — Vi Andrews (they | them)

And outside of the United States, VI ANDREWS (they | them) settled in Mexico City after leaving Miami for good. “The affordability is a thing. I don’t see a life where I can live long-term in Miami. I was speaking to another ex-pat the other day and I can’t see Miami as a possibility. It’s too expensive,” Andrews said. “I can’t live affordably and with a good quality of life for what I need.” Andrews visits often because their family is from the South MiamiDade region, however they don’t see a future for themselves in the city they were raised in. “There’s a lot of heaviness as a Black person in Miami. You don’t have space to dream beyond the present,” they said, citing a hustle culture that drains a person of all their energy with little to no reward, rest or ease built in. “I dont have space to dream for myself and my community.” “I didn’t have any hobbies before I came out here,” they said of Mexico City, which was supposed to be a vacation that turned into

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

a long-term stay and then a new home with new possibilities. “When people asked ‘what do you do in your free time?’ I didn’t have free time.” Andrews said queer folks of color are deserving of so much more than what has been offered to them, and now it’s time to create the reality they want to come to fruition—even if that has meant leaving Florida, her childhood state. “I’ve been talking to Black queer expats about where our commune will be in the world,” said Andrews. “A place with financial stability, good quality of life and a space that feeds us emotionally and spiritually.”

WAR WOUNDS

Multidisciplinary Arstist Arsimmer McCoy (she | her)

There is a scar on my right thigh. I got it that time I wasn’t paying attention.

I remember when it was fresh and open, when everytime the wind hit it, I would grit my teeth. Clinch my knuckles. Thick water welled up in tight eyes. knee jerk reactions to the fight in my mind of trying to forget, against a body that still remembers. How the shock from the pain in my leg, got settled into my chest, and lodged in my throat, I can’t recall.

Audio

WAR WOUNDS

No one was close to see the fall. To see me brace myself with the flesh of my palms. Not one soul got to see me shift my weight as to not steep further into the ache. responses that reinforced but couldn’t save me. No reflex or cat skills. No years of advice from my father. Not even the wagged finger and dropped hipped Conversations with my mother. None of that could have rescued me from the stumble. From the embarrassment of knowing what happened. Even if I was the only one there. That didn’t stop the shame from resting on my skin. I was laid bare. If I’d only made another decision. negotiated the deal. Didn’t take the offer. Paid the dues. Put my panic in a coffin. My grandfather would warn “Your fear will kill you”. But it didn’t that day. The injury leaked out and a keloid rose up in its place. I walked upright again. I danced and flaunted my legs. I graze my fingertips over it sometimes. My bruise turned into a learning curve. This injury was gifted to me. A momento of my failure. My blanketing scab a reminder to pay attention. And know that eventually

after the fall, begins the healing. by ARSIMMER MCCOY

YOUR FEAR WILL KILLYOU “My grandfather would warn “Your fear will kill you.” But it didn’t that day.”

Maven’s new Epic Fail audio series explores what it means to fail, rise, and live to fail another day. At Maven, when we say epic fail, we are not talking about low performance or ineptitude. We’re talking about being confident in your big bet and for some reason it just did not work out. Publicly. An unmistakable face plant. A defining low moment in your professional experience. In digging deep, we hope to mine rich lessons that can bring greater ease to our professional social impact practice. In doing so, we are seeking to normalize failure as part of the learning process. And the freedom to fail is a key element for social impact leaders who are queer and trans people of color in cultures of equity and belonging. So, let’s destigmatize it—even celebrate it. Episodes are available through Maven’s free Digital Library.

Maven Pioneer Winter (he | they) in Birds of Paradise. Photo credit: Mitchell Zachs. Courtesy of Pioneer Winter Collective.

BUT IT DIDN’T THAT DAY

FAILURE, TO ME, MEANS TO COMPLETELY GIVE UP ON SOMETHING. FAILURE ISN’T MESSING UP OR WHEN SOMETHING DOESN’T WORK, IT’S WHEN YOU JUST COMPLETELY GIVE UP AND LET THE DEFEAT GET TO YOU.

