April Walker Centers Racial Equity in Philanthropy

April Walker is a nonprofit consultant and founder of Philanthropy for the People, an organization dedicated to centering racial equity and justice in fundraising and grantmaking. In this role, April works with nonprofits, donors, and foundations to challenge biases and bring people with lived experiences to the forefront of the philanthropic conversation.

After spending years in philanthropy, April knew it was time to disrupt the fundraising field.

“I was previously in a Chief Development Officer role at a large workforce development organization in Cleveland, Ohio,” April shares. “And the reality is that I was the only Black leader of that organization. And it was a Black serving organization in a predominantly Black city that had been around for 130 years.”

During the pandemic, April realized the organization wasn’t focused on having tough conversations or unlearning biases. So she decided to create her own firm to help nonprofits confront power imbalances and embrace accountability.

Initially, April didn’t set out to work in philanthropy.