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  1. Podcast Overview

  2. Copy-pasteable Copy

  3. Social Toolkit

  4. Beyond the Pod

For the Love of Radical Giving

Published by GIA Reader (Grantmakers in the Arts)
Produced, Edited, and Hosted by Tom T. Young (Flannel & Blade)

All six episodes of this miniseries were
recorded and released from June – November 2024.

A Radical Series

You are tuning into For the Love of Radical Giving podcast, a GIA Reader miniseries that deconstructs traditional philanthropy and celebrates the joy and power of giving out of love.

Each of six episodes explores radical, innovative, community-driven approaches that challenge traditional philanthropic models, highlighting the voices and experiences of those actively working to democratize philanthropy and create equitable, impactful change.

Browse Episodes >>
Explore Themes (Mixtapes) >>

1. Podcast Overview 

How to Get in Touch

with the Publisher & Host,
Grantmakers in the Arts

Press Contact: gia@giarts.org 

Contact us if you’re interested in
co-hosting a workshop about the
miniseries and its resources.

2. Copy-pasteable Copy

About the Miniseries

  • 31 words, 210 characters

    For the Love of Radical Giving is a GIA Reader miniseries that deconstructs philanthropy and reimagines giving with 29 voices from artists, organizers, and funders building a more joyful, justice-driven future.

  • 148 words, 976 characters 

    For the Love of Radical Giving is a GIA Reader miniseries that pulls back the curtain on arts philanthropy through the lived experiences of those reshaping it. Hosted and produced by Tom T. Young of Vital Little Plans and Flannel & Blade, the six-episode series (Jun–Nov 2024) brings together 29 artists, organizers, funders, strategists, consultants, and cultural workers to challenge what philanthropy has been and reimagine what giving can be. From the white supremacist roots of American philanthropy to radical storytelling, unrestricted funding, and narrative power in movement work, the series explores urgent questions: Who decides what counts as the public good? What legacies of harm shape the flow of resources today? And what becomes possible when we center love, rather than gatekeeping, in our giving? With a companion ecosystem of resources, mixtapes, and listening guides, the series offers both hard truths and pathways toward a more joyful, justice-driven future.

  • 245 words, 1587 characters

    For the Love of Radical Giving is a GIA Reader miniseries that pulls back the curtain on arts philanthropy from the lived experiences of those reshaping it. Hosted and produced by Tom T. Young of Vital Little Plans and Flannel & Blade, the six-episode series (Jun–Nov 2024) convenes 29 artists, organizers, funders, strategists, consultants, and cultural workers who are challenging what philanthropy has been and reimagining what giving can be.

    From the white supremacist roots of American Philanthropy to the radical storytelling used to deconstruct it, from unrestricted funding for artists to narrative power in movement work, each episode dives deep into urgent questions at the heart of our polycrises: Who decides what counts as the “public good”? What legacies of harm still shape the flow of resources today? And what possibilities open when we move with love, rather than gatekeeping, as our guide? Alongside each conversation, listeners are invited into a companion ecosystem of resources, mixtapes, and listening guides designed to spark reflection, dialogue, and action in communities and institutions alike.

    Neither cynical takedown nor insider echo chamber, For the Love of Radical Giving speaks with clarity, empathy, and provocation. It celebrates the joy of giving, confronts the inequities philanthropy too often sustains, and amplifies the vision of those building something different. Whether you are a funder, a cultural worker, or simply someone wrestling with the meaning of giving and showing up in these times, this series offers both hard truths and pathways forward. It is a call to give, organize, and imagine with radical joy and love at the center.

By the Episode

  • In this first episode, we unpack how American traditional philanthropy was founded, and how its very guiding principles have choked the industry from doing exactly what it’s meant to do—

    Get the resources where they are needed, by means of the people who are affected by both the problem and the solution.

    With Guests…

    • Michele Kumi (久美) Baer (Kumi Cultural) 

    • Vu Le (Nonprofit AF)

    • Aaron Dorfman (NCRP) 

    • Nick Tilsen (NDN Collective)

  • In this episode, we will hear from a few radical leaders, moving funds and resources through mutual aid and collective giving efforts. Each guest embodies the very soul of what ancient forms of giving stood for.

    Featuring the song “Blossom, Flourish, Grow” by Wit López

    With Guests…

    • Sara Lomelin (Philanthropy Together) 

    • Wit López (Till Arts / Philadelphia Assembly)

    • Jenice Fountain (Yellowhammer Fund)

    • Z and M (Operation Olive Branch)

  • In this episode, we examine how unrestricted funding is a vital solution—freeing artists from the red tape of traditional grants and allowing them to focus on their craft. By removing these financial barriers, we can create a future where art—and the people who make it—are truly valued and can thrive.

