📍 LA 84 Foundation (Room:Pavilion), 2141 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018
📅 Monday, November 3, 2025 | 10AM – 12PM
Event Details
In an era of overlapping crises and at the brink of the largest generational wealth transfer in history, philanthropy must evolve—not just in practice, but in purpose. How can funders move beyond outdated models to meet this moment with courage, accountability, and impact?
Join SoCal Grantmakers in partnership with The Women’s Foundation California, and The California Endowment, for a compelling fireside chat with Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy and Leena Barakat, President and CEO of Women Donors Network. Together we will explore how philanthropy can move from reinforcing the status quo to transforming systems, shifting power, and redistributing wealth. Through real-world examples and practices, Dimple will share how philanthropy can be an anti-racist, feminist, relational, and joyful expression of solidarity – and how we can boldly invest in the future we seek, now.
This event will be followed by a book signing with Dimple. A limited number of book copies will be made available at the event for attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have any questions, please reach out to Monica Banks at monica(at)socalgrantmakers.org.
Speakers
Dimple Abichandani
Advisor & Author, A New Era of Philanthropy
Dimple Abichandani is a nationally recognized philanthropic leader, lawyer, advisor and author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future, a book that reimagines how philanthropy can meet this moment with courage, solidarity and impact. For two decades, she has worked to reshape philanthropy’s purpose and practice while leading innovative funding institutions. As Executive Director of the General Service Foundation (2015–2022), she aligned the foundation’s grantmaking, investments, and governance with justice values. She was the founding director of the Rise Together Fund, a donor collaborative at the Proteus Fund, and previously led the Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law. A National Center for Family Philanthropy Fellow, Dimple’s leadership has been recognized with a Scrivener Award for Creative Grantmaking. She serves on the Board of Directors of Solidaire Network and has served on the boards/steering committees of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Northern California Grantmakers, and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Dimple is based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she advises donors and foundations working towards a more just and sustainable future.
Leena Barakat
President and CEO, Women Donors Network
Leena is a Palestinian-American activist, organizational strategist, and CEO of Women Donors Network (WDN) and its 501c4 organization, WDN Action. She is leading the organization through a period of transformative growth, channeling the collective power of the network to advance gender, racial, economic, and climate justice in alignment with movements. Throughout her career, Leena has worked across the grassroots, philanthropic, and private sectors to advance organizational impact, movement building, and justice across the three sectors. She began her career as a grassroots activist and movement builder, organizing and advocating on a range of issues, including civic engagement, immigration, racial justice, climate, labor rights, LGBTQIA+ and Palestinian human rights. Barakat gained national recognition and won awards as a movement leader and supported fellow college students in their divestment efforts across universities nationwide. She later joined Tides, a global philanthropic foundation and nonprofit accelerator, where she spent seven years working at the nexus of funders, change makers, and policy. During her tenure, she more than doubled the organization’s client portfolio and was instrumental in leading the strategic growth of Tides’ assets from $189 million to $1.5 billion as their Director of Strategic Partnerships. Passionate about merging her interests in grassroots and donor organizing, Barakat became an active member of WDN after the 2016 election. In 2018, she was named to the Board of Directors and Vice Chair in 2020. Leena also joined the board of the Donors of Color Network in 2020, where she supports the growth of BIPOC donor organizers in advancing racial equity, political power, and justice. She earned her Master’s Degree in Global Development and Social Justice from St. John’s University in New York. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of California San Diego. Leena is based in the Los Angeles area with her dog and two children.