— Maven Iman Clark (she | her) Performance Artist

FAILURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE WHAT I DID TO LEARN HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. — Maven Iliana Santillian (she | her)

Executive Director

WAR WOUNDS

I MOVE BEYOND FAILURE BY REFLECTING ON WHAT WORKED AND BUILD ON IT TO WORK TOWARDS A BETTER OUTCOME. — Maven Brayland Brown (he | him) Nonprofit Founder

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

AFTER THE FALL We are excited to introduce the Maven Well-being Guide for Practitioners, an essential playbook for change agents making the choice to show themselves the same expressions of care that they tend to extend to others. “My blanketing scab a reminder to pay attention. And know that eventually after the fall, begins the healing.”

IS DONE

Maven Marie Vickles (she | her)

Healing is at the center of Maven’s impact. Social factors that influence health disproportionately impact QTPOC communities, impacting the ability of our neighbors, colleagues, and loved ones to enjoy economic mobility, civic engagement, and deep social bonds. This guide is one of a growing number of immersive tools and experiences to support Mavens, QTPOC leaders and allies as whole people.

BRIENNE “BC” COLSTON (they | she), founder of Sunflower Strategists, helped us achieve a long-awaited goal by welcoming the Well-being Guide to the collection. MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

“I hope that practitioners use this guide as a salve for those moments when we doubt ourselves and our capabilities. My wish is that any and everybody who engages with the guide works to infuse their own magic into it.” — Brienne “BC” Colston

A SPELL TO GROW A GARDEN

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

+INTO A POT OF BOILING WATER LIME WEDGES EUCALYPTUS ORANGE SLICES AND FRESH MINT WHISPER THE DREAM YOU CAN’T BREAK FREE OF. Say it 6 times and drop in a handful of sage. This will help you see the dream clearer. In & out of your sleep. ++Send a letter to yourself about how it is already done. List every detail: Everytime your head sunk below your shoulders. When the math didn’t add up and the solemn transfigured into a practice, you had to fight yourself to get free from. Write it all. The story of the accomplishment. Make a copy. You’ll need it to read to your swamp mellows. Audio

A SPELL TO GROW A GARDEN

+++ Go out to where you plan to raise your garden. Make sure you have the necessary tools. Can you access water? If not, where can you go? Who will give you lifesource if your well dries up? Who will sit with you when the sun’s too much and drought has made your soil dry. This spell requires lifelines. Requires like minds. Other foundation workers who understand the process of sweat.

YOU WILL GIVE THEM YOUR FIRST BATCH OF LAVENDER. +| Go stand in the place where you intend to grow collards. Close your eyes and see them. See the fleshy, large, green, faintails, wrapped round a plump core. Smell the balance of sweet and pungent. Accept them both. Let the scent play in your nostril’s and shape the memory of genesis. ++| Kiss your hands with gratitude and put two fingers into the Earth.Your peppers will come first. Watermelons will follow. |+ Every morning, you must give reverence to all the gardens. To the consistent gardeners, Working for themselves and others. Give thanks to the gardens that begot other gardens. They too, trusted the spell of thought. How it can toss up dirt and maggots to reveal sunflowers. Your belief system should be based in grit, grace, and audacity. That’s how garden’s grow through harsh seasons and can still garner summer fruits. ||+ Repeat the spell until the first pepper leaf blooms. Until that day, remember it is already done. The spell of your thoughts has already made it so. by ARSIMMER MCCOY

CONSISTENT GARDENERS “Every morning, you must give reverence to all the gardens. To the consistent gardeners, Working for themselves and others. Give thanks to the gardens that begot other gardens. They too, trusted the spell of thought.”

HOW CREATIVE CAN WE BE WHEN THE EMPHASIS IS NOT ON THE OUTCOME? What implications does it have for our effectiveness or ability to reclaim delight in the work? This is the question at the heart of Consistent Gardeners, Maven’s newest initiative that provides artists a space to experiment on a different theme or idea while documenting the process. “I wanted to find a way to express something that we’ve been thinking about on the curriculum side of Maven, which is how can we build the conditions for social impact leaders of color, to be able to dwell in the space of ideas?” said Maven Leadership Collective Founder Corey Davis. “The way that the philanthropic landscape is set up is that we don’t get that. The pressure is to produce, the pressure is to be in service. That’s just not a sustainable way to work and it doesn’t produce the best ideas.” For communities of color, play is a luxury. When Black-led nonprofits are under-resourced by 24% compared to similar white organizations, the margin of error becomes almost invisible. “You don’t get the chance to fail and live another day,” said Davis. “Your failure also then has implications for everybody who shares your identity. … You’re held to a completely different standard. So, I feel that the notion of playing becomes super radical because it

