584. Building Coalitions Across Sectors (Domestically and Internationally) - Sarita Gupta and Martín Abregú, Ford Foundation
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Overview
Meet Sarita and Martin. Sarita is the VP of U.S. Programs, and Martin is the VP of International Programs at the Ford Foundation. They're pulling back the curtain on the Ford Foundation's work that disrupts inequality in all its forms. Get ready as they dive deep into their journeys, the values shaping their work, and the innovative strategies they’re using to build impactful coalitions across the U.S. and around the globe. 🌍 If you're fired up about building a fairer world, this episode will challenge and inspire you to reimagine what’s possible! 💭
💡 Learn
Overview of Ford Foundation's domestic and global programs
The power of building cross-sector coalitions and connections
Responsibility and impact of philanthropic work
Today’s Guests
Sarita Gupta, Vice President, U.S. Programs, Ford Foundation
Martin Abregu, Vice President, International Programs, Ford Foundation
“Change will never happen in isolation. It’s always part of a very dynamic organism, and we need to be responsive to that dynamic organism.”
Episode Transcript
Download Full Episode Transcript Here
Episode Highlights
Sarita’s story and journey to where she is today (3:40)
Martin’s story and journey to where he is today (5:10)
Overview of Ford Foundation's U.S. Programs (9:10)
Overview of Ford Foundation's International Programs(11:10)
Building Coalitions Across Sectors 914:55)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Martin’s life (23:35)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Sarita’s life (27:55)
Martin’s One Good Thing: Understand how change and continuity are always linked. (32:25)
Sarita’s One Good Thing: Lead with curiosity, build authentic relationships, and listen to your gut. (35:45)
How to connect with the Ford Foundation (38:25)
Powerful Quotes
“For as long as I can remember, I've been a changemaker.” -Sarita
“Change will never happen in isolation. It's always part of a very dynamic organism, and we need to be responsive to that dynamic organism.” -Martin
“When you really want to change something, you need to present this as continuity. When you want to continue doing something, you need to present it as change.” -Martin
“It's about ensuring that we are reimagining global systems to be responsive to people on the ground.” -Martin
“So much of the work that we try to do is actually weave connections between these various fields or these ecosystems of organizations that we support.” -Sarita
“We have a deep commitment to building an inclusive, multi-racial democracy in which people can truly thrive.” -Sarita
“It's one thing to say we should connect fields. It's another to actually put money behind that and support those efforts of collaboration.” -Sarita
“Any lasting change needs at least three things: the ideas, the players and the means to institutionalize change.” -Martin
“It's very challenging to really embrace change at the whole level, so you need to be very careful about how you want to present what you are trying to achieve here.” -Martin
“A belief I hold on to, now more than ever, is how important it is to lead with curiosity.” -Sarita
“If you feel like you know and you are seeing things that you know, ask yourself, what don't you know? And what do you need to see more of to get to that next ring of complexity and understanding?” -Sarita
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