    With Guests…

    • Jessica Mele (Jessica Mele Creative)

    • Holly Doll / Anpao Win (Waterers and Dept. of Public Transformation)

    • Joua Lee Grande (Waterers)

    • Eddie Torres (Grantmakers in the Arts)

    • Ricardo Beaird (Springboard for the Arts)

  • In this episode, we confront the urgent need for systems change within philanthropy. Our guests go beyond the surface-level fixes and aim to uproot the systems that perpetuate oppression, ensuring that historically marginalized communities have control over their land, resources, and futures.

    Featuring the song “Together We Rise” by Hāwane Rios

    With Guests… 

  • In this episode, we’ll see how radical, collective giving can do what traditional philanthropy has not—restore, empower, and finally give back to the communities long asked and forced to sacrifice. This is Appalachian Futurism, a tribute to the past and a blueprint for a new way forward.

    Featuring the song “Marching to the Freedom Land” by Will Boyd feat. Kelle Jolly

    With Guests… 

    • Joe Tolbert Jr. (Waymakers Collective) 

    • Tiffany Pyette (Appalachian Rekindling Project)

    • Taysha DeVaughan (Appalachian Rekindling Project)

    • Rae Garringer (Country Queers)

    • Ty Murry (The Bottom)

    • Kalil White (The Bottom)

  • In this last and final episode, we’re bringing this series full circle by confronting what’s at stake as we choose either to sustain the systems that uphold inequity or to dismantle and reimagine them. Together, we’ll reflect on how narratives shape our beliefs, influence civic discourse, and define our paths to collective action. This is the call, the challenge, and the opportunity.

    With Guests… 

    • Bridgit Antoinette Evans (Pop Culture Collaborative)

    • Evan Weissman (Warm Cookies of the Revolution) 

    • Dr. Christina M. Castro (Three Sisters Collective) 

And I’m Your Host,

Tom T. Young

I’m a proud co-founder of Vital Little Plans, an artist giving circle, and Flannel & Blade, a queer-owned communications collective.

I first learned about the world of philanthropy through my work with ArtPlace America, and since then, I’ve been working with nonprofits, foundations, and artists to advocate for more unrestricted funding towards individuals and community organizations.

With many, many incredible people surrounding me,
I proudly produced, edited, and narrated
this love letter to radical giving.

Learn more about Tom at Flannel & Blade.

3. Social Toolkit

Audiograms

‘Best-of’ quotes with shareable graphics, text, and audio.

Browse All Audiograms Here // Download All Podcast Media Here

  • “We're still living in a society where so much power to determine and influence what constitutes the public good is disproportionately wielded by an elite group of mostly white people. And that ideology that Carnegie and others espoused is still alive and well in philanthropy today.”

    Michele Kumi (久美) Baer

    Kumi Cultural, Founder and Principal

    EP01, Segment 2for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

  • “Philanthropy as a sector, the way that it exists and operates in its current form is really just a way to keep the wealthy wealthy. And it reifies wealth inequality in ways that I think many of us are not really aware of from a day-to-day perspective.”

    Nairuti Shastry

    Nuance Research, Strategy, & Consulting, LLC, Founder & Principal The Democracy Collaborative, Community Wealth Building Fellow

    EP04, Segment 2for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

  • “It is not innate to us as individuals to gatekeep resources or money. It's been very much taught to us by our white supremacist culture. And we need to get back to what's genuinely innate. We are people that know how to share. We know how to make sure that collective is taken care of. And we need to really get back to that.”

    Jenice FountainYellowhammer Fund, Executive Director 

    Community Advocate, Reproductive Justice and Mutual Aid

    EP02, Segment 3for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

  • “When we speak about mutual aid, that's an Appalachian legacy. Because this region had been historically underfunded by the government, everyone had to take, you have three eggs, I have a bag of flour, they have a gallon of milk. We're combining all that we have together to create this bread. 

    And I think we learned that in the pandemic, we actually have enough to care for ourselves if we really think about it. And if we all got in the spirit of sharing is caring, we would all be able to sustain ourselves and our communities a lot more than if we just tried to compact and compile all of our resources as an individual. So much more goes if we are coming together as a collective.”

    Ty Murray

    The Bottom, Director of Art & Communication

    EP05, Segment 5for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

Sharing Blurbs

for guest speakers and general sharing.

  • “ It really is rooted in Indigenous values of like I'm just giving this to you because I don't want you to have to give anything back. I'm gifting this to you because I see you. I'm gifting this because you deserve this and I don't expect a thank you. I don't expect anything in return. It's purely a gift.”