is the key to unlocking liberation.” Part of what creating greater ease for folks looks like is anticipating needs and allowing people to articulate their own needs instead of prescribing pathways. Davis believes that unlocking the narrative shift is important for how they support social impact leaders of color–but it’s not necessarily the easiest shift to get funding for. “Whenever we have an idea that we want to pilot, that is not necessarily trending or might seem experimental, we usually have to self fund it,” said Davis. “This whole initiative is not grant funded. Maybe one day it will be, but as of right now, as an ideas lab, so much of what we do when we say we invest in folks means that we take the money from our earned revenue and pour it back into the community. That’s how we’re able to fund these initiatives.” This year, Consistent Gardeners gave life to “Over My Head,” a reimagining of the traditional hymn in the Black Church as a contemporary call to action for change agents in social justice movements. In the midst of a hostile political climate on a state and national level, Davis collaborated with Maven Kunya Rowley (he | him), founder of Hued Songs, to evoke the radical transcendence of the Black Church hymns. Davis provided Rowley with four songs he hoped they would reinterpret and interpolate to create a new song. The songs: “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, “Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air,” “Hush, Somebody’s Calling my Name,” and “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” Rowley took the creative process a step further: artists were given three days to create but there were no expectations that a song would be birthed.

The Hued Songs team met at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center at the end of June to begin their three-day experiment. Rowley prompted each person in the group to perform something that was representative of themselves. The idea was to create a space of connection for folks to trust each other and be vulnerable in the process. Rowley admits that he never had the opportunity to create this way and had some anxiety, but focused on the trust that he has built with the Hued Songs artists and their ability to spark creativity. “We may not have a song by the end of the three days and that’s okay,” Rowley says he reassured himself. “Within the first two hours of the workshop, I [knew] we’re gonna have a song because … the folks in that room got it and … it can’t happen with just any artists, it has to be folks who believe in that type of work.” Artists in the room included musical director King Friday (he | him) who thrives in creatively free environments, soprano Jasmine Williams (she | her), alto Miriam King (she | her), and mezzo Laurah Merisier (she | her). “Having that space to explore our gift is everything,” said Williams. “When an organization looks at artists as less of a thing that you can press a button and get a song out of and you take into consideration the person, the life that they’ve lived to get to be in front of you, it’s everything because you feel seen, you feel honored immediately you feel like you have a voice.” By the third day, each of the artists were carefully and meticulously adding to their explorations like a communally fueled, crackling fire. On the last day of the workshop, Davis offered a fifth song, “Marching Up to Zion.” The piece added a percussive urgency that MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

Having that space to explore our gift is everything. — Jasmine Williams (she | her)

echoes the current moment queer, trans Black and brown folks are facing across the country. “In the final moments of that last workshop day, it was a really beautiful moment of validation,” said Rowley. “Collaboration is important, being creative is important, getting space for creativity is important. It was a moment of validation.” When the artists wrapped on their final run of the piece, the room erupted into celebration. “We have a song!” Rowley declared. When space is provided for the muse to form, inspiration will strike.

Mavens Nadege Green (she | her) and Gaby Garcia-Vera (all pronouns)

REQUIRED LIFELINES, REQUIRE LIKE MINDS This spell requires lifelines. Requires like minds. Other foundation workers who understand the process of sweat.

FROM CLASSROOMS TO NIGHTLIFE , we’re taught that gathering can facilitate a productive flow of ideas and experiences. However, it takes the right people in the room for forward-thinking discourse to come naturally, without force or judgment. In a way unique to Maven Leadership Collective, QTPOC leaders are not just seeing change, but leveraging positive solutions through the power of convening. Two years ago, Iman Clark (she | her)—2023 regional cohort member of Maven Leadership Collective, teaching artist for Miami City Ballet School, and burlesque performer—began exploring her queer identity. As a burlesque dancer with usual gigs at LGBTQ functions across South Florida, “people come to the gig, they perform, then they leave,” Clark explains, finding conversations on decolonization, race, class, and access scarce. “With Maven we’re having those conversations, interrogating decolonization, for example, with a rare notoriety of my own people.” Clark notes that at these gatherings, no question goes unasked, no answer feels out of reach and she feels included, a stark contrast to Clark’s experience in the burlesque community.

