Explore every episode of the podcast Misgivings

We aren't actually ad-supported, but we made some satirical commercials from fake sponsors that speak to the problems in mainstream philanthropy. Enjoy!

Written by Keil Troisi
Voice actor Richard Henzel

In this episode we hear from participants of the New Standard Fund, a participatory grantmaking fund based in Virginia. Donor family members, community members (known as Flow Funders), and facilitators sit down together for an honest conversation about what it feels like to share power. They unpack what it means to release control, challenge traditional philanthropic models, and build relationships rooted in trust. They describe Flow Funding, which is a methodology in which donors, foundations, or institutions hand over decision-making power to communities to source their own solutions from the ground up.

You will hear from the donors, Flow Funders, and co-faciliators who collaboratively shaped the program, including:

Amy Rosenthal, Donor Family
Amyrose Foll, Flow Funder
Arianne Shaffer, Co-Facilitator
brandon king, Co-Facilitator
Kate Belleman, Donor Family
Christopher Rashad Green, Flow Funder
Cindy Richardson-Keys, Flow Funder
Lea Whitehurst-Gibson, Flow Funder
Rosie Rosenthal, Donor Family
Shekinah Mitchell, Flow Funder
Tyronne Cherry III, Flow Funder

MISGIVINGS is produced by Kindle Project. Learn more at kindleproject.org/podcast.

In this inaugural episode, hosts Sadaf Rassoul Cameron and Arianne Shaffer offer their motivations for creating the show. Then they talk with friend and collaborator Rosie Rosenthal, who shares her journey from participating in a traditional family foundation to co-creating New Standard Fund—a participatory grantmaking program that entrusted community leaders in Virginia to decide where resources should flow. We explore what it means to release power, why community members closest to the challenges are the true experts, and how philanthropy should become more joyful to make it more effective.

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Rosie Rosenthal is a licensed clinical social worker, a mom, a person with wealth, a professional meddler, instigator, and activist. She works as a “wealth redistribution consultant,” offering her expertise to other donors seeking to move money differently. www.rosierosenthal.com

MISGIVINGS is produced by Kindle Project. Learn more at kindleproject.org/podcast.

Misgivings breaks down what’s wrong with mainstream philanthropy and uplifts bold solutions. Through candid conversations filled with humor and heart, Kindle Project's Arianne Shaffer and Sadaf Rassoul Cameron connect with visionary change-makers rising to the call of this urgent moment and reshaping how money, power, and trust flow in a sector long overdue for change.

We made this show to spotlight friends, allies, and peers who are transforming how giving happens—to turn our misgivings about mainstream philanthropy into seeds of hope. Each episode, we sit down for honest, humorous, and uplifting conversations with funders, donors, artists, and bold thinkers who are challenging business-as-usual. We unpack big ideas, laugh at the weirdness of the systems we work in, and spotlight impactful alternatives. We've got an amazing lineup of guests, and hope these conversations leave you inspired, entertained, and equipped with new ways of thinking about how resources should flow.

MISGIVINGS is produced by Kindle Project. Learn more at kindleproject.org/podcast.

In this episode, we’re talking about wealth, identity, and healing. We sit down with Hilary Giovale, a mother, writer, and community organizer. She shares a personal journey of growing up poor and then marrying into a wealthy family, and what it has meant to reckon honestly with whiteness and privilege. We talk ancestral memory and spiritual reconnection, and what it can look like to show up differently with money.

As an active reparationist, Hilary’s work is guided by intuition, love, and relationships. She seeks to follow Indigenous and Black leadership in support of human rights, environmental justice, and equitable futures. She is the author of Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers toward Truth, Healing, and Repair from Green Writers Press.

Additional resources:

• Link to buy the book from indie booksellers (all proceeds go to Decolonizing Wealth Project and Jubilee Justice)
• GoodRelative.com
• Guide to Making a Personal Reparations Plan

Misgivings is produced by Kindle Project. Learn more at kindleproject.org.