Wikipedia

Draft:Edgar Villanueva

Edgar Villanueva is an author, activist, who writes about race, wealth, and philanthropy.

An enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina[1], he is the Founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project and its fund and donor community, Liberated Capital.[2] His bestselling book, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance[3] (2018, 2021), was  called a “compassionate call for change and healing” in the New York Times.[4] Villanueva is a recognized disruptor in the philanthropy field,[5][6], known for leading efforts to expand what he has coined as “reparative philanthropy” and "reparative giving" in the sector.[7][8][9][10]Villanueva advises Fortune 500 companies, national and global philanthropies, and entertainment companies on social impact strategies that advance racial equity both from within and through their investment strategies.[11]

Early Life and Education

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Villanueva was born and grew up in Raleigh, NC.[12] He was raised by his mother, whose dedication to serving her community while working two to three jobs he credits for his interest in a career serving others.[13] Villanueva graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelors in Public Health and earned a Masters in Health Administration from UNC’s Gillings Global School of Public Health.[14]

Career

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Villanueva is a veteran philanthropic strategist. Before founding the Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital, he held leadership positions at the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, NC,[15] the Marguerite Casey Foundation in Seattle, WA and the Schott Foundation for Public Education in New York City.[16] Villanueva has also served on the boards of Native Americans in Philanthropy, Andrus Family Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NDN Collective and Mother Jones.[17][18]

Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance (2018) (2021)

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Villanueva published Decolonizing Wealth in 2018, an analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in the fields of philanthropy and finance.[19] Villanueva explains how the field of philanthropy is directly connected to violent accumulation of wealth through enslavement and genocide in the United States, and that the dominant frameworks from that period, of  “extracting, dividing, controlling, [and] exploiting,” are central to the functioning of the field–– largely controlled by white, wealthy donors.[20] Villanueva outlines “Seven Steps of Healing” for individuals and institutions to heal this imbalance,[21]focused on giving back resources and decision-making power to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.[22] Decolonizing Wealth encourages readers to reflect on how they can use “money as medicine”–– transforming money from a force that has been used to harm into one that can be used to support healing and restore balance.[23] The second edition of Decolonizing Wealth was published in 2021 with a foreword from Bishop William J. Barber II[24] and a Spanish-language edition was published in 2022.[25] Villanueva has also published a journal, Money As Medicine, to help people use money as a tool of love and restoration.[26][27]

Decolonizing Wealth Project

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Villanueva is the Founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project.[28] Established in late 2018[29], Decolonizing Wealth Project's mission is “to bring forth truth, reconciliation, and the healing of our global family from the ails of colonization through education, radical reparative giving, and storytelling."[30] Decolonizing Wealth Project engages in what it calls 'sector transformation' and offers education experiences such as a 'reparative philanthropy community of practice'. According to the Decolonizing Wealth Project website, a reparative philanthropy community of practice is a powerful, small group of peers who learn together, heal together, and receive real-time support for your leadership through this unprecedented opportunity for real change in your leadership and organization. [31] In addition to its sector transformation and education work, Decolonizing Wealth Project publishes reports and creates toolkits and guides about decolonizing wealth and equity in philanthropy.[32] In 2024, Decoloniznig Wealth Project published a research report titled Solidarity by Design that offers 'data-driven insights' on how to garner support for reparations.[33]

Liberated Capital

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Villanueva also directs Decolonizing Wealth Project’s Liberated Capital[34], a donor community and funding vehicle designed to support Black, Indigenous and other people-of-color-led initiatives working for transformative social change.[35] [36] Liberated Capital has several funding programs, granting more than $15 million since 2020.[37] Liberated Capital's #Case4Reparations initiative seeks “to fuel and amplify conversations and campaigns around reparations where wealth (money or land) can be redistributed by institutions and/or governments to Black communities in the United States.”[38] In 2023, Villanueva announced Decolonizing Wealth Project's $20 million dollar campaign to support the reparations movement for Black people in America.[39] By the end of 2023, the #Case4Repartions fund had granted over $6.7 million.[40] Other funds of Decolonizing Wealth Project's Liberated Capital Fund include the Indigenous Earth Fund, which is an annual grant opportunity for Indigenous-led organizations targeting climate and conservation issues[41] and the California Truth and Healing Fund, which supports the engagement of California Native American families, communities, tribes, and organizations to engage in the work of truth and healing.[42]

Other Writing

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Villanueva’s writing has been published by The Washington Post[43], the Advocate[44], Stanford Social Innovation Review[45], USA Today[46], and Yes! Magazine.[47]

Recognition and Awards

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Villanueva was named a 2020 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity[48], a 2020 OZY Media Angelic Troublemaker[49],and was among the 2021 Nonprofit Times Power & Influence Top 50[50] and 2021 Inside Philanthropy Power List.[51] Villanueva and his work have been featured in the New York Times[52], NPR[53], Teen Vogue[54], Vox[55], and Forbes.[56]

Personal Life

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Villanueva resides in New York City.[57]