“Being in communities that already don’t understand you, it’s hard to imagine access for us even exists,” said Clark. “There’s a cattiness I’ve experienced backstage, an attack on nonbinary people, and it came from older trans people asking ‘why someone identifies this way,’ or ‘why they feel offended.’” Clark’s experience shows that the space Maven creates for intergenerational and cross-sectional discourse amongst QTPOC leaders is not only an important idea generator, but also contributes to feelings of belonging. Maven has used intergenerational discourse as a path for change throughout the years. Maven’s Unspoken Series in partnership with AIDS Healthcare Foundation and AARP for example, honed in on sexual health topics evident though sometimes “unspoken” amongst elder queer people. Workshops like “Toys, Tricks, and Tips,

It feels like my energy comes back to me just as I’m giving it out. — Maven Adam Ropizar (he | they)

[Maven is] flexible and bespoke to make sure that they support each individual leader in ways that each leader uniquely needs. — Leigh-Ann Buchanan (she | her)

Oh My” allowed for open discourse on safety and pleasure. Community Dialogues, created in partnership with independent theatre O Cinema, worked with both community leaders and city officials to explore visual histories of queer and trans representation in film and television around the world. Participants and panelists varied across interest area, sector, and demographic, creating an environment for interand cross-sectional discourse. Adam Ropizar (he | they), Maven’s research and logistics lead and Black, queer, entrepreneur, felt like intersectional community was just an illusion after he was outed at 14 years old. He was hesitant to take up space as his authentic self. “There were no real places that I felt intersected between all of my identities, where I didn’t have to shed one in order to talk about another,” Ropizar, now 25 years old, recalled. “We’ve been burned so often. I’ve walked into places that are supposed to be inclusive, then it’s just a facade.” During his experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy, he noticed a lack of Black and queer leaders. With this, discourse on race, privilege, and gender felt forced, he said. “Being a part of a queer, Black-led organization, there will always be a nuance that I don’t have to explain. I don’t have to go out of my way to hope it’s accepted,” Ropizar said. Through the wellness resources on the Maven Digital Library, one of Ropizar’s proudest initiatives, people are able to convene on a growing online platform of QTPOC taking their health and wellbeing into their own hands. “We’ve done this by listening to people who support us, and asking how can we feel rejuvenated with a sense of ease that makes sense for everyone

in our space, no matter where you may be physically,” he said. “It’s about creating a space for feedback from all, not just one mind.” As experiences and ideas are circulated between the right people like the flow of fresh air, one needs not a fight to exist. “A burden is lifted off my shoulder when I convene with these people. It feels like my energy comes back to me just as I’m giving it out,” Ropizar said. For longtime Maven supporter Leigh-Ann Buchanan (she | her), accelerating equitable access for underrepresented people has become innate through their work. Buchanan, founder of the Nyah Project, aīre ventures (formerly known as Venture Café Miami) and Tech Equity Miami, has granted thousands the opportunity to “tap into their superpowers,” she said. Buchanan considers these programs, “catalysts for equitable ecosystems,” bridging industry experts with start-ups and innovators across all socioeconomic and venture stages, many who historically would not otherwise have access to pathways of success. Buchanan invited Maven to present at aīre ventures Thursday Gatherings presenters, which attracted more than 400 entrepreneurs and innovators, after a serendipitous meeting where Maven pitched a game-based learning session. The pitch was a hit and Maven became one of the most popular—and for a while, the only queer organization—in the space. This partnership led to additional workshops by Mavens on a wide-range of topics like census and engaging with municipal government. “Maven is one of those uniquely positioned organizations that really designed their ecosystem of support around… one that is truly dynamic,” says Buchanan. “It’s flexible and bespoke to make sure that they support each individual leader in ways that each leader uniquely needs, which is hard to find.” Through partnerships that created favorable conditions for likeminded people to align and collaborate, Maven has crafted a unique, transormational approach, allowing change agents to move beyond the superficial quickly. “The energy of social impact is contagious,” says Buchanan “It only seeks to multiply exponentially when people who are equity and inclusion-minded collide with each other. That’s when magic happens.”

