Q&A: Prudential Foundation new president's local approach to global philanthropy

NEW YORK — Local action is often a helpful first step forward when it comes to thinking internationally and creating global reach, according to Shané Harris, the new president of the Prudential Foundation.

Since its inception in 1977, the Prudential Foundation has given more than $850 million in grants and contributions to nonprofit organizations, with a focus on inclusive economic growth. About a third of that funding has gone back to Newark, New Jersey, home to the company and foundation’s headquarters.

“One of the biggest shifts has been taking the lessons we learned in Newark. In many ways Newark is a laboratory — primarily minority, a big city, with a lot of the barriers people of color and people who do not have the opportunity to face ... taking those insights and lessons learned and the community partnerships to understand what works,” Harris said.

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