Rachel Knox — empire coven

Age || 31

Company Name || Hyde Family Foundation

Job Title || Senior Program Officer

Company Start Date || June 2017

Social Handles || @fearlessknox

Company Website || hyde family foundation

What did you want to be while growing up?

I’ve always wanted to help others even as a kid. When I was younger, I wanted to be a child advocate lawyer. I was intensely interested in politics and policy even as a kid because my family is the same way, and made me watch the Clinton/Dole debates even though I was like six. But it sparked a life-long interest in helping others. As I got older, I got more involved in the arts and the community, and realized I wanted to affect change in Memphis. I ran for office in 2015 and landed in philanthropy after working at a consulting organization that tackled policy issues.

What’s the best piece of advice you were given when entering the world of philanthropy?

My advice came from a book that helped me to understand the field better. In my first month at the Foundation, I read a book called Unicorns Unite by Jane Leu, Jessamyn Shams-Lau, and Vu Le. The book highlights the relationships and power dynamics between philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. The book focuses on trust-based philanthropy and supporting nonprofit leaders by making grantmaking as easy as possible. The best advice I got was to double down on general operating support grants, which have the most flexibility for organizations to spend. Unicorns Unite helped shape my thinking around the best grantmaking practices and support for all the cultural organizations in my portfolio, especially those led by Black and brown leaders.

What drew you to the world of philanthropy in Memphis?

Memphis is a very charitable city, and people naturally want to help each other. In my previous role at Innovate Memphis, I got the chance to work with the Hyde Family Foundation on a research project. That’s where I started to learn more about philanthropy and how the sector could catalyze major projects that benefited large cross-sections of the city. I loved the idea of being able to make a significant impact in Memphis through a non-traditional sector.

How has your background helped you in your current role?

I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis in Costume Design and Technology. Even then, I was the person in the costume shop sewing on buttons and passionately discussing issues (I was yelling) that affected the City of Memphis and the country. Now, I get to do more than talk about it. Having a background in theatre, especially technical theatre, has been helpful because you learn so much about how to communicate your ideas with others and how to collaborate effectively. The emotional intelligence that you build in a very people-centric background has been tremendously helpful during my career.

How do you define success?

There’s this line in the song Boss by the Carters that states, “over here we measure success by how many people successful next to you,” and that fits my definition of success. I want the people around me, whether personally or professionally, to feel like they can succeed. If the people in my world are winning, then I’m winning too.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting out?

I’ve learned that it's okay to have ambitious ideas. On numerous occasions, I've been told in other contexts and at different points in my career that my thoughts were too ambitious, but not at the Foundation. I'm always allowed to advocate for my ideas, and if they're turned down, it's often a timing or strategic fit issue. Everyone deserves to have a bold vision and to have space to operationalize that vision.

What is your go-to motivational quote and/or personal motto?

“You didn’t wake up to be mediocre.” I loved this quote the second I heard it because it’s easy to take the days for granted and not push as hard as we should to complete the work ahead of us. So, when I’m struggling and having a hard time, I think about this quote and push through.

Which women inspire you?

Shirley Chisholm has been my forever inspiration. Her motto of “unbought and unbossed” has inspired me not only in my work to support nonprofits but also kept me grounded during my 2015 run for the city council. Other women who inspire me include Madeline Albright, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Diane Nash, and Ella Baker.

How do you overcome moments of self-doubt?

I think like many people, I suffer from imposter syndrome. I told one of my friends about this a few years ago, and she suggested writing down accomplishments, ways I’ve helped others, and general wins in my life and putting them in a box. That way, when I start doubting my abilities, I can spend a couple of minutes reminding myself of the good things that got me to this place in my life. I think it’s easy to hyper-fixate on what’s not going well, especially during this pandemic, but you didn’t get where you are by accident, so give as much energy to the good stuff too.

How do you balance your schedule?

My workload pre-pandemic could get pretty hectic and overwhelming. In addition to the grant write-ups and day-to-day work, supporting our cultural organizations meant that after 5 pm I was headed to a performance, screening, or exhibition opening. Sometimes I was working 10-12 hour days for weeks at a time. To stay on top of things, I started blocking off two days a week where I didn’t have any meetings during the day. My “deep work” days are set aside for writing and strategy. It allows me to stay focused on the current work and gives me space to plan for the future and create a roadmap to get there.

How do you handle situations where you feel overwhelmed?

I’m a checklist person. Whenever I get overwhelmed, I pull out one of my many notebooks and one of three thousand pens and write down everything I need to do for the next few days. Then I assign priorities to each item and reorganize the list. Afterward, I take a few minutes to meditate to focus, and then I get to work.

What has been the most rewarding thing since starting out?

The most rewarding part of my work has been increasing our funding levels to Black-led organizations. Philanthropy has a bad reputation for not equitably funding organizations led by BIPOC leaders. The cultural sector is especially egregious, with only 4% of funding going to BIPOC institutions. When I started at the Foundation three years ago, only 12% of our grant funding went to Black-led organizations. Through careful planning and cultivation, organizations led by Black leaders make up 45% of my portfolio, with 40% of the overall funding going to those organizations. We still have work to do, but 10x’s the national average lets me know we’re on the right track.

What advice would you give to other women trying to enter your field?

Philanthropy is surprisingly a very woman-dominated field. But, like any field, you have to be ready and willing to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and for the organizations you want to fund. Additionally, you’ll want to make a concerted effort to get out in the community to find out what’s happening on the ground as much as possible. Relationships with others rule philanthropy, so you’ll want to meet as many nonprofit leaders as possible to make sure you’re funding organizations doing the most impactful work.

What are some of your goals moving forward both at the Hyde Family Foundation and in the world of philanthropy overall?

I want to continue to support Black and brown-led organizations in the City, and I also want to support our cultural sector through the pandemic. Memphis' cultural industry has suffered tremendous losses during the past six months. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the nonprofit cultural community has lost $9.4M in revenue. Additionally, over 500 artists and arts administrators are without work. The road to recovery will be very long, and we will need to find a way to support the sector's long-term resiliency. We will also want to find ways to support the for-profit facets of the cultural sector, such as music venues, that add to the vibrancy of Memphis but fall outside the purview of the Foundation.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.