Maven Adam Ropizar (he | they)

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

BASED IN GRIT GRACE AND AUDACITY “Your belief system should be based in grit, grace, and audacity. That’s how gardens grow through harsh seasons and can still garner summer fruits.”

WHEN DETERMINING THE RIGHT STRUCTURE FOR A NEW BUSINESS VENTURE, QTPOC FOUNDERS HAVE A LOT TO CONSIDER. MISSION, AUDIENCE, BUT ESPECIALLY FUNDING. IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, MOST ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO LENDING INSTITUTIONS. The perception is based in reality–a 2022 survey in the lending sector reports that Black and brown business owners are less likely than white-owned businesses to be approved for loans, lines of credit, and cash advances across banks and non-bank lenders. In fact, whiteowned businesses are twice as likely to be fully approved at small banks and more than twice as likely at finance companies than Blackowned businesses. With such clear disparity, it’s no wonder that only 4.3% of the nation’s 22.2 million business owners are Black, despite Black people being 12.7% of the total US population1. Less business ownership and assets contributes to an increase in the racial wealth gap–in 2019 the median net worth of a typical white household was 7.8 times greater than that of a typical Black household. This inequitable access to funding leads many Black and brown leaders to believe that mission driven, community based organizations must be a nonprofit, relying on private charitable donations and grants to provide funding. But, nonprofit funding and management comes with challenges of its own. Maven G Wright (she | her) is a nonprofit founder, event producer and foundation board member. In 2014 Wright co-founded Thou Art Woman, an event series that uses the arts to uplift and celebrate LGBTQ+ women and their allies. By 2021, the series’ success inspired Wright to create the nonprofit Black, LGBTQ liberation, Inc. (BLINC). BLINC could have been a for profit venture, but Wright wanted to ensure that their events would be accessible to their queer, Black and brown woman community and thought that it would be best to be a nonprofit. As a result, Wright now spends a significant amount of time researching and applying for grant funding. “If we had a consistent pipeline of funding that we wouldn’t have to put so much energy into, that part would be extremely helpful,” said Wright. “We also need funding for operations so we can grow. I didn’t know how difficult it would be to get the funding.” Maven Alex Rosales (he | him), program manager at a global foundation, says that while grant funding might be perceived as more accessible for nonprofits, long term sustainability is still an issue and advocates for a hybrid model of funding–diversifying revenue streams so that grants and donations are not the sole source of revenue. “QTPOC founders have to remain flexible and adaptable,” said Rosales. “Social needs can evolve really rapidly so the [funding] structure that QTPOC founders choose really has to offer that flexibility to adapt to those circumstances so they can still remain true to their mission.” During a recent financial analysis of a global foundation grant recipient, it was revealed that 71% of the organization’s funds relied on one donor. If the donor dies, or decides to stop funding, Rosales asks, “What happens to that organization?” “The hybrid model really ensures that there’s a cultivation strategy that considers not just business or for profit kind of loans or investments, but also a more radical and more democratized model,” said Rosales. “And that’s the model of mutual aid.”

1. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020.02_DevOfBizInBlackCommunities_ Perry-Rothwell-Harshbarger-final.pdf.

4.3%

of the nation’s 22.2 million business owners are Black, despite Black people being of the total US population

12.7%

Maven Alexander Rosales (he | him)

QTPOC founders have to remain flexible and adaptable. — Maven Alex Rosales (he | him)

