EGA members, Crystal Hayling, former President of the Libra Foundation, Helen Chin, Founder and President of Communities First Fund, and Melanie Allen and Erin Rogers, Co-Directors of The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, are honored for their leadership on just resource redistribution in environmental philanthropy.
[From left to right]: Louis Gordon at Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Leticia Rojas, Gulf South Program Officer at The Hive Fund, who accepted the Risk Taker award on behalf of Melanie Allen and Erin Rogers, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, President and CEO of EGA, eMily Aleman-McAlpine, Program Director at the Wege Foundation, who accepted the Founders award on behalf of Crystal Hayling, and Chung-Wha Hong, Co-Executive Director at Grassroots International and EGA’s Board Vice Chair. Rashad Morris, Trustee at the Russell Family Foundation, accepted the Risk Taker Award on behalf of Helen Chin, who joined us virtually from Climate Week to accept the award.
At the 2024 Fall Retreat in Stevenson, Washington, EGA honored distinguished members of the community at the second annual EGA awards ceremony. Crystal Hayling, former President of the Libra Foundation, Helen Chin, Founder and President of Communities First Fund, along with Melanie Allen and Erin Rogers, Co-Directors of The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, were commemorated for their career efforts to shift power and resources in environmental philanthropy.
The award winners were nominated by the EGA community by way of a public nomination process which is then vetted against award criteria by committee. The Risk Taker Award marks the contributions of member visionaries who are leading efforts which challenge the status quo and change the way the field works to shift power. The Risk Taker Award honors actions two categories: Visionary/Individual and Visionary/Organization. The DKR Founders marks the lifetime achievement of a member breaking silos to build toward justice in honor of one of EGA’s most prolific founders, Donald. K. Ross. Below you can learn much more about each award and its awards recipients. Congratulations to this year's class!
The Donald K. Ross Founders Award honors the tenacity, dedication, commitment, and creativity of an individual EGA member who is innovating for effective philanthropy. It was established in memory of one of EGA’s founders, Donald K. Ross, whose vision and forethought set in motion our association, which is now the largest and oldest within environmental philanthropy. This award honors a member of the EGA philanthropic community whose work supports sustainable democratic institutions, demonstrating an extraordinary civic personality of resilient stamina, motivating skills and relentless focus. The purpose of the Founders Award is to connect current EGA members to the theory of change that helped birth and inspire our multigenerational work at EGA.
This icon represents EGA’s Racial Equity POV
The EGA Risk Taker Award honors the vision, creative power, and boldness of a valued member and member team of the philanthropic community. The award celebrates bold leaders in the philanthropic sector whose leading-edge work on racial equity inspires the future of resourcing for people and planet. Recipients inspire the future of environmental grantmaking by example. Guided by our Racial Equity POV, Environmental Grantmakers Association is proud to mark this member achievement.
Second Annual Donald K. Ross Founders Award Recipient:
Crystal Hayling, Former President of the Libra Foundation
Crystal Hayling’s 30+ year career in philanthropy is marked by a start-up energy and pugilist spirit exemplified by Donald. Her leadership in launching the Democracy Frontlines Fund mobilized funds to Black-led grassroots groups and challenged philanthropy to utilize trust-based approaches to fund racial justice efforts.
Watch eMily give this heartfelt speech on behalf of Crystal here
Second Annual Risk Taker Award Individual Recipient: Helen Chin, President of the Communities First Fund
Helen Chin has transformed how government and philanthropy can collaborate to invest public dollars in low-wealth and BIPOC communities. Communities First provides a replicable platform that makes philanthropy more effective in actualizing the goals of Justice40.
Helen joined the EGA Fall Retreat virtually to accept her award. During her speech, she talked about the role philanthropy plays in advancing the voices of frontline communities.
Watch Helen’s full acceptance speech here
Second Annual Risk Taker Award Team Recipient
Melanie Allen and Erin Rogers, Co-Directors of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice
Co-Directors Melanie and Erin have created an innovative regranting intermediary funding at the intersection of climate, racial and gender justice. The Hive Fund challenges conventional philanthropic practice by leading with trust and abundantly resourcing its grantee partners to leverage federal dollars.
Leticia Rojas, Program Officer at the Hive Fund, accepted the award on behalf of the Hive team.
Watch Leticia’s full speech here
"As we build on every success as a source for greater experimentation, it is important to honor the grantmakers acting as individuals and teams that have done the work to make generational advancement. We thank the community for making nominations to mark the pathfinders and way makers that make this work impactful" - Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, EGA President & CEO
Learn more about the EGA awards here.
Read about the 2023 Inaugural Winners of the Donald K. Ross Founders Award and Risk Taker Awards
Interested in supporting EGA’s new programs and initiatives? Get in touch with EGA Program Director, Michelle Velez.
