This case study from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity examines the work of faith-inspired leaders at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It shows how even small churches can play a role in holistic community flourishing that includes, but is not limited to, the “spiritual.”
Philanthropy and the Black Church:
Special Collection
This special collection focuses on resources from philanthropy and Black religious organizations, with attention to past and current efforts to strengthen connections between the two sectors.
Philanthropy and the Black Church: A Digital Resource Library
The Philanthropy and the Black Church Project is a multi-decade initiative aimed at exploring the rich history of philanthropy in Black Churches, how Black faith communities have historically influenced giving, and how they can continue to do so through strategic collaboration with philanthropic organization.
Rooted in a collaborative effort that began in the 20th century, the Philanthropy and the Black Church project was originally created to highlight the importance and pressing need of mutual understanding between Black Churches and philanthropic organizations. Today, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary continue this mission by convening leaders in philanthropy and the Black church, conducting research, developing resources for mutual understanding, and building relationships.
This newly formed digital resource library, Philanthropy and the Black Church, brings together decades of research and insight into the historical and future role of philanthropy to provide tools for both Black Churches and philanthropic organizations to form equal and lasting partnerships. It offers:
- An archive of materials from the earlier project
- A dynamic repository for current and future resources
Philanthropic leaders and Black Church leaders alike are invited to explore this new resource library and use the materials to build deeper, trust-based partnerships that will transform communities for generations to come.
Featured Resource
In this exploratory report by Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell, she identifies some keys to mapping the landscape of philanthropy and the Black Church.
Browse More Resources:
Reflections on the many gifts and giving traditions of the Black Church and its historic legacy in the freedom movement by Tyrone McKinley Freeman, PhD.
Reggie Blount and Elizabeth Lynn share the history of philanthropy and the Black church, and where we are now.
This report, authored by Robert M. Franklin and published by the Southern Education Foundation in 2005, offers a retrospective on the Philanthropy and the Black Church Project of the late twentieth century.
In this classic 2002 essay on “Building a Foundation for Faith and Family Philanthropy," James A. Joseph explores how religion shapes both what people give and why people give.
Philanthropy and the Black Church, Volume 2: Partnering to Serve Community is a handbook that continues the forum for communications between grantmakers and black church leaders
This volume presents key insights and information from a special Conference on Grantmakers and Black Churches that took place at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, DC in May 1989.