August 21, 2024
Episode 9 of “Break Fake Rules” underscores why it’s time for philanthropy to go all in on investing in people with disabilities
Ever wonder how a foundation decides to break the ultimate fake rule of perpetuity to spend down? This month, we are lucky to have Ryan Easterly, executive director of the WITH Foundation, join us to pull back the curtain behind his foundation’s decision to spend down. Hear Ryan share why his board doubled down on its mission to advance comprehensive care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As Ryan shares:
“Spending down enables us to make larger investments in our grantees to take bigger swings at addressing the barriers that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face when accessing health care.”
Meet Ryan Easterly
Ryan Easterly serves as executive director of the WITH Foundation. An experienced grantmaker, strategist, and advocate, Ryan lives and works at the intersections of race, class, disability, and sexual orientation. He is driven by a desire to effect meaningful change. Before joining WITH, he served on its Board of Directors, which advanced his commitment to disability justice and the need for broader access to comprehensive healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities. He was a co-founder and previous director of Northern California Community Relations at MySupport, Inc. As manager of the National Youth Transitions Initiative for The HSC Foundation, a Washington, DC operating foundation of a health system for children and young adults with complex medical needs, he provided funding and programmatic support to a collaborative network of 70+ organizations serving young people with disabilities and young veterans. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in 2016. He has also worked on various community outreach and advocacy efforts throughout his life.
Episode 9: “Take Bigger Swings” with Ryan Easterly
Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
As a health care funder and a person with lived experience with disabilities, Ryan offers critical insight into the unique challenges that people with disabilities face when navigating our health care system. In the episode, Ryan encourages funders to break the fake rules that prevent resources from flowing to people with disabilities who need them today. Most importantly, he makes the case for why philanthropy should think beyond narrow definitions of philanthropic leadership. Tune in to hear him call on funders to hire more people with disabilities who can apply their skills and lived experiences to boost philanthropy’s impact. We’re grateful to be on this spend down journey with funders like Ryan who are highlighting a better way forward for the field.
Watch the abbreviated version on YouTube or listen to the full discussion wherever you get your podcasts.
“I would like in my lifetime to also see the philanthropic sector not just hire people with disabilities for disability portfolios but hire them for broader giving.”
Ryan Easterly
Up Next
This fall, we’re going back on the road. In September, we’re hosting a special edition of “Break Fake Rules” live at the National Forum on Family Philanthropy. Stay tuned for details on Stupski’s Instagram and LinkedIn.
New episodes of “Break Fake Rules” drop monthly through October on your favorite podcast platform and Stupski Foundation’s YouTube channel.
We want to hear from you. Which fake rules do you want to see philanthropy break next? Share your thoughts with us on YouTube, and join the conversation with Glen on LinkedIn.
Latest Perspectives News
Read the latest news about our grant-making, our partners, and how we are spending down.