Fresh Philanthropy was created with the Everyday Giver in mind, representing a fresh approach to giving focused on values, strategy, partnership and impact.

Founder

Akira Barclay is a dynamic philanthropy professional with 25 years experience in Grantmaking, Fundraising, Strategic Partnerships, Media and Marketing. Prior to founding Fresh Philanthropy, she led the AT&T Imagine Your STEM Future project at Girl Scouts of the USA, earning recognition from the White House Council on Women and Girls for strategic partnership development. She has managed a capacity-building grants program and before her grantmaking roles, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for small youth-serving organizations across New York City.

Akira is author of The Value of Giving Circles in the Evolution of Community Philanthropy, which examines community foundations and ways to build bridges between grassroots and institutional grantmakers. The paper is the culmination of her research as an Emerging Leaders International Fellow at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Akira earned a Master’s degree in Fundraising and Grantmaking from New York University and a Bachelor of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University.