  1. ^ "11. Knowledge Translation and Indigenous Communities: A Decolonizing Perspective", Knowledge Translation in Context, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 181–200, 2011-12-31, doi:10.3138/9781442689961-014, ISBN 978-1-4426-8996-1, retrieved 2024-07-07
  2. ^ Candid. "Liberated Capital awards $1.7 million for reparations advocacy". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  3. ^ Villanueva, Edgar (August 17, 2021). Decolonizing-Wealth-Second-Indigenous-Divides. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1523091416.
  4. ^ Bornstein, David (2018-11-27). "Opinion | A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  5. ^ "Edgar Villeneuve; The disruptor". Edgar Villeneuve; The disruptor. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  6. ^ Vourvoulias, Sabrina (2020-01-07). "Who are our nonprofit disruptors and instigators?". Generocity. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  7. ^ "Closing the racial wealth gap is a collective responsibility. Reparations are a solution". tangent.usatoday.com. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  8. ^ "The Reparations Fight Is Gaining New Traction—Philanthropy Is Slowly Getting on Board". Inside Philanthropy. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  9. ^ "How to Decolonize Wealth Through Reparations". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  10. ^ Chen, Rachel (2022-06-20). "What would true reparative giving in the philanthropic sector look like?". The Philanthropist Journal. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  11. ^ "Author and activist Edgar Villanueva to speak at Gillings School's 2022 Commencement". UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  12. ^ "Edgar Villanueva: Churches must reimagine their relationship with money | Faith and Leadership". faithandleadership.com. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  13. ^ Hartmann, Michael. "The Sins of Our Fathers". Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  14. ^ "Author and activist Edgar Villanueva to speak at Gillings School's 2022 Commencement". UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  15. ^ "Edgar Villanueva Joins the Schott Foundation as Vice President of Programs and Advocacy". Philanthropy New York. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  16. ^ "Edgar Villanueva Joins the Schott Foundation as Vice President of Programs and Advocacy". Philanthropy New York. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  17. ^ "Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Elects Two New Members to Board of Trustees". RWJF. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  18. ^ "Edgar Villanueva". NCFP. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  19. ^ "Money as Medicine (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  20. ^ Brancaccio, Candace Manriquez Wrenn, David (2019-12-03). ""Decolonizing Wealth": Changing the field of philanthropy". Marketplace. Retrieved 2024-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "Money as Medicine (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  22. ^ Brancaccio, Candace Manriquez Wrenn, David (2019-12-03). ""Decolonizing Wealth": Changing the field of philanthropy". Marketplace. Retrieved 2024-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ DiBenedetto, Chase (2022-03-26). "What does it mean to decolonize your donations?". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  24. ^ Villanueva, Edgar (August 17, 2021). Decolonizing-Wealth-Indigenous-Divides-Restore. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1523091416.
  25. ^ Villanueva, Edgar (June 14, 2022). Descolonizando-riqueza-divisiones-restablecer-equilibrio. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1523003235.
  26. ^ Martin, Courtney (2021-10-11). "Money as medicine". the examined family. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  27. ^ "The Guided Journal". decolonizingwealth.com. July 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  28. ^ "Our Team". decolonizingwealth.com. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  29. ^ "What's Next for the Decolonizing Wealth Project? - Magic Cabinet". 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  30. ^ "Decolonizing Wealth Project". Decolonizing Wealth Project. 2020.
  31. ^ "Reparative Philanthropy Community of Practice". decolonizingwealth.com. July 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  32. ^ "Resources and Downloads". decolonizingwealth.com. July 31, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  33. ^ "decolonizingwealth.com/solidarity-by-design/". decolonizingwealth.com. April 25, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  34. ^ DiBenedetto, Chase (2022-03-26). "What does it mean to decolonize your donations?". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  35. ^ "Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Fund - Center for Urban and Racial Equity". urbanandracialequity.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  36. ^ "Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Project Fund". Grapevine. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  37. ^ "DWP-5-Year-Graphic-Summary-Single-Pages" (PDF). DecolonizingWealth.com. July 7, 2024.
  38. ^ "The Reparations Fight Is Gaining New Traction—Philanthropy Is Slowly Getting on Board". Inside Philanthropy. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  39. ^ "Reparations campaigns get boost from new philanthropic funding". AP News. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  40. ^ "Decolonizing Wealth Project on LinkedIn: #reparations #philanthropy #liberatedcapital #case4reparations…". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  41. ^ DiBenedetto, Chase (2023-05-04). "Funding the Earth's keepers: The need for Indigenous climate philanthropy". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  42. ^ "California Truth and Healing Fund". decolonizingwealth.com. July 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  43. ^ "Opinion | More to the story of the Lumbee". Washington Post. 2018-09-07. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  44. ^ "Trump May Be Gone (Almost) But Toxic Masculinity Is Here to Stay". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  45. ^ "Money as Medicine (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  46. ^ "Closing the racial wealth gap is a collective responsibility. Reparations are a solution". tangent.usatoday.com. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  47. ^ "Opinion | Healing From Colonization on Thanksgiving and Beyond". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  48. ^ "Edgar Villanueva". Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  49. ^ "Mother Jones". MotherJones.com. October 15, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  50. ^ "NPT Power & Influence Top 50 (2021)". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  51. ^ "The Inside Philanthropy Power List". Inside Philanthropy. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  52. ^ Bornstein, David (2018-11-27). "Opinion | A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  53. ^ Brancaccio, Candace Manriquez Wrenn, David (2019-12-03). ""Decolonizing Wealth": Changing the field of philanthropy". Marketplace. Retrieved 2024-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  54. ^ Wicker, Jewel (2020-04-03). "Indigenous Communities Are Organizing to Fight Coronavirus". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  55. ^ Matthews, Dylan (2019-07-01). "The unbearable whiteness of American charities". Vox. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  56. ^ Matthews, Dylan (2019-07-01). "The unbearable whiteness of American charities". Vox. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  57. ^ Gervois, Pierre (November 2, 2018). "Edgar Villanueva". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
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