Many leaders are also questioning the nonprofit space altogether and taking a customized approach to sustainable business models that work for them. Maven Octavia Yearwood (she | they), who had worked in nonprofits since high school, lost faith in the nonprofit structure in 2017. Tired of long hours and little pay, Yearwood decided to step out of the industry to improve her own financial position while still supporting the mission driven work that she has dedicated her life to. “We’re so used to the trauma and the struggle,” said Yearwood. “I want people to be able to work a job and people should be able to feel good about the work that they do and get paid a livable wage.” Yearwood now has more financial autonomy and can connect with nonprofits to give back to the community and avoid funding getting bottlenecked by high demand. “I think that people have in a way lost the reason why nonprofits even existed in the first place,” said Yearwood. “ I feel like they existed to be a tax hub in the first place, it was never really meant to be a business that sustains people’s livelihoods.” Maven Denise Ghartey (she | her) recently left her nonprofit job to start a small jewelry business, Ekow + Ama. Ghartey invested her own funds to kick off the venture after providing jewelry making lessons for free to the community. She wanted to be able to sustain the free community offerings, so she decided to go for profit and hopes there can be more support for starting small businesses and learning how to do so in an ethical way. “We’re taught to be afraid of for profit,” said Ghartey. “Showing folks how to do things ethically, where the funding exists, and having the support would probably change the ecosystem.” Maven Dejha Carrington’s (she | her) community based art collector program Commissioner began with seed funding from the Knight Foundation and uses both funding partnerships and a

We’re taught to be afraid of for profit. Showing folks how to do things ethically, where the funding exists, and having the support would probably change the ecosystem.

— Maven Denise Ghartey (she | her)

subscription model to cover costs and increase capacity. Carrington believes that before you decide on a funding structure, you need to know where you want your organization to go. “Giving yourself time to figure out what kind of organization you are and not feeling like you need to rush into a specific category is important,” says Carrington. “ Be in a space of abundance, be in a space of creativity and understand your organization before making critical decisions. Don’t chase the money, create a structure for the money.” Reimaging and adopting a hybrid funding model provides QTPOC leaders and business owners the ability to create self-sustaining, mission driven organizations. Embracing diversified streams of revenue and mutual aid can help shield against the pitfalls of traditional nonprofit funding and philanthropy, which Rosales thinks should be more motivated to “not exist anymore.” “This is wealth that was accumulated unjustly in the first place. It was built on historical racism, unjust tax policies, white supremacy, capitalism,” said Rosales. “Philanthropy is responsible for not just navigating but managing the funds of the billionaire class.”

Maven G Wright (she | her)

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

SUPPOSTA FLY

I WAS BORN WITH MY FEET BENT BACKWARDS My mother worried I would never walk Blamed herself for passing down a back handed compliment She was unsure I would recover from Took me home and prayed For God to intervene Being born a black girl child was hardship enough My mama would massage her tears into my soles

IMAGINE THE DAY SHE WATCHED ME STAND UP I put my two little fat hands out and struggled strutted across the carpet to her knees Out of breath I collapsed into her lap She took my body and raised it towards the ceiling

IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME I TOOK FLIGHT Dying in the middle of a sentence

Audio and Video Options Available

Immerse yourself: Watch Arsimmer McCoy perform “Supposta Fly” at Maven Rising 2022.

SUPPOSTA FLY

Is when I flew for the second time The distress from not having the story Gave me a limp tongue thirsty for the let go Then I wiggled my toes Remembering the saltwater blessings saturated into them I put my two little fat hands out and started to write

WROTE MYSELF INTO HARD HEARTS AND LOST MINDS INTO ROOMS FASHIONED FOR OTHERS SURPRISED TO SEE ME ARRIVE SHOCKED TO WATCH ME STANKWALK ONTO STAGES by ARSIMMER MCCOY

Continued on page 55.

SALTWATER BLESSINGS by Maven DENISE GHARTEY

“Then I wiggled my toes Remembering the saltwater blessings saturated into them I put my two little fat hands out and started to write” SUPPOSTA FLY

