We are
Threshold Philanthropy
We are a philanthropic startup partnering with Black and Indigenous leaders and communities to disrupt current philanthropic strategies and co-create new ones based in reparations, to help heal the wounds of racism and capitalism.
Our vision for right relationship
In every way and every place we show up, Threshold Philanthropy aspires to be a full representation of the world we all deserve, a just world where we are all:
- Liberated and healed through reparations — individually and collectively
- Deeply connected to the land and each other
- Lovingly accountable to one another and community
- Radically transparent — sharing both our successes and mistakes
- Mindful of our impact on people, places, and the planet
- Joyful, generous, and brave
Beginnings
Our founding funders, Beth and her husband Yahn, have a long history of giving in their communities, most recently in Washington state, which has been their home since 1998. It’s here that Beth had transformative experiences on the Board of Directors of YWCA, as President and CEO of Washington Women’s Foundation, and also as a member of the Sisterhood, a reparations community of seven white women and six Black women who are living into what it means to deeply reckon with white supremacy and the wealth gap. Beth’s family’s roots are in Eastern North Carolina and South Carolina, and she acknowledges that her family’s generational wealth was built on stolen land and enslaved labor. Together, Beth and Yahn have created new wealth and are now committed to using that wealth to heal, to make reparations, to shift power, to create joy and freedom — and in 2019, Beth decided it was time to get down to business.The Unicorn Effect
Threshold Philanthropy is co-created by Lindsay, Cristina, Beth, and Morgan. We connected because we were in lots of the same funder spaces together — and it became a case of game recognizing game. In each other, we saw fellow disruptors. Also in each other, we saw women who were fed up playing by the rules that were created to perpetuate harm and white supremacy. We are hopeful that philanthropy can be actualized as love of humankind. We believe that community care can heal, that it can repair past harm and create changes to prevent it from happening again. We believe that there are things worth salvaging in the ideals of philanthropy if it is practiced as reparations.Our vision of partnership
We are coming to this work in the spirit of trusting, listening, following, resourcing, and co-creating with our partners. We’re looking to work with BIPOC leaders and communities, particularly Black and Indigenous, who are healers, movement leaders, and visionaries.Our leadership team
We believe in the healing power of shared leadership, and we proudly have two CEOs.
Lindsay Hill
(she/her)
CEO
Meet Me
Meet Lindsay
I built Threshold to be a space where I could fully flourish without having to question my lived experience, conform to white-supremacy culture, or to package myself and my ideas in more palatable ways; where Black women can authentically lead and follow our unique visions. Most importantly, Threshold is a place where BIPOC people don’t have to die in order to transform the world. So when I grow up I don’t just want to survive. I want to thrive. For myself, for my children, for my children’s children. I want to be in community — to continue to dream and take action with others in whatever way I can for as long as I can. I want to be truly free. This is my life’s work.
Cristina Johnson
(she/her)
Director of Ops
Meet Me
Meet Cristina
I came to Threshold Philanthropy to stand beside and build with other Black women. I don’t seek the spotlight — throughout the ages Black women seldom have. But there is value in who we are, value in what we do and how we do it. After years of witnessing performative gestures and internalizing the traumatic reality of the ‘American Dream,’ I was tired of people talking the talk but not walking the walk. An evolving work-in-progress, I bring my nurturing heart and caregiving nature to the Threshold team. My love language is supporting others, and I am bringing that into Threshold by building a co-creative environment where the community can feel liberated, healed, and supported. I feel at home around lots of laughter, a warm-hearted atmosphere (with touch of shade), within an environment where vulnerable moments are not only accepted but encouraged and valued. When I grow up, I want people to see, respect, and appreciate the world in its multiracial, multicultural entirety — and I am going to do my best to make that happen. That’s my promise.
Morgan Dawson
(she/her)
CEO
Meet Me
Meet Morgan
Better is possible — there’s a better way to love each other and care for each other that is neither impossible or impractical. If we orient people around the fact that better is possible, the response to, “That’s not how it works”, will become, “Why not?” I built Threshold to be a place where we say yes more than no and embrace the tough, the awkward, the unconventional, and collectively change the way we are in relationship with one another. Together we examine the nuance that typically gets lost in translation through traditional philanthropy. I’ve always wanted to change the world and while I can’t fix everything, I can create a space where people have choices, where there can be healing for myself and others. When I grow up, I want to explore joy, pleasure, and being a little bit selfish; when I grow up, I want to be healed. I am here because of my own hard work and the unrest of my ancestors. I am a leader, and we are ready.Meet Lindsay
I built Threshold to be a space where I could fully flourish without having to question my lived experience, conform to white-supremacy culture, or to package myself and my ideas in more palatable ways; where Black women can authentically lead and follow our unique visions. Most importantly, Threshold is a place where BIPOC people don’t have to die in order to transform the world. So when I grow up I don’t just want to survive. I want to thrive. For myself, for my children, for my children’s children. I want to be in community — to continue to dream and take action with others in whatever way I can for as long as I can. I want to be truly free. This is my life’s work.Meet Cristina
I came to Threshold Philanthropy to stand beside and build with other Black women. I don’t seek the spotlight — throughout the ages Black women seldom have. But there is value in who we are, value in what we do and how we do it. After years of witnessing performative gestures and internalizing the traumatic reality of the ‘American Dream,’ I was tired of people talking the talk but not walking the walk. An evolving work-in-progress, I bring my nurturing heart and caregiving nature to the Threshold team. My love language is supporting others, and I am bringing that into Threshold by building a co-creative environment where the community can feel liberated, healed, and supported. I feel at home around lots of laughter, a warm-hearted atmosphere (with touch of shade), within an environment where vulnerable moments are not only accepted but encouraged and valued. When I grow up, I want people to see, respect, and appreciate the world in its multiracial, multicultural entirety — and I am going to do my best to make that happen. That’s my promise.Meet Morgan
Better is possible — there’s a better way to love each other and care for each other that is neither impossible or impractical. If we orient people around the fact that better is possible, the response to, “That’s not how it works”, will become, “Why not?” I built Threshold to be a place where we say yes more than no and embrace the tough, the awkward, the unconventional, and collectively change the way we are in relationship with one another. Together we examine the nuance that typically gets lost in translation through traditional philanthropy. I’ve always wanted to change the world and while I can’t fix everything, I can create a space where people have choices, where there can be healing for myself and others. When I grow up, I want to explore joy, pleasure, and being a little bit selfish; when I grow up, I want to be healed. I am here because of my own hard work and the unrest of my ancestors. I am a leader, and we are ready.Let’s stay in touch
We’re always going to be a work in progress and right now, we’re in the beginning stages of our work — so there are lots of moving parts and updates to be shared out. Please join our mailing list to get periodic updates from us.
