Barbara A. Taveras
Revson Fellow 2005-2006
Project Director
Coalition for New Philanthropy
Barbara Taveras is the Project Director of the Coalition for New Philanthropy, a multiyear initiative aimed at promoting and supporting strategic philanthropy in the African American, Asian American, and Latino communities in New York City. From 1993 to 2004, she was the President of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation in New York, a national private foundation with assets of over $30 million. Prior to joining Hazen, Ms. Taveras was a Policy Analyst in the areas of Multicultural Education and Special Education for the NYC Office of the Mayor. Ms. Taveras has extensive experience in International Development, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean where she worked for over 8 years funding community development projects. She is a co-founder of the Dominican Community Bridge Fund, a special project fund of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors designed to help advance the socio-economic progress of Dominicans in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. Ms. Taveras is an active member of Hispanics in Philanthropy and a former Kellogg fellow in the “Leadership in Philanthropy in the Americas†Program. In 2003 she was a co-recipient of the prestigious Council on Foundation’s Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking for her role in designing the Funders Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities, a $19 million dollar initiative to build the capacity of Latino-led nonprofits in the US, and nonprofits in Latin America. Born in the Dominican Republic, Ms. Taveras has a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Political Science from Pace University. During her Revson year, she plans to take courses in social entrepreneurship, economics, Latino studies, and finance.
(The Revson Fellow’s biography that appears above was last updated in 2005. Revson Fellows may update their biographies on this site by sending email to: revson@columbia.edu)
I had been working as a freelance journalist for over a decade. In some ways I was stymied and at a crossroads, trying to figure out how to more effectively write about the issues I was covering, how to broaden my understanding of the way the city is run and why, and ways in which I could reach a larger and broader audience. While a Fellow I took courses in urban planning, political science, law, ethno-musicology, and creative Writing. The courses strengthened my understanding of the ways politics, law, culture, and the urban environment intersect, giving me a grasp of the factors that contribute to whether or not that intersection results in conflict or community. One of the major benefits for me of the year spent as a Revson Fellow was interacting with the other Fellows. From them I got information, smarter, new perspectives, different ways of viewing events. As important, I began friendships and alliances that have lasted to this day. A community of activists/friends whom I can call on for advice, support, and understanding, and not merely of the political kind.
