"The ongoing responsibility to community is what Black Philanthropy Month is all about. We musn't confine our identities as philanthropists to the dollars we spend," says guest columnist Erinn Corbett-Wright.

In his guest column, historian of philanthropy Tyrone Freeman outlines the history of paternalism of white funders, including those who helped many historically Black colleges and universities open their doors.

When we posed that question via our newsletter yesterday, four community members immediately responded — three of them spotlighting deserving organizational recipients, and one of them with a plan that would make the lives Philadelphians a lot healthier.

“What we have done well is to recognize that our practices and policies could be disrupted to be more responsive." says Vanessa Briggs of the Brandywine Health Foundation.

The fact that the Accelerate Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act is moving forward is encouraging, but it’s disappointing to see strong opposition to the bill from some philanthropic institutions, says guest columnist Vu Le.

The debate over the value of the charitable giving done by America’s billionaires — whether it’s a force for good, perpetuates enduring social problems or does some of both — was recently rekindled.

There’s no doubt that crowdfunding is on the rise — campaigns help pay for everything from hospital bills and COVID-19 relief for restaurants to college tuition and launching new companies, say guest columnists Jon Bergdoll and Jacqueline Ackerman.

The lesson COVID-19 has made clear is that the nonprofit sector, while much needed, is under-resourced and as financially fragile as some of its own clients.

We know that the work of dismantling systemic racism and confronting anti-Blackness is far from over. The words of the nine local folks whose pieces we've excerpted here stand to remind us that there is no more important work to be done.