Can we talk about...? A podcast on leading for racial equity in philanthropy · Philanthropy Northwest

D’Artagnan Caliman and Juma Sei on how 1803 Fund is advancing long-term investments for a rooted, prosperous Black Portland

April 15, 2025·53 min·5 clips

Investing for a meaningfully different future for Black Portland

The conversation opens at an easy pace. Katie Hong welcomes D'Artagnan Calliman and Juma Say of Portland's 1803 Fund, and the frame is long-term Black prosperity rather than a quick philanthropic win. The timeline matters. A central quote sets the tone: the hope is that Black life in Portland, and children's lives there, will be meaningfully different in 15, 20, or 25 years because of investments made now. That idea shapes the rest. The guests describe 1803's accountability framework, which ties staff, board, and partner organizations to community-wide outcomes instead of narrow institutional success. The grants come in layers. One arm makes five-year grants and larger commitments to partner organizations, while another supports events and sponsorships that build togetherness and make Black excellence visible. The smaller awards still matter. They range from $2,500 to $20,000 and go to events and public moments that strengthen a sense of togetherness. Learning stays front and center. Juma Say says he is new to Portland again after returning in September, and also new to the investment and philanthropic space, which gives his reflections a candid, still-forming quality. That fits the episode. The conversation keeps circling back to collaboration, and to the idea that 1803's partners should work together and alongside one another rather than follow a traditional philanthropic model. The tone stays even. Rather than leaning into conflict, the discussion treats collaboration, accountability, and community-wide outcomes as practical choices that shape what the fund can do. Katie Hong gives the guests room to build the frame in their own words, moving between recap, reflection, and follow-up in a measured, intimate rhythm. The result feels grounded. It is a clear look at a Portland-based fund trying to turn money, trust, and time into durable local change.

As heard by us

A steady look at Black prosperity, accountability, and place-based philanthropy.

D'Artagnan Calliman and Juma Say frame Black prosperity in Portland as something measured over years, not quarters. The episode keeps returning to 1803 Fund's mix of investment and grantmaking, and that focus gives the conversation its clearest shape: five-year grants,…

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If you want a grounded look at the Portland-based 1803 Fund, press play.

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