3 minute read
Irfana Jetha Noorani
TRANSFORM 1012 N. MAIN STREET, THE HIGH LINE NETWORK | WASHINGTON D.C.
THE CATALYST COLLECTIVE PROGRAM has been an incredibly energizing space for leaders of color and fosters a true sense of camaraderie. Holding space for leaders of color to speak openly, collaborate, network, commiserate, and problem-solve has been incredibly valuable during one of the most difficult and challenging years for our sector and the communities we serve.
The Program’s focus on wellbeing centers the health and mental wellness of the individual leader, so that we can then be available to fully serve our communities. The Catalyst Collective created space for reflection, feedback, and recommitment to our values and communities. With that space, I felt equipped to think about my relationship to labor, my personal and professional leadership practices, and the impact I could have working nationally and with a multidisciplinary approach. The Collective connected me to a network of peers as I started my own business and charted a new course.
Bridgepark Harvest Festival.
Photo by Becky Harlan.
Bridgepark Harvest Festival.
Photo by Becky Harlan.
As we move forward as a sector, I’m excited to see nonprofit leadership shift away from the scarcity mindset. Scarcity breeds competition, burnout, and stifles creative solutions to the problems we are trying to solve in the social sector. And honestly, “Bye!” to scarcity mindset! In order to get free, we have to lean on our communities, think with abundance, and collaborate across issues. The Catalyst Collective program and my work with the 11th Street Bridge Park demonstrated this potential; now I am taking these lessons learned to my work across the country.
The philanthropic sector has to get comfortable with transferring decision making power to practitioners. We know our communities best and the solution to the challenges we’re facing and problems we’re dismantling rest with our people. I call on the sector to engage in trust-based philanthropy. Let artists, practitioners, and residents lead in the decision-making process. Find ways to fund outside of the traditional, oppressive, capitalist nonprofit systems — there are opportunities and ways to fund individuals and coalitions doing work in their communities with no strings attached.
Photo courtesy of 11th Street Bridge Park.
ABOUT
Irfana Jetha Noorani is a cultural organizer, artist and administrator living in Washington, D.C. She supports neighborhoods, cultural organizations, public spaces, and philanthropic institutions with equitable planning processes that center people of color and justice-based outcomes in their work. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow to the High Line Network and a Senior Consultant to Transform 1012 N. Main Street and the 11th Street Bridge Park. Irfana is a Founding Member of Vital Little Plans, a national artist collective and giving circle that challenges the power of Eurocentric philanthropy and supports creative and disruptive initiatives that are arts-driven and community-led.