    Holly Doll

    Waterers, Member

    EP03, Segment 3for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

  • “We are actually living the effects right now of strategies to oversimplify and even revise and erase really important truths about our history, about who we are, who we have been as a nation, who we want to become. A natural human instinct for many people is to actually retreat, really not interrogating the complexity and really doubling down on the most oversimplified concepts of right and wrong, unjust and just.”

    Bridgit Antoinette Evans

    Pop Culture Collaborative, Chief Executive Officer

    EP06, Segment 2for the Love of Radical Giving

  • Image [ Post / Reels ]

    Audio [ MP3 ]

  • Check out For the Love of Radical Giving, a GIA Reader miniseries that deconstructs arts philanthropy and reimagines what giving can be. Six episodes, 29 voices, and companion resources to spark change. Listen here: www.loveradicalgiving.org 

  • Explore Episode [#] of For the Love of Radical Giving: [Episode Title]. This conversation highlights [key theme/guest focus] and its impact on arts philanthropy. Listen here: www.loveradicalgiving.org/episodes

  • Love of Radical Giving Mixtapes make it easy to dive into themes of LAND, FUNDING, MOVEMENT, and POWER in arts philanthropy. Explore curated episodes and resources here: www.loveradicalgiving.org/mixtapes

  • Take the podcast deeper with a free Listening Guide. Each guide includes quotes, prompts, and resources to spark dialogue and action in your arts community or institution. Download here: www.loveradicalgiving.org/guides

  • I’m featured on For the Love of Radical Giving, a GIA Reader miniseries on reimagining arts philanthropy. In Episode [#], I spoke about [topic]. Listen and share here: www.loveradicalgiving.org

4. Beyond the Pod

Mixtapes

Four curated playlists to rewire how you listen and act.

Each mixtape is a curated slice of the Love of Radical Giving series, four playlists to go deeper on land, funding, movement, or power.

New to this work or ready to reroute wealth?
These are a gift for you.

  • a mixtape about land, legacy, and liberation.

    The land has always given freely: shelter, beauty, breath… all without a grant application. 

    These episodes ask what it means to return the gift, to be in true kinship with land and those who’ve always known how to listen—even as extraction accelerates and climate collapse looms.

    Landback, mutuality, rematriation, Indigenous wisdom, stewardship, systems thinking, climate crisis

  • a mixtape about risk, repair, and the courage to redistribute.

    You’re managing stolen wealth inside a system that was never meant to change. 

    These episodes name the contradiction, and push you toward choices that align your giving with your values, not your comfort.

    unrestricted funding, reckoning, gatekeeping, red tape, narrative change, risk + repair, internal shifts

  • a mixtape about mutual aid, radical care, and collective action beyond institutions

    This mixtape is for the ones moving money by day and marching by night.

    These episodes trace the heart of organizing back to where it’s always lived: in mutual care, creative resistance, and people showing up for one another, with or without institutional permission.

    movement capture, artist organizing, narrative power, joy as resistance, global solidarity

  • a mixtape about capitalism, complicity, and calling bullsh*t on business as usual

    Philanthropy wasn’t built to be radical. It was built to preserve wealth.

    These episodes pull back the curtain on how the system protects itself, and what it takes to stop playing along.

    billionaires, extractive wealth, narrative power, redistribution, systems change

Listening Guides

Each presentation deck includes slides with powerful quotes, activities to get you started, links to resources, and QR codes that plug you into the miniseries.

Various editions offer more digestible decks, categorized by episode or mixtape.
Browse and download Listening Guides here.

Funder – For Folks Who Give Gifts Professionally
Funders, Program Officers, Board Members
Download >> [ Full Color | High Contrast ]

Funded – For Folks Currently Relying on Philanthropic Support
Movement Leaders, Cultural Producers, Teaching Artists
Download >> [ Full Color | High Contrast ]

>> How to Use the Guides 

Each slide includes a powerful quote, an activity to get you started, links to resources, and QR codes that plug you into the miniseries. There are many ways you can use them: 

  1. Start Your Own Listening Group
    Each episode, segment, or mixtape can be used to create a simple curriculum to meet your group’s pace and capacity.

  2. Tear-and-Share Resources
    Use any of these slides in your next presentation, or send to a funder or grant partner. Let each slide guide you toward collective understanding & action!

  3. Reflections On Your Own
    Go at your own pace, dive into links, quotes, and resources. There are plenty of important questions, prompts, and calls to action to meditate on or journal about.

You can always invite GIA to co-host a workshop!
Contact gia@giarts.org for more information.