By Cecilia Chen and Demetria Huntsman, Akonadi Foundation
At Akonadi Foundation, place-based philanthropy isn’t just a strategy; it’s a commitment to Oakland as our home. For 25 years, we’ve invested in the people, movements, and possibilities of this city because we believe that being deeply rooted in community is key to catalyzing real, lasting change.
“We love Oakland. We love its history, its messiness, its grit and beauty. That love is the root of everything we do.”
Place-based funding, for us, means being in a meaningful, intentional relationship with your community. It means supporting the families, youth, and grassroots infrastructure that make a place vibrant and resilient. It means staying present through political shifts, cultural transformation, grief, and joy. It’s a long-term investment in the conditions that allow movements to grow.
Oakland was always central to Akonadi’s mission. While we once funded across California, our leadership, who have lived and raised families here, recognized that we could have the greatest impact by focusing on Oakland. This is a city with a legacy of radical imagination and resistance. From the Black Panther Party to today’s youth-led movements, Oakland has always been a beacon for racial justice. That history inspired us to dig deeper, to demonstrate what’s possible when funders choose to invest in one place with care and intention.
One powerful example of our place-based approach is the So Love Can Win Fund, a small grants program that has enabled us to meet the moment and communities’ urgent needs. It has emerged as a critical support in moments of overlapping crises, including COVID-19, the rise of white supremacist violence, and deepening attacks on Oakland’s communities of color. This fund enabled us to support small, emerging, and creative efforts, including healing collectives, arts initiatives, and new organizing projects. Many of the groups we first funded through So Love Can Win have since grown into key players in Oakland’s movement landscape. In addition to funding, participation in the fund demonstrated to grantee partners that we believed in them and wanted to see them flourish and be recognized for their impactful work.
Another example of our place-based strategy has been our long-term support of the Black Organizing Project (BOP). Akonadi is proud to have provided BOP with one of its first grants—an investment in Black organizing and power—and our partnership has deepened over the past 15+ years. Their work to remove police from Oakland schools and reimagine public safety through Black power building has reshaped what justice can look like for Black youth. This is the kind of sustained organizing that becomes possible when foundations show up not just once, but repeatedly in solidarity, not charity.
“Being rooted in Oakland shapes how we fund and how we build partnerships. We aim to be in the right relationship with our grantee partners. That means listening deeply, showing up in times of need or loss, being honest about hard decisions, and staying in relationship even when funding pauses.”
We’ve learned small grants can be powerful, especially in a concentrated geographic area. When you’re deeply embedded in one place, you can move resources in ways that respond to real, immediate needs. This kind of giving is often misunderstood as “small scale,” but we’ve seen just how expansive local impact can be. For many grassroots organizations, especially those led by young people, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, or those who are new to formal movement work, Akonadi’s support was the first grant they received. That early belief opened doors to bigger systems, broader networks, and greater stability.
Of course, we also recognize that local work must be connected to broader movements. That’s why Akonadi has prioritized coalition-building, collaborative funding, and partnerships that extend beyond city limits. We helped launch the California Black Freedom Fund (now the Black Freedom Fund) to channel more statewide philanthropic dollars toward Black-led organizing. We’ve also collaborated with national funders who understand that change starts at the local level, because people live in communities, not in the federal government.
Oakland is a place that shapes you. For those of us at Akonadi, it’s personal. It’s where we were born and raised, where we’ve built families, and where we’ve found purpose. It is a profound honor to serve here, in this place, with all its brilliance and complexity. Being a place-based funder means showing up with our full selves, with professionalism and skill, but also with heart and history, deeply rooted in love. When we say We Love Oakland, we mean it. We’ve captured that love in a digital tribute celebrating the people and movements that make this city extraordinary. Akonadi is proud to honor the power of local organizing, cultural pride, and the everyday beauty of showing up for one another.
As Akonadi celebrates 25 years, we’re proud of how far we’ve come, and we’re clear-eyed about the work ahead. We remain committed to investing in our Town: its movements, its people, and its collective vision toward a racially just Oakland.