MY JOURNEY THROUGH the Maven process thus far has been an adventure. From the initial application to the Maven Camp experience, the fellowship has challenged me to show up in ways that I did not expect. Elevating my sense of self-awareness, and ushering me through a process that has highlighted unforeseen obstacles which had frustrated my growth. For that, I am deeply grateful. The thought-provoking questions in the written application, which included prompts about our support networks, skills, resources, and what success looked like for us, not only served as an initial assessment of our skills and qualities but also prompted deep introspection. The nature of the questions allowed the process to be more than just a tool for Maven’s fellowship selection, but a helpful exercise to jumpstart my own growth process. In order to answer the application questions, I needed to not only evaluate where I was but also recognize how Maven could act as a catalyst for my growth. While the written application reflections were provoking, the most challenging part of the application was the video submission. As a legal practitioner, my work centers on composing persuasive narratives and writing very technical papers, motions, and memoranda. Rarely am I asked to speak on camera, not to mention, speak on camera about my dreams and hopes. In short, it was uncharted territory for me. Confronting the camera, and myself, I was pushed to vocalize aspirations that had previously gone unspoken. This process, though challenging, surfaced a host of vulnerable and tender parts of me that I did not know needed care and attention. The application became an exercise in radical honesty with myself, and a guided path to some of my insecurities and vulnerabilities. Beyond the application, the group interview introduced an additional dimension of growth to the pre-selection process. The ability to meet the people who would potentially be in your cohort was a special way to get to know one another before embarking on this journey, and a great way to evaluate the cohort’s praxis—how do we show up, and put what we wrote in our applications into practice. Engaging with potential cohort members fostered connections that we would then nurture even more in Costa Rica and through the rest of the fellowship. Costa Rica, a sanctuary of natural beauty and stillness, was a pivotal chapter in this experience. It was truly life-changing to be cared for in this way. Surrounded by the land, the earth’s lush and serene flora and fauna, stripped of our daily worries about food and travel, and professional obligations dissolved. We were offered something precious—the opportunity to internalize the notion that self-care is not just permissible but essential. Here, leisure was intertwined with self-discovery, care, and breakthroughs. At Maven Camp, it felt like all tasks took on new meaning and the ability to relax our bodies, minds, and spirits allowed a catharsis to exist. A seemingly straightforward activity like composing an unconventional biography called an Oriki or a dance workshop brought forth so many unexpected emotions. I feel like I was allowed to process through a cleansing, pinpointing old wounds and sensitive spots, that had been long overdue. As the chapters of Maven Camp and the application process unfolded, each experience has threaded together a narrative of self-discovery, underscoring the power of vulnerability and the importance of caring for ourselves and our community. I am so excited for what the future has to offer and the personal insights that remain on the horizon.

MAVEN LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE 2023

As I reflect on my experience as a Maven thus far, here is what I can say I have discovered: Strength lies in vulnerability, there is empowerment in connection, care can be radical, and you can find yourself in the exploration of self.

— Maven Denise Ghartey (she | her)

2023 HIGHLIGHTS 2023 Maven Leadership Cohort

Now in its eighth iteration, Maven kicked off our signature professional development initiative that blends wellbeing, meaningful connections, and skills building for queer and trans social impact leaders of color and allies. This year, we welcomed our first North Carolinian Maven to our community of learners.

Give Them Their Flowers DIG DEEPER

Learn about the project from Co-Curators Nadege Green and Marie Vickles and read the full blog post on our website.

MAVEN X BLACK MIAMI-DADE Give Them Their Flowers is a first-of-its-kind exhibit to celebrate Miami’s Black LGBTQ+ history and comes at a critical time when Black and queer histories are under attack in Florida. This exhibit pays homage to Miami’s Black queer history by merging historical research, archival imagery, artifacts, oral histories, video and portraits of Black LGBTQ+ Miamians over the age of 40. This exhibit presents works by Miami artists Vanessa Charlot, Kendrick Daye, Woosler Delisfort, Hued Songs and Loni Johnson at the Little Haiti Cultural Center—and is co-curated by Mavens Nadege Green and Marie Vickles. Give Them Their Flowers is made possible with the generous support of Maven Leadership Collective and University of Miami’s Center for Global Black Studies.

At the invitation of the Tzedek Social Justice Foundation, Maven conducted a four-month series designed to amplify impact for its grantees in Asheville and Western North Carolina, including Youth OUTright, Marvelous Math Club, YWCA of Asheville, and YTL Training beginning in March.

Creators Studio Asheville

Michelle Lisa Polissaint (she | her)

Maven Dejha Carrington (she | her)

comes manje DIG DEEPER

Read the full blog post on our website and watch the event recap by Commissioner.

