NGAAP Philanthropic Collective* at Alchemy Coworking • Photography by Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr.

On the cusp of our 20th-Year Platinum Milestone, members of NGAAP Philanthropic Collective came together, in luminous and shimmering attire, for our annual Holiday Gathering and group portrait. With dozens of community partners as well as new and old friends, we celebrated the season at Alchemy Coworking and looked ahead to 2026.

2025 has been a dizzying year, politically, socially, and psychologically.

Collectively, NGAAP has weathered a year when the work of advancing racial equity, promoting inclusion, and pushing to see Black people and our communities thrive—our very mission—came under threat (see “The New Political Attacks On Black Philanthropy…And How Communities Are Fighting Back,” Essence, November 20, 2025). 

Even so, in 2025 our circle grew larger; secured record funding; garnered wide media coverage; fostered new relationships and collaborations; funded dozens of Black-led nonprofits; hosted local and national speakers on the enduring legacy and power of Black philanthropy; engaged 1000s of viewers and audiences with The Soul of Philanthropy • CLT Homecoming; and advanced our vision and plans for The New Trust to benefit generations to come. Despite a hostile climate, the substance of NGAAP prevailed this year! 

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked. “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.” ― Paulo Coehlo, The Alchemist

Back in October 2008, NGAAP served as the local host for a Community Investment Network (CIN) conference in Charlotte that posed the question, Symbolism or Substance?  At the time, our “bank town” was in the throes of a financial crisis, the Great Recession loomed, and NGAAP was a fledgling, two-year-old giving circle. In the ensuing years, our members experienced serious economic insecurity, yet as a collective, we held fast to our ideals around representation, mutuality, and pooled giving and kept making grants with what we had to give. From then until now, we have learned a lot and come to appreciate symbolism and substance. Consequently, our collective holds space for the tension between the two. 

Both matter. Defying “fate,” against all odds, requires an unyielding belief in something. Symbolism carries the power to use something concrete and visible as a proxy for an abstract concept, quality, or idea. Substance, on the other hand, reveals what a thing is genuinely about beyond the surface—in essence, the truth behind the image and symbolic representation.

NGAAP recognizes the imperative of substance and the significance of symbolism. Symbols and images (our group portraits, for example) are important to us because they keep us grounded in our core principles and shared cultural heritage, despite conflicting noise. They serve to remind us of WHY we’ve come together and HOW we aspire to have social impact for a more just world. In a time when liberation, equity and justice for all might seem unattainable, symbols prove to be motivating elements that keep these ideals alive and accessible until realized.

Corresponding with the NC state motto, esse quam videri, NGAAP strives “to be rather than to seem.” We value authenticity, integrity, and being true to our mission and principles over appearance. In the spiritual sense, alchemy is a process of transformation, purifying the soul and raising consciousness. NGAAP is transforming as we approach our “platinum milestone” and third decade.

For 2026, we’re embracing platinum—one of the rarest metals on Earth—as a guiding symbol. Like the metal, NGAAP is strong, unreactive (yet responsive), and a catalytic force. Next year and beyond will test our ability to embrace the symbolism to transcend today’s false narratives and challenges. After nearly 20 years of demonstrable impact as thought leaders, change agents, conveners, and grantmakers, we’re excited about what we can make happen next.

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In a season steeped in symbols of love, joy, peace, and goodwill, what actions are you taking to make the spirit of the holidays real?

Our Warmest Wishes for a Meaningful Season!

*NGAAP Members featured in the group portrait: 1st row (l-r) Ron Ancrum, Diatra Fullwood, Cathy Peterson, Valaida Fullwood, Jerel Harvey; 2nd row (l-r) Pam Ancrum, Victoria Taylor, Arlene Ferebee, Sidney Logan Echevarria, Ed Franklin, Bernadette Johnson, Charles Thomas, Natalie Allen, Wanda Wallace, Sharisse Williams, 3rd row (l-r) Rashidah Lopez Morgan, Val Brown, Michelle Lassiter, Shonya Anderson, Pat Wynn, Rosalyn Allison Jacobs, Pamela Senegal, Chrystal Joy, Kellie Cartwright, Kim Parham, Qiana Austin, 4th row (l-r) Terrence Ancrum, Sydney Avent, Charles Wallace, Veronica Hemmingway, Winston Robinson.