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 seasoned consultant and social entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in grantmaking, fundraising, strategic partnerships, media, and marketing. As the founder of Fresh Philanthropy, she has a track record of impactful leadership expanding and reorienting conventional thinking about philanthropy. 

Akira champions the power of giving circles and everyday donors. Her expertise includes managing capacity-building grants, raising significant funds for youth-serving organizations across New York City and her role in the AT&T Imagine Your STEM Future project at Girl Scouts of the USA, which garnered recognition from the White House Council on Women and Girls for its innovative partnership development.

Akira's scholarly work includes authoring "The Value of Giving Circles in the Evolution of Community Philanthropy," an analysis of giving circles and their role in bridging grassroots and institutional grantmakers. This research was conducted during her tenure as an Emerging Leaders International Fellow at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Akira is dedicated to advancing women's and girls' causes and highlighting the contributions of Black philanthropists. She is an active member of the South Side Giving Circle of the Chicago Foundation for Women, holds a Master’s degree in Fundraising and Grantmaking from New York University and a Bachelor of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University.