MAVEN X COMMISSIONER Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist Michelle Lisa Polissaint (she | her) is the second commissioned artist of Commissioner’s milestone fifth anniversary. Using photography, textiles, and community-centered initiatives to reflect the world through her intersectional lens, Polissaint created 40 mystery works for each Commissioner Collector member with support from Maven Leadership Collective. This new body of work was unveiled on February 26 with Commissioner and Maven communities and invited guests, replete with an artist conversation and bona fide karaoke session. Commissioner’s partnership with Maven Leadership Collective, now in its second iteration, is designed to connect communities with local queer and trans artists of color. This partnership includes enriched digital storytelling highlighting the work of an emerging queer artist of color; ten Patron memberships for queer and trans leaders; ten memberships for locals nominated by Commissioner Season Five members; and this special artist commission with Polissaint. Maven Dejha Carrington (she | her) is co-founder of Commissioner.

Over My Head

MAVEN X HUED SONGS What if we reimagined the traditional hymn of the Black Church as a contemporary call to action for change agents in social justice movements? In the midst of the country and Florida’s hostile political climate, Maven collaborated with Maven Kunya Rowley, founder of Hued Songs. Rowley designed an artist-driven three-day creative session where there were no expectations that a song would be birthed. The idea was to provide artists with a sense of freedom to exist in the world of creation. See: Consistent Gardeners Page 34.

Now in its fourth year, the DEI Task Force is a cohort of seven New York area arts institutions including Baxter St at CCNY, Creative Time, Drawing Center, Eyebeam, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, New York Live Arts, Performance Space New York, Printed Matter, and Recess. It is powered by Maven and funded by 7G Foundation. Having met virtually throughout the pandemic, members gathered in person over several days in September and October at The Rockaway Hotel.

DEI Task Force 53

2023 DONORS

We are grateful for the following partners who sustain Maven’s work. Individuals

ANDRES ACOSTA THOMAS CATLAW & SUZANNE FALLENDAR LINDA CHEUNG NAOMI CRAWFORD CHRISTOPHER CUEVAS COREY DAVIS GAIL DAVIS HUGH DEANER GRACE FRAWLEY GLD TAX SERVICES MAGDALENA PIRE SCHMIDT MARTE SIEBENHAR JONATHAN SOMOZA ELLIOT WILLIAMS PIONEER WINTER

Institutions

7G FOUNDATION ANONYMOUS JPMORGAN CHASE ALLEGANY FRANCISCAN MINISTRIES AKERMAN LLP THE OUR FUND FOUNDATION WARTEN FOUNDATION TZEDEK SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND TITO’S HANDMADE VODKA THE BLACK SCHOOL ARSIMMER MCCOY is a Miami Gardens, Florida-based storyteller, collaborative artist, educator, and cultural worker, who has been dedicated to these disciplines for over a decade. Raised in Richmond Heights, Florida, McCoy earned her Bachelor’s degree of Arts and literature at Florida Memorial University. She has performed around the world, alongside artists of multiple disciplines and considers it her obligation to bring back the knowledge and stories to her students in South Florida. McCoy produces work in the form of poetry, short story literature, creative writing, performance, educational workshops, and creative direction.

PHOTO CREDITS: Pages 2–6, 12, 15, 16, 24-29, 31, 35, 36, 39, 42–45, 48, 50 and 53 by Passion Ward (she | h er); Page 4 and 19 by Vanessa Charlot (she | her); Page 15 by Vi Andrews (they | them); Page 22 by Mitchell Zachs (he | him). Courtesy of Pioneer Winter Collective Birds of Paradise; Page 51 by Melody Timothee (she | her); Page 52 by Andrea Lorena (she | her) Courtesy of Commissioner.

Up To platforms and podiums Up To the white gates and the keepers of riddles Up to itchy greedy palms Up to lusty puppeteers looking to put me in the carnival Up to the stiff necks of the angry braying goats and the indignant trolls waiting under the bridge Up To mountains with God views Up to the salivating Big Boss beating his knuckles Up to the sirens singing me to my death Up to dead mouths disguised as soothsayers

UP UP UP UP I WAS BORN WITH MY FEET BENT BACKWARDS Movement for me will always be a mission My ankles get weak sometimes but they don’t bend I still got struggle in my stride These arches in my feet are my wings

AND ALL I HAVE EVER KNOWN IS SKY SUPPOSTA FLY by ARSIMMER MCCOY Continued from page 47.

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