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Creator
Association of Black Foundation Executives
Call number
Sc MG 737
Physical description
27.92 linear feet (67 boxes). 634.9 kilobytes (8 computer files)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc. records, Sc MG 737, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc., founded in 1971 and based in New York City, is a nonprofit organization of philanthropic professionals that promotes effective and responsive philanthropy in Black communities. The records date from 1971 to 2002 and consist of annual program planning materials; board books; committee meeting minutes; correspondence; financial audits; grant applications; monographs and articles; and program report drafts.

Biographical/historical information

In 1971, Black foundation executives Ronald Gault, Bryant George, Harriet Michel, Carl McCall, Ernie Osborne, Roland Johnson, James A. Joseph, and Eldridge McMillian attended the spring meeting of the Council on Foundations (COF). The group challenged the board nomination process due to the lack of Black representation on the governing body. Addressing the need for a space for Black professionals in the sector, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc. (ABFE) was created as an all-volunteer organization. On November 15, 1971, the group filed articles of incorporation in Indianapolis, and established a national office in New York City in 1973. In 1995, the ABFE office was moved to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. ABFE again relocated to New York City in 2001.

By 1975, ABFE had fifty-five members. During ABFE's fortieth anniversary in 2011, the organization had over 300 members, representing more than sixty grantmaking foundations. In addition to individual members, ABFE has been supported by a roster of institutional members including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, the Reader's Digest Foundation, and the William Penn Foundation.

ABFE was the first official affinity group of the COF. An affinity group is a network of grantmaking organizations and individual donors that collaborate and network around shared concerns or common interests, with the hopes of influencing grantmaking in order to become more responsive to the needs of a particular group or area of interest. ABFE's founders represented the Ford Foundation, the National Scholarship Service, the New York Foundation, the Sachem Fund, and the Cummins Foundation.

ABFE's establishment was followed by Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) in 1981; Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) in 1989; and other identity and community-focused groups who worked for greater visibility and representation within the philanthropic sector. COF now counts forty affinity groups in its roster.

The establishment of regional chapters, membership and board retreats, and the 1993 establishment of professional development institutes enabled members to meet and collaborate frequently. ABFE's annual conferences were typically held in conjunction with the COF's annual meetings.

An exception came in 1992, when the COF had its annual conference in Miami, Florida. At that time, Black organizations and individuals were refusing to engage with Miami's tourism industry due to city officials snubbing South African activist Nelson Mandela during his visit in June 1990. ABFE voted to take part in the Boycott Miami campaign, which began in 1990 after Mandela's visit and lasted until 1993. The organization collected news clippings and statements about this movement, and compiled these into a project about the movement in 1993.

In 1991, the James A. Joseph Lecture on Philanthropy was established to honor ABFE co-founder and then-president of the COF, and to celebrate ABFE's twentieth anniversary. The lecture series is held each year in conjunction with the Council on Foundations annual conference. Speakers have included James A. Joseph in 1991 and 1998; Franklin Thomas in 1992; Dr. Bernard C. Watson in 1993; Anna Faith Jones in 1994; Elridge W. McMillan in 1995; Jean E. Fairfax in 1996; Hugh C. Burroughs in 1999; Dr. Emmett D. Carson in 2000; Dr. Reatha Clark King in 2001; Wenda Weekes Moore in 2002; Handy Lindsey, Jr. in 2003; Lynn Huntley in 2004; and Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton in 2005.

In addition to annual meetings, retreats, and the Joseph lecture series, ABFE has frequently researched and published project reports about grassroots philanthropy, issues facing Black communities, diversity initiatives, and intersectional advocacy within the sector. Reports include The Black Family Today: Exposing Myths, Defining the Challenges (1987); Youth: Values and Self-Esteem (1990); Black Presence in Organized Philanthropy (1994); He Alo A He Alo: African Americans and Native Hawaiians (1997); Case Study: Affirming a Future for African American Youth (1999); and Philanthropy and the Black Church (1999).

The organization adopted a new name—dropping the full "Association of Black Foundation Executives" to the simpler ABFE, pronounced ab-fee—and expanded their mission statement in the mid-2000s to better reflect their broadening membership and influence.

ABFE celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2021.

Scope and arrangement

The Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc. (ABFE) records, dating from 1971 to 2002 (bulk dates 1977-1999), extensively chronicle the organization's dedication to their original mission scope and activities to increase philanthropic resources to Black communities and organizations. The records hold annual budgets; conference and annual meeting planning materials; correspondence; grant applications and awards; independent financial audits; and publications.

There are no materials related to ABFE's eight co-founders challenging the nomination process at the 1971 Council on Foundations' (COF) spring meeting. The records begin after ABFE was organized and incorporated, and do not include documentation regarding its founding or its earliest years as an association. Pre-1977 materials are uncommon.

Original folder names have been maintained whenever possible.

The Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc. records are arranged in five series:

  • Series I: Correspondence
    1980-1999

    Correspondence by members of ABFE's Board of Directors on behalf of ABFE business is held in Series I and is arranged alphabetically. Board members Emmett Carson, Jean Fairfax, Yolanda Richardson, Kenneth B. Smith, and Pat White have unique files dating from their tenure on the board. There is also correspondence from other philanthropic organizations, universities, financial institutions, and hotels for event hosting.

    General correspondence that was originally filed together by date is held at the end of the series.

  • Series II: Events
    1978-2002

    Series II extensively chronicles the planning, promotion, and running of annual events. Dating from 1978 to 2002, this series is arranged by topic into five subseries: Annual Programs; Conferences; James A. Joseph Annual Lecture materials; Retreats; and Senegal and Ghana Study Tour materials.

  • Series III: Financials
    1973-2002, 1973-2002

    Series III extensively details ABFE's fiscal history via annual audits, annual budgets, disbursements and deposits, financial statements and reports, grant applications, tax forms, and yearly ledgers. Dating from 1973 to 2002, the materials are arranged alphabetically by topic and make up the bulk of ABFE's records. ABFE hired external contractors each year to audit their financials, and these reports are held in this series.

    Grant applications are not typically found in these records. Award letters are more common, and final reports for received grants are also held here.

  • Series IV: Personnel
    1977-2001

    This series holds materials related to ABFE personnel and affiliated organizations, and is arranged into four subseries: Affinity Groups; Board of Directors; Institutional Members; and Membership. It is dated from 1977 to 2001.

  • Series V: Publications
    1971-1999

    ABFE publications, dated from 1971 to 1999, are held in Series V and are arranged alphabetically by subject. Quarterly and yearly publications, such as monthly newsletters from the director and annual reports, provide a roadmap for the organization's work and progress towards various philanthropic goals. Irregular publications include project reports and articles. Project reports include the 1978 Bringing Africa into Focus, which was the impetus for the 1993 ABFE study tour to Senegal and Ghana. ABFE's most extensive report, Black Presence in Philanthropy, took three years to complete. Annotated drafts, correspondence, galley proofs, and the final products of regular publications and project reports are present.

    The lectures given by James A. Joseph Lecture honorees were printed as article monographs and widely dispersed among ABFE institutional members, grant organizations, and other COF affinity groups. These monographs are held in this series.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Kenneth Austin in 2004.

Processing information

Processed by Em Longan in